I went in to ask about having some clothes altered. But I was struck—bowled over would be a better way to put it—by the display of thread spools on the wall. It was a work of abstract art, I thought, appropriate for The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. 

Arsineh, the seamstress, graciously allowed me to photograph the display, and then herself seated in front of it. When I finally got around to asking her about my clothes, she answered without hesitