‘The Eye’ has it Bangor tailor Linda Cummings’ expertise at alterations is the difference between seamstress and dreamstress

Having a good tailor has completely changed my life.

You may think I’m exaggerating. But it’s true. Over the course of a month, I’ve acquired a whole new wardrobe. Even better, I got to go shopping in my closet.

That beautiful camel coat with shoulder pads that made me look like a linebacker? It now fits perfectly. The bottoms of my model-long Seven for All Mankind jeans don’t drag on the ground anymore, soaking up road salt. And they don’t even have that weird “hemmed” look that jeans seem to get when they fall into the wrong hands.

But the piece de resistance was the amazing pink-and-green-plaid Pendleton blazer that my mom wore in the ’70s. It had moth holes in the back that appeared to be beyond repair. But when I brought it to Linda’s Alterations on State Street in Bangor, Linda took one look at it – and me – and suggested a dart in the back, which would hide the holes and still leave room to move.

I’ve had other tailors. Some did an OK job. Others did more harm than good. Still others charged me through the nose for minor alterations. But Linda Cummings is a genius. And I cannot stop talking about her.

Many can sew. Many can hem. But until last month, I didn’t realize that those are only prerequisites. What separates the seamstress from the dreamstress is something that’s a little hard to quantify. I’ll call it “the eye.”

The eye is what made Linda suggest the dart. It’s what made her take one look at ShopGuy’s chalk-marked hem and ask, “Is your husband short?” If she had gone along with the suit shop’s suggested inseam, ShopGuy would now be walking around in man capris.

See what I mean? Having a good tailor can change your life.

For ShopGuy, this means avoiding short pants. For me, it means the freedom to buy clothes that don’t fit me perfectly. It appears I’m not alone.

“I have people who go shopping and buy something two sizes too big because they know I can make it fit them,” Cummings said.

She stresses that she’s not a miracle worker, though. She can’t make a size 42 men’s suit look normal on a size 36 man. But she calls it like she sees it, and that’s why clients from as far away as Connecticut and Canada are willing to drive hours to have her alter their clothes.

“If I don’t think it’s going to look good, I won’t do it,” she said. “If it’s going to look like it’s been altered, forget it.”

Linda’s been at this for 19 years – she failed home economics in high school, which she admits with a laugh, but her sister taught her the finer points of sewing and alterations. When she moved away for a few years, there was an outcry, and now I know why.

So far, Linda has completely reworked two winter coats for me (my shoulders are smaller than the rest of me, which doesn’t sound like a problem, but trust me, it is). In addition to that, she put a dart in the blazer, hemmed my jeans and ShopGuy’s pants, and I just sent a skirt to her that two separate tailors butchered on two separate occasions. The total price tag for all this work? Significantly less than $100.

In “Glamour’s Big Book of Dos and Don’ts,” a good tailor is invaluable: “Tailor your clothes to fit your individual shape. You can’t expect every size 12 dress to fit every size 12 woman in the bust, waist and hips. That means you should find a reliable tailor so your clothes fit your body.”

This gives steals from Marden’s and TJ’s the look of a bespoke suit. If the fit is perfect, even inexpensive clothes look posh. Which is nice for bargain hunters like me.

Know what’s even nicer? Knowing my clothes are in good hands.

“It’s kind of humbling,” Linda said. “I’m very blessed, I’m lucky.”

Me, too.

Tips for finding a good tailor

. Ask a trusted friend for recommendations. Word of mouth is the best advertisement.

. If you live in an outlying area, check the classifieds in your local paper. Then ask around to see if anyone you know has used said tailor.

. Know that the price of alterations doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality or difficulty of the work. Anyone who has had a bridesmaid dress hemmed can attest to this.

. Trust your instincts. If the tailor seems distant, disorganized or disinterested, that’s probably not a good sign.

. Know that certain alterations are easy and others require more skill. Almost anyone can hem pants in a pinch. Not everyone can flawlessly reconfigure a suit, a coat or your mother’s wedding dress.

. Don’t take risks with beloved, expensive or heirloom items. Always ask around beforehand.