Beatrix was intrigued, she felt she must make this strange happening into a story - the mayor and the tailor remained true to life but the fairies were changed into mice! This was based on a true story, outlined in Leslie Linder’s excellent reference book ‘ A History of the Writings of Beatrix Potter’, from which much of the information for this article is drawn. When he finally returned to the shop he found the waistcoat finished except for one button-hole – obviously, as the tailor thought, made by the fairies! A little scrap of paper was pinned to the garment bearing the legend ‘no more twist’. He fell ill and didn’t go back to the shop for three days and nights – what would become of the poor tailor if the waistcoat was not ready for the Mayor’s marriage? One evening the tailor, who was very poor, left in his shop a waistcoat, which he was making for the Mayor of Gloucester who was to be married on Christmas day. It was while visiting a cousin who lived in Stroud in Gloucestershire that Beatrix first heard the strange story of the Tailor of Gloucester. The child in question was Winifreda Moore (often called Freda or Frida), second daughter of Annie Moore, Beatrix’s former companion and dear friend. Along with many of the other Tales, The Tailor originally started life as a picture letter to a child. In a presentation copy of Warne’s edition Beatrix wrote ‘This is my own favourite amongst my little books’. The second of the twenty-three Peter Rabbit tales, The Tailor of Gloucester, was Beatrix Potter’s personal favourite. Not only are they exceedingly helpful, but they are also, luckily, far far too clever for the tailor's sly cat, Simpkin.The Tailor of Gloucester By Beatrix Potter

He has a terribly important commission to complete for the Mayor of Gloucester's wedding on Christmas Day but is ill and tired, and before long is running out of food and thread, as well as time! How will he possibly complete the beautiful coat and embroidered waistcoat? Luckily, there lives in the dresser, some very kind and very resourceful mice who set about helping the poor tailor with his work. The Tailor of Gloucester was first published in 1903 and tells the story of a poor tailor trying to survive in his freezing workshop over a hard winter.

The tailor of gloucester first edition