Our correspondent takes the measure of a woman at a ladies’ tailoring shop and learns that a few inches go a long way
How tough can it be working as a ladies’ tailor? I just had to measure, cut and stitch. I smiled to myself. After all, I was the design diva when it came to my doll’s wardrobe. Off I went, to Chandigarh’s Boutique number 63 run by Asha Dhillon, Simrit Grewal and Ramat Mahal. I took charge of my new post –the Masterji’s intern for the day.
The place was whirring with the sound of sewing machines. Reels of thread, laces, beads were heaped in baskets and tiny cobwebs of thread marked the floor. In a corner was Masterji’s table, a huge one just like an architect’s drafting board. On it was a heavy pair of scissors, boxes of cloth marking chalks — in bright colours of pink, turquoise blue and yellow—all neatly stacked up, stitching awl, sewing needles, tracing wheel and paper, bobpins, tape measure, foot rules, the interlocking machine and an iron in the corner. The clutter of clothes, colour splashed all over, chiks rolled up, radio waves crackling in the background made it a mad artist’s studio.
“Where shall we begin, Masterji?” I chirped. Vijay, the Masterji, was not amused with my over-enthusiasm. His eyes narrowed as he peered through his thick glasses and cleared the table.
“The first thing you notice is the fabric. Its texture, make, whether it will stitch well, drape well, have a life etc. Once that’s done, you take the measurements,” he began. Easy.
The project on hand was a kurta, the customer was Manju, a housewife, who was kind enough to let me take her measurements. In an eager move, I placed the measuring tape on the shoulder and ran it down her arm. “It’s 38 inches,” I said with the air of a professional. But over confidence can be fatal. And this is where I realised tailoring is no cakewalk. “Lesson number one,” said Masterji, as he took the tape, “Always stand back and assess your subject, and then hold the tape in a descending order, place it on the neckline and let it run at a 90 degree angle.”
The length turned out to be 40 inches! When it comes to being a ladies tailor, or any tailor for that matter, the entire game lies in taking the measurement. An...
