Grantville Gazette, Volume 40 by Paula Goodlett, edited by Paula Goodlett Page B
Book: Grantville Gazette, Volume 40 by Paula Goodlett, edited by Paula Goodlett
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Authors: Paula Goodlett, edited by Paula Goodlett
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can make ready-to-wear clothing with her, and unless we're boneheads, she and I can't fail. But on the other hand . . .
Tilda said, "Do you know what's not in your telephone book? An up-time tailor shop. In your world, ready-to-wear wiped the tailors out."
Stephanie paused a second, then shrugged. "I never noticed before, but you're right. Oh well, too bad for the tailors. But you and I, making ready-to-wear—will this happen, or not?"
Tilda Gundlachin verheiraten Bruckner, a tailor's daughter and a tailor's widow, after a long silence said—
"Yes, let's do this."
****
Tilda and Stephanie formed a partnership to make a ready-to-wear women's-clothing company, Up & Down Clothing.
They raised money by raffling off Stephanie's denim. Five lucky winners would win a chance to have "authentic" blue jeans, each with zipper and copper rivets, that were tailor-made for him or her.
By the day of the drawing, Stephanie had sold a ridiculous number of raffle tickets. During the month that tickets were on sale, it became normal for someone from the Abrabanel Bank to buy twenty tickets on behalf of some Adel , then an hour later, someone from the Bank of Grantville to buy thirty tickets for someone else.
With one week still to go, Stephanie joked that she'd need a wine vat to hold all the tickets when she did the drawing.
No up-timer won the drawing. A greengrocer's wife—and CoC member—in Magdeburg, an ex-Bavarian coal miner in Grantville, a young Frenchman on his Grand Tour, a Niederadel daughter, and a Hochadel daughter each got new jeans.
Tilda and Stephanie sewed two and a half pairs of jeans apiece. All five winners were satisfied with the fit of their new clothing. Afterward, the denim scraps got donated to the Historical Museum.
As the partners walked out of the Museum, Stephanie remarked, "Other than my sons, the denim was my only remaining link to Larry. Now it's gone. Hurray!"
Tilda only nodded, having no idea what to say.
After the denim-adventure was all over, Tilda and Stephanie started to make skorts. Lots and lots of skorts.
When they were done, they had blue-gingham skorts and green-gingham skorts in girl's sizes, and in women's sizes from young junior to fuller-sized women's. Petite sizes were well represented, because down-timer women were short by the standards that Stephanie and Tilda were using; but Stephanie made sure that tall women weren't overlooked.
Tilda and Stephanie reserved a meeting room at the Higgins Hotel, and announced that the first new-time ready-to-wear clothing would be sold there on Saturday, August 2. That announcement got a lot of publicity—doubly so when Delia Higgins announced that she would put her electric Singer sewing machine on display during the skort sale.
Friday, August 1, Stephanie and Tilda carried boxes and boxes of skorts into the Higgins Hotel meeting room, as carpenters made temporary dressing rooms.
Early Saturday, the meeting room opened its doors, and instantly filled with women and girls. Even tall Frida Löfström came. Frida was promptly led to a blue-gingham skort that, she soon told the room, fit her perfectly.
Keeping the customers cheerful all day Saturday were two temporary assistants, Maria and Martina, who took each customer's measurements and explained to her about the sizing charts. Tilda had been obliged Friday night to teach Martina and Maria the tricks of working a tape measure—neither girl knew much about dressmaking or tailoring—but on Saturday, the two down-timer high school girls were stylish and outgoing. Each girl had rare beauty, so she looked great in her skort. Stephanie had hired well.
By afternoon on Saturday, Tilda noticed, women were shopping in packs. Some of those afternoon customers were morning customers who had left and then had returned with girlfriends.
Whenever Tilda glanced over at Delia Higgins, she was beaming like a proud grandmother.
Late on Saturday, when finally Hotel Security moved the last shopper out of
Tilda said, "Do you know what's not in your telephone book? An up-time tailor shop. In your world, ready-to-wear wiped the tailors out."
Stephanie paused a second, then shrugged. "I never noticed before, but you're right. Oh well, too bad for the tailors. But you and I, making ready-to-wear—will this happen, or not?"
Tilda Gundlachin verheiraten Bruckner, a tailor's daughter and a tailor's widow, after a long silence said—
"Yes, let's do this."
****
Tilda and Stephanie formed a partnership to make a ready-to-wear women's-clothing company, Up & Down Clothing.
They raised money by raffling off Stephanie's denim. Five lucky winners would win a chance to have "authentic" blue jeans, each with zipper and copper rivets, that were tailor-made for him or her.
By the day of the drawing, Stephanie had sold a ridiculous number of raffle tickets. During the month that tickets were on sale, it became normal for someone from the Abrabanel Bank to buy twenty tickets on behalf of some Adel , then an hour later, someone from the Bank of Grantville to buy thirty tickets for someone else.
With one week still to go, Stephanie joked that she'd need a wine vat to hold all the tickets when she did the drawing.
No up-timer won the drawing. A greengrocer's wife—and CoC member—in Magdeburg, an ex-Bavarian coal miner in Grantville, a young Frenchman on his Grand Tour, a Niederadel daughter, and a Hochadel daughter each got new jeans.
Tilda and Stephanie sewed two and a half pairs of jeans apiece. All five winners were satisfied with the fit of their new clothing. Afterward, the denim scraps got donated to the Historical Museum.
As the partners walked out of the Museum, Stephanie remarked, "Other than my sons, the denim was my only remaining link to Larry. Now it's gone. Hurray!"
Tilda only nodded, having no idea what to say.
After the denim-adventure was all over, Tilda and Stephanie started to make skorts. Lots and lots of skorts.
When they were done, they had blue-gingham skorts and green-gingham skorts in girl's sizes, and in women's sizes from young junior to fuller-sized women's. Petite sizes were well represented, because down-timer women were short by the standards that Stephanie and Tilda were using; but Stephanie made sure that tall women weren't overlooked.
Tilda and Stephanie reserved a meeting room at the Higgins Hotel, and announced that the first new-time ready-to-wear clothing would be sold there on Saturday, August 2. That announcement got a lot of publicity—doubly so when Delia Higgins announced that she would put her electric Singer sewing machine on display during the skort sale.
Friday, August 1, Stephanie and Tilda carried boxes and boxes of skorts into the Higgins Hotel meeting room, as carpenters made temporary dressing rooms.
Early Saturday, the meeting room opened its doors, and instantly filled with women and girls. Even tall Frida Löfström came. Frida was promptly led to a blue-gingham skort that, she soon told the room, fit her perfectly.
Keeping the customers cheerful all day Saturday were two temporary assistants, Maria and Martina, who took each customer's measurements and explained to her about the sizing charts. Tilda had been obliged Friday night to teach Martina and Maria the tricks of working a tape measure—neither girl knew much about dressmaking or tailoring—but on Saturday, the two down-timer high school girls were stylish and outgoing. Each girl had rare beauty, so she looked great in her skort. Stephanie had hired well.
By afternoon on Saturday, Tilda noticed, women were shopping in packs. Some of those afternoon customers were morning customers who had left and then had returned with girlfriends.
Whenever Tilda glanced over at Delia Higgins, she was beaming like a proud grandmother.
Late on Saturday, when finally Hotel Security moved the last shopper out of
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