The Nobility of the Tailor's Trade

     "Every man to his business, but indeed the craft of a tailor is beyond all doubt as noble and as secret as any in the world. To take a bolt of cloth and work with such simple tools as chalk, needle and thread, scissors and hot iron, and bring from them a suit to fit every little bump and crevice of the body, without ugliness, is a royal mystery indeed, and ancient beyond the knowledge of man, for all mankind has had joy to deck himself, right from the Beginning, and none shall say when that was.

"More in the shoulder," said Hwfa, making little marks with the chalk. "Up with the back."

Old Twm pulled up the cloth at the back only the smallest bit.

"Wait, wait," Hwfa shouted. "Will he have his collar over his ears, with you, you old fool, you? Down a bit. Down more. Wait, wait."

"What now, in the name of God?" asked old Twm, with impatience, and fast losing sweetness."

"A coat I am making," Hwfa said, with froth, over my shoulder. "When it is trews I will let you know. Will you have the collar round his waist?"

"Nothing will surprise me in this place," Old Twm said. "There will be buttonholes in the bottoms of his trews before long. Collar a bit high in the back."

"I know, I know," said Hwfa. "Please to close the head."

"Close head, close sense," Old Twm said, "perhaps that is why."

Hwfa looked long at me as though he would cry, then he bit his lips, and still looking ready to cry, went to mark the front for buttons, but savage, and with quick side looks at the big shears on the table, as though ready to use them for a killing at the wink of an eye.

"Right sleeve short," said Old Twm, as though it were no business of anybody.

Hwfa took a big breath, and went to work on the left cuff.

"Right sleeve," said Old Twn, as though it were no business of anybody.

Hwfa dropped his arms and closed his eyes. Then he opened them, looking as though the worries of the world were in his keeping, and went to work on my trews.

"Tighter at the waist," said Hwfa, "and higher, if it is no trouble to anybody in the shop."

"Shortness in the right sleeve," said Old Twm.

Hwfa started humming some tune of his own, and marked little marks all over my trews with the chalk.

"There is pretty," said Old Twm, very serious.

"A journey of six months of Sundays and a good pair of feet" said Hwfa, almost in whispers, "would have to be had to find anything so pretty as you."

"So my mother said," Old Twm said, "and that sleeve of his is just below the bone of his elbow with him."

"Take off the coat, Huw, my little one," said Hwfa, with grandness. "A master tailor has no need to give a second look to anything. come you Friday night and have it hot from the goose."

"O? He will give it to you himself, then," said Old Twm, going to sit. "And if you will find a leg of your trews hanging from your neck, and cuffs instead of flaps on your pockets, raise your eyes from my face, will you please?"

An excerpt from How Green Was My Valley, by Richard Llewellyn
It is good to find someone who appreciates the trouble one goes through in sewing clothing that fits well, even though they have never tried to do it themself. If I went into business with a partner, I can easily believe we would sound like Hwfa and Old Twm!


Can you believe it, I actually had parts of Christmas and New Years posts written, but was not able to finish them? It's such a busy time of year, but I hope you all had a very blessed Christmas, and are continuing to enjoy the Christmas Season.

May it please the supreme and divine Goodness to give us all abundant grace

ever to know His most holy will and perfectly to fulfill it.

- St. Ignatius of Loyola