By Heather McCarron, Cape Cod Times,

2 hours ago

For nearly 50 years, Janet Cook’s shop, Sew What, tucked behind a blue antique door at 705 Main St. in Hyannis, has been more than a tailoring business — it's been a quiet backstage pass to history, glamour and meaningful moments: prom nights, wedding days and second chances in an old dress.

With a reputation for precision and discretion, Cook became the go-to seamstress for everyone from the Kennedys, to visiting celebrities, to Cape Cod locals. Whether shaping gowns for stage, or hemming a prom dress, she gave every stitch the same care.

Now, semiretired in the Florida Keys, she is closing Sew What, which she put up for sale a month ago. Long-time colleagues Winnie Gayle and Barbara Sivertsen are keeping the sewing machines humming until the sale.

“I thought maybe someone in Boston or New York would want to retire to the Cape and take it over, but it didn’t pan out,” Cook said.

The decision to move on has stirred many memories. Sewing was never just a job for Cook — it’s been a passion. One of 11 children, she learned by watching her mother sew.

After a brief federal job out of high school, Cook followed her heart to fashion design school on Boston’s Newbury Street. At the time, her mother feared she was choosing a life of drudgery, to which Cook said, "No, I’m going to be a famous designer."

Though that dream didn’t happen, Cook built a thriving career as a sought-after seamstress for celebrities and locals alike after an early start designing restaurant uniforms at home.

In 1977, she rented the Main Street space from Morrill Hall, owner of Hall’s Dry Cleaners, then bought the building a year later. She also ran a second store, Sew What Else, in Osterville for seven years.

Early on, she realized original design work didn’t pay, so she switched to alterations and redesign. Her true gift was making people feel good in their clothes. That mattered.

From the early days of her business, Cook worked with the Kennedy family, who'd heard about her through word of mouth.

Her first job was with Ethel Kennedy at the “big house.” It came shortly after her mother — who admired Rose Kennedy — had passed away.

“I was there for quite some time, and I remember leaving — it was sunset and the weather was beautiful,” she recalled. Pausing on the lawn as the sun dipped behind the American flag, she thought, "Mama, I’m hanging with the Kennedys, and you thought I wouldn’t amount to anything."

She tailored for many Kennedy occasions, including for Rory Kennedy’s wedding party just as JFK Jr.’s plane went missing in 1999.

Cook was especially close to Joan Kennedy, Sen. Ted Kennedy’s first wife, and Vicki Kennedy, his widow. When Sen. Kennedy died in the night in 2009, it was Vicki who called Cook at 5 a.m. to help prepare.

“She just broke down,” Cook recalled. “She said, ‘You’d think I would’ve had this all prepared.’ And we both just sobbed.”

But there was work to do: wardrobes to prepare for ceremonies from Cape Cod to D.C. During a sunrise fitting, Cook noticed light filtering through Vicki’s St. John knits. “Vicki, we need slips,” she said. “You’re going to be on camera. Hang on — I’ve got a girl nearby who can help.”

Beyond the Kennedys, Cook also earned a reputation at the Cape Cod Melody Tent, thanks to friends who worked there and brought her in when performers needed tailoring. Her list of clients reads like a who’s who: Oprah Winfrey, Diana Ross, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, Liberace, Joan Rivers, Ben Vereen, and others.

She recalled accidentally burning one of Ben Vereen’s spandex costumes on her sewing machine light while working with another client. “I patched it with fabric from another part of the costume," Cook said. "He was classy about it — very gracious.”

Joan Rivers, a repeat client, stood out for her humor and kindness. And Diana Ross was one of the most glamourous. “She had just come off a European tour. Her gowns were literally disintegrating — Oscar de la Renta gowns — and her wardrobe girl was having a breakdown,” said Cook, who stepped in and helped to rework the designer gowns.

She has stories for every star but doesn’t dwell on the tough ones.

“You never knew what they were up against at the time,” she said.

For every celebrity story, there are dozens more about prom dresses, wedding gowns, and the everyday people who walked out of Cook's shop standing taller.

Some of the most rewarding moments came during prom season.

“Some of the girls were very, very insecure; maybe they did not feel as beautiful as their classmates,” she said. “My girlfriend from Canada saw one of those girls leave and said, ‘Janet, I was back there crying. That girl felt like a million dollars by the time you finished with her.’”

At her 40th anniversary, Cook said, someone told her, “Janet, you made a lot of people happy."

That stuck with her.

Although Cook is moving on from Sew What, she's still sewing part time at her shop in Islamorada, Florida, Sew What South.

To her longtime Cape Cod customers, she says: “Thanks for a lifetime career that I just loved, and the warmth and generosity they showed me.”

Part of Cook's heart will always remain in Hyannis — where fashion met friendship, stories were sewn, and for nearly five decades, she helped people feel like a million bucks, no matter what was in their bank account.

“It’s been fun,” she said. “I’ll miss it.”

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable and Brewster. Reach her at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Kennedys, Diana Ross, Joan Rivers: Cape Cod's celebrity seamstress is closing up shop