Nineteenth Century Woman Tailor

Walking through the snow that reached her ankles, Eloise moved forward for a while. Her toes were already numb from the cold, so she stopped to browse the goods at a stall.

The stall owner, an elderly woman, was dozing off in a Rococo-style upholstered armchair. Her graying hair was wrapped in a red cloth, and she was covered with an orange-patterned woolen blanket. Her feet rested on a smoking stove, and in her arms, she cradled a white cat.

The cat, noticing a customer, began to meow, prompting the stall owner to lift her head. She rubbed her eyes and looked down the aisle.

There stood a young girl with delicate features. Her clothes were simple, and though she had layered several garments under her outer dress, her slim figure was still evident. Her eyes, reflecting the snow's glow, were fixed on a few ladies' warm hats on the stall.

Another poor but pretty girl with a taste for vanity, the stall owner thought, unimpressed. She yawned and said, "Those are fine goods from France. A dollar each, no bargaining."

Eloise was indeed staring at the beautiful second-hand hats. They were made of straw, lined with high-quality velvet or suede, with silk ribbons around the brim, handmade lace, and dyed artificial flowers. They were extravagant yet charming, the kind of luxury items used by delicate, high-society ladies.

They were flamboyant but also beautiful, so much so that they could almost make one lose their willpower in an instant.

Eloise quickly averted her gaze and picked up two plain straw bonnets instead. These hats, resembling baby bonnets from later eras, could cover the ears and had a front brim to shield against snow. However, they weren't as warm as winter hats, so they weren't worth much.

After checking for any unacceptable damage, Eloise also picked out two thin woolen scarves—more like knitted strips of fabric—and some square handkerchiefs that Louise needed.

These items all had significant flaws and were sold cheaply.

The stall owner glanced at her, surprised that such a young girl could resist the temptation of those beautiful things.

"Are you sure you only want these? I offer installment payments. You can come every week and pay twenty-five cents. In a month, that warm hat will be yours."

Eloise shook her head firmly. If she hadn't been reborn, she might have fallen into the trap of such reckless spending, but not now.

"Just these, please. Two straw hats, two scarves, and two handkerchiefs."

Eloise thought she could buy some extra materials and modify the items herself at home.

Seeing that her persuasion didn't work, the stall owner muttered under her breath. Usually, girls would fall for her tricks. They'd start with a hat, then shoes, then clothes, and before they knew it, they'd be drowning in debt, forced into prostitution to repay her.

Eloise gave her a cold sideways glance. Her past self might have been deceived this way.

Though she also had material desires and wanted to enjoy life, it wouldn't be through such means.

Reluctantly, the stall owner calculated the total. "That'll be sixty-nine cents."

"Sixty cents. That's all I have," Eloise said calmly, pulling out six ten-cent coins from her pocket and feigning distress.

The items she had chosen were second-hand and not in great condition, so the stall owner wouldn't lose money. Besides, Eloise still had to alter them herself.

The stall owner hesitated for a moment. With the heavy snow, business had been slow that day. She took the six coins and grumbled, "This won't happen again."

Eloise quickly gathered her purchases and moved on, heading to a stall selling second-hand fabrics. She bought a few yards of plain muslin, some cotton thread, and leather cord.

At the stall, she noticed a second-hand dress form made of muslin, with a wooden base and brass fittings, stuffed with cotton. The price was steep—even at its cheapest, it would cost two or three dollars.

Eloise gazed at it longingly but didn't inquire further.

After buying the materials, Eloise had spent all her money. She bundled everything in the muslin and carried it home.

Calculating in her mind, she realized she still needed a full set of tools: the dress form for draping, a sewing machine, long scissors, an iron, a measuring tape, a brass curve ruler, and various other materials.

How long would it take her to afford all these things?

She decided she needed to save money, quit her hotel job, and work at a tailor's shop. She would have to climb her way up, gain access to proper tools, and improve her skills to become a real tailor.

When Eloise arrived home, Thomas and Bella had already finished lunch and gone out to see the Christmas window displays.

With the New Year just over twenty days away, the streets were already adorned with Christmas decorations. However, the Christmas trees in the squares were only now being decorated with lights.

Eloise was alone at home. She first piled all the second-hand items into a wooden basin, washed off the stains with hot water, and hung them on the wire by the window to dry.

Then she organized the materials and muslin on her bed, laying them out neatly and making a list of tasks.

First, she had promised to alter a dress for Amy. Since she didn't have a dress form, she would use the muslin to create a pattern based on Amy's measurements.

She cut out the front and back pieces, adjusting the darts.

After roughly sewing the pieces together, she checked for any irregularities, made adjustments, and finalized the pattern. Then she disassembled the muslin.

Using the fabric Amy had provided for the dress, she cut the pieces according to the muslin pattern.

She sewed the dress together, added eyelets for the drawstring, and turned it into a top.

This process would likely take two or three days.

Since Amy had a well-proportioned figure, the muslin used for her dress could be reused.

Next were the hats and scarves she had bought.

She would patch the holes and fix any frayed edges.

Eloise planned to add a layer of muslin inside the straw hats for warmth and sew up any loose ties.

