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Author
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Comment
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pinkolaestes
Registered User
(9/22/02 10:13:32 pm)
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tailor stories?
Dear everyone: I am taking up again the writing of a memoir about my father who was an old country tailor. I am looking for tailor, and sewing stories beyond the little tailor and the tailor who slew 10,000 and the shoemaker elves and the emporer's clothes and the seven shirts sewn for the swan brothers. I know there must be some iniapak and inuit works on this, since the people still sew. Although weaving is a part of tailoring for certain and my father knew how to weave very well, I am not sure that is the focus unless it has to do with tailoring. I think embroidery is probably not applicatble here, although he could do that too. But things having to do with tailoring might be the most relevant; such as shears, thimbles, spools, needles, wax, chalk, irons, measuring tape, L-square, curve ruler, suit of clothing, dummy, etc. in context of tailoring. I do have some story bits from the uprising of tailors in eastern europe during the war, but very little. I have a small story about the tailors at the death camp Ausch2. who sewed the bags of hair together that I can hardly write about if ever. I am trying to recall all my father's joke stories about tailors, mainly having to do with fooling high and mighty personages and the redemptive stories about mending broken and precious things...
If anyone might tell me of places to look, I will faithfully research.
thank you in advance,
con cariņo,
cpe
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Jane Yolen
Unregistered User
(9/23/02 5:10:52 am)
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tailor stories
I can think of weaver stories if that helps. But tailors--you seem to have hit the immediate ones.
Folk songs: "There was a tailor had a mouse, hi-diddle-do-come-fi-dum." I could xerox that and send it to you.
Jane
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Helen
Registered User
(9/23/02 5:25:05 am)
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A.S. Byatt ...
Dear CPE:
There's a lovely story called "The Glass Coffin," starring a tailor, in A.S. Byatt's "Fire and Ice," which also makes an appearance in _Possession_ (attributed to Christabel LaMotte). I'll keep my eye out for others ...
Best,
Helen
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Kate
Unregistered User
(9/23/02 8:04:07 am)
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Yiddish
CPE,
I have some Yiddish tales about tailors in a nice collection, if Yiddish will be of any interest. (They're translated into English.) I'll post the titles later, if they interest you.
(I actually happen to be researching pattern-making for my new novel right now, and tales about sewing!)
Kate
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Midori
Unregistered User
(9/23/02 7:27:54 pm)
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motif index
Dear CPE,
What about a quick glance at A-T motif index? it might give some odd sources. I was trying to remember if I had a bunch of Tibetian tales here somewhere...I think my mother gave them to me...I'll look.
The thought occured to me how often the services of a tailor or dressmaker are called upon in fairy tales and how little we know of their lives. What was the tailor thinking who sewed the luxurious and wild tattercoats--made from the fur of every type of animal? or the dress as gold as the sun, or silvery as the moon? Surely there was the pride in craft, the desire to see her in it the garmetns...only to watch it all slip away, hidden in a nut shell as the ungrateful girl with her narrow waist and high bosom absconded with all that beautiful work?
I wonder if he got paid any way?
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pinkolaestes
Registered User
(9/23/02 9:25:30 pm)
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the tattercoat, thank you M.
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pinkolaestes
Registered User
(9/23/02 9:29:43 pm)
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thank you m.
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pinkolaestes
Registered User
(9/23/02 10:00:49 pm)
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hmmmm??
cant figure out why it won't take a post, I do not have HTML checked. Hmmmm?
cpe
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dorisi
Registered User
(9/23/02 10:55:40 pm)
ezSupporter
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Re:tailors
Midori - And then there's the tailor who made the Emperor's new clothes. I believe he was paid handsomely per garment...
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Lotti
Unregistered User
(9/24/02 9:44:40 am)
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Probably not what you're looking for, but...
There is a fairy tale you have not mentioned, though I do not know if it is translated into English - it might be. It is called "Der falsche Prinz": "The false prince" and was written by Wilhelm Hauff. Basic plotline is as follows:
Young tailor by name of Labakan dreams of greatness and runs away with a very beautiful and costly garment he made. Meets prince Omar and chats him up. Omar has been brought up by an uncle (I think) and returns home with letters identifying him to his parents. Labakan steals those and goes to court as Prince Omar. Omar goes there too. Both try to prove their identity. The Queen challenges them to make a garment, which Labakan does and Omar doesn't manage. The King is puzzled, but does not wish to decide. He goes to a fairy for help who gives him two boxes, one marked "fame and glory", the other "riches and happiness". Omar chooses the first, Labakan the second. The first reveals a crown, the second - a threaded needle. Labakan is not punished, because Omar pleads for him, and returns to his former master. He is beaten up for stealing the garment he went away with. After that he moves to another town and sets up shop on his own, being reformed and no longer idle and dreaming. He leaves a garment on the table one day to serve a customer, and when he returns, the needle from the fairy sews on its own. Thus, Labakan becomes moderately rich in time and is now content with what he has.
If this story would be appropriate, it might be worth a try to search for it on the internet!
Regards, Lotti
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janeyolen
Unregistered User
(9/24/02 11:55:37 am)
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????
"The Happy Man's Shirt" isn't about a tailor, but is about clothing. Will that do?
Jane
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summersinger
Registered User
(9/24/02 12:38:27 pm)
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Seamstress of Salsbury
There was a picture book in my school library years ago called "The Seamstress of Salsbury" about a seamstress who was hired to make dresses for all the ladies of the court. They all insisted on having dresses with too many bows and ruffles so they would look fine when the prince returned to court. In the end, all their dresses were so heavy that they fell apart, and the prince arrived to find everyone but the seamstress standing around in her underwear. He decided that the seamstress was the only one with good sense, and married her. I doubt it's a folk story, but I always loved it and you may well be able to find it.
There's also a song I knew with lyrics similar to these - shorty.mudcat.org/!!-song99.cfm?stuff=fall99+D+13098311
. Actually, if you go to mudcat.org and search for "tailor",
you can find a lot of folk songs. Good luck!
-Julia
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Lizzi
Unregistered User
(9/26/02 2:07:46 am)
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A useful reference
There have been some articles on folklore relating to pincushions and spinning wheels, if I remember correctly, in White Dragon magazine.
They are also online at http://www.whitedragon.org.uk
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Kristin
Registered User
(9/26/02 11:55:24 am)
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Cobbler or Tailor
I remember a fairy tale about brownies coming in during the night and finishing work that someone had to do. At first, I pictured clothes sitting finished and beautifully stitched in the morning, but then I thought they might have been shoes. Does anyone else remember this?
Kristin
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janeyolen
Unregistered User
(9/26/02 3:18:01 pm)
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Oops
That's the shoemaker's elves which cpe references in her opening statement.
Jane
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rachael
Unregistered User
(9/26/02 5:14:46 pm)
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tailors
in little black sambo i believe the mother was the tailor. the story focuses more on the clothes than on the sewing of them,though.
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