Once there was a little tailor. He made clothes for many people in his village. He was so good at his work he had no time to make any new clothes for himself. So he was a very scruffy little tailor. One day the King heard about how good the little tailor was at making clothes. He went to visit him. "I would like you to be the King's tailor" said the King, "but first of all you must make something for yourself. I cannot have a tailor who looks so scruffy!" and he gave the little tailor money to buy some cloth. The little tailor found the very best cloth and he sat up all that night and he cut and he stitched and he sewed, and in the morning he had made – a jacket!...

In the last few years I have heard this story at nearly every story gathering. You must have heard it too! The story behind this story is a story in itself! This appears to be the most travelled story in this country! It hasn't been travelling very long - possibly about 8 years(?) but the remarkable thing is that every teller makes it their very own, either setting it in their own area or with their own personal thoughts woven into the pattern.

I've heard it told by many professional storytellers - Patrick Ryan (who weaves an Irish flavour), Joan Barr ("and all night he cut and he stitched and he sewed and he snipped"), and Taffy Thomas ("and he was just about to throw it away when he thought – hang on a minute, I can make something of that"!) Derek Reid has his very unique Eastern European version, detailing the texture and colour of the cloth.

I first heard it from Patrick Ryan, and when I asked Patrick where he got it from, he said his version was Irish. I said if it had a tailor in it there must surely be a Jewish connection! He smiled and said well, yes! He had heard it from American storyteller David Holt who had read it in a book by Nancy Shimmel called "Just Enough to Make a Story" (published in 1970's).

She had found it from a Yiddish folk song called "Hob Ich Mir a Mantl" (Once I had a coat)

"Once I had a coat of ancient cloth, tra la la..
It was all worn out, so I set to thinking;
out of the coat I made a jacket,
out of the jacket a little vest,
out of the vest a pocket,
out of the pocket a button,
out of the button a little nothing,
out of the little nothing, a song!"

When Michael Rosen (the poet) gave his father Harold Rosen a copy of the book, he turned it into a semi-autobiographical story set in the area he was brought up in - Bethnal Green in East London. Taffy heard it from Duncan Williamson who thought it was a travelling story from Canada or America. But who brought it into the country? Was it Patrick?

When I found the original song, I found it too complex in translation so I made my own version:

"Once I had a coat, a coat of the finest cloth
(Once I had a coat, a coat of the finest cloth (echo line)
And I wore it every day,
(And I wore it every day (echo)
I wore it every day until
It was all, worn out
(At the end, when the button was worn out , the "he made a story" has become "I made a song" :
And I'll sing it every day,
I'll sing it every day,
I'll sing it every day until
I'm, all, worn, out!"

I sing it for old people who like to guess and laugh about the next item of clothing;
I sing it for very young children to teach them about memory of items and places;
I sing it for older children who also love to guess (knickers and socks are the most popular guesses!)
I've even sung it for an Alzheimer's group, using the items of clothing in front of them, and then bringing everything back at the end!

One day at Sidmouth Festival Patrick and I were both on the same bill for the Children's Festival. He told the story and then I sang the song. The children enjoyed both. It is a brilliant story that is enjoyed by all age groups - the magical thing about it is that it is told up and down the country, and each time acquires personal attributes!

So it seems The Little Tailor has "just enough to make a NEW story" each time!

Footnote from Pete:
This article was born from a conversation at the Lakeland Storytelling Festival last year. A local teller had just delivered his version of the tale, obviously related to Taffy's but not identical. I overheard him and Pippa talking about it and joined in. I too tell the story. It is one of those tried and tested/can't fail stories which always works. I use it with children, with family audiences and with adults, but not usually with `storytelling audiences' as they know it too well. My version was put together from tellings by Taffy and my friend Ann Fairbairn but it has developed into something different as Pippa mentions above. I would have thought that I have known it for more than 8 years though, more like 10 or 12...
I recently heard a version in which the protagonist had changed gender - a woman made a quilt which then went through various transformations before becoming a button and a story.