This task could wait until the hats were dry and would be done before bed the next day.

For now, Eloise hadn't even had a sip of water. She sharpened her aunt's scissors with a stone until they cut through fabric cleanly and crisply.

Following the steps she remembered from her past life, she quickly cut out the muslin pieces.

Outside, the evening sky grew darker, and the room grew colder. Eloise didn't even check if the stove was still lit. She took off her shoes, wrapped herself in a blanket to warm her feet, and continued working with her needle, thread, and scissors.

She worked for hours until a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door.

Eloise had been so focused that her eyes were sore. She looked out the window—it was already dark, with snowflakes pelting against the glass.

She got up to open the door and found her aunt, Louise, Thomas, and Bella standing there. They had met on the way and returned home together.

"Goodness, why is it so cold in here? Eloise, didn't you light the stove?"

Louise was the first to step inside, rubbing her hands. The room was as cold as an icebox. Seeing the half-finished dress on Eloise's bed, she realized Eloise had been so busy working that she hadn't noticed the cold.

Thomas and Bella volunteered to light the stove, while Eloise scratched her head sheepishly.

"Amy asked me to alter a dress for her. I got so caught up, I lost track of time."

Louise handed Eloise two old garments and said,

"These are old trousers from my coworker. She wants them turned into two pairs of long gloves, with embroidery and lace. Here's the payment she agreed to—seventy-five cents in total."

This was more than Eloise had expected.

Eloise was delighted. She took the old clothes and set aside the money, about to ask Louise for more details.

Then Terry entered the room, exchanging a glance with Louise. Both seemed hesitant to speak. Finally, the aunt pulled out a tightly wrapped package from her clothes.

The package had been hidden, wrapped in a wrinkled paper bag from the hotel's flour supply, looking quite out of place.

Eloise stopped her questions, puzzled, and looked at her aunt.

Terry looked pale, and when she asked a few questions about how busy Eloise was, her tone wasn’t as cheerful as usual. Eloise could tell right away that something was wrong.

“Not too busy, what’s up, Auntie?”

Louise knew her mother was timid, so she took the paper-wrapped bundle and explained for her:

“While Mom was doing the laundry today, she accidentally damaged a guest’s shirt from the ‘Opal’ suite. Here, take a look.”

Eloise’s heart sank as she took the bundle and unwrapped it.

Inside was a plain-collared shirt, clearly made from high-quality English fabric, smooth and free of imperfections. It was unstarched, breathable, and perfect for wearing under formal or casual attire.

It was also expensive. If the damage were discovered, it might cost Terry several months’ wages to replace.

Eloise shook out the shirt and examined the damaged area. The shoulder seam had come undone during washing, which looked alarming but wasn’t irreparable. The fabric itself wasn’t torn.

Her heart settled a little.

“It’s fine, I can fix this. No one will notice.”

Louise breathed a sigh of relief and reassured Terry:

“Just sneak it back tomorrow. The shirt has to pass through so many hands when it’s sent downstairs. Who’s to say you’re the one who damaged it? Don’t worry, Mom.”

“Can you really fix it so it looks like nothing happened?” Terry asked hesitantly.

Eloise nudged her cautious aunt toward the kitchen to prepare dinner. She nodded firmly in front of Terry and assured her:

“I can. You can trust me.”

With that, Eloise set aside her other tasks and focused on repairing the shirt.

Under the gaslight, she carefully unpicked the stitching on the sleeve, then re-sewed it with matching thread, aligning every stitch perfectly.

In less than two hours, she was done. She trimmed the loose threads and wrapped the shirt back in the paper.

By the time Terry finished dinner, she inspected the shirt and found that Eloise had indeed repaired it flawlessly. Only then did she relax and call everyone to the table.

“I’ll have to quit this job sooner or later and find something else,” Terry said, still shaken. She stared at her plate, her knife untouched, and spoke gloomily.

Louise nodded but then frowned. “But if we don’t work at the hotel, where else can we go?”

The two women fell silent for a while. Eloise slowly ate her corn porridge and suggested, “Auntie, your cooking is amazing. Why not set up a food stall?”

“Even the smallest stall requires some capital, and we don’t have any.”

Louise wasn’t contradicting Eloise; she simply knew her mother’s savings.

They barely had enough to buy a larger stove, let alone the pots, pans, and utensils needed for a food stall.

Eloise was well aware of the family’s tight budget. Even if Terry had three heads and six arms, she wouldn’t be able to save much.

“I know that, of course. But after spring, we can save a bit on heating costs. I’ll keep working at the hotel and take on some sewing jobs on the side. That way, we can slowly save up some capital.”

“Besides, selling food doesn’t require a lot of upfront investment. We don’t necessarily need a stall. Have you seen those boys selling cigarettes and cigars in wooden boxes outside the hotel?”

“Once it gets warmer, we can make some cold dishes at home, carry them in baskets or on a small cart, and sell them outside. We don’t need a fixed stall right away.”

“We’ll start with something simple. Once we earn some money, we can gradually invest in better equipment, set up a proper stall, and maybe even rent a shop. We’ll take it step by step.”

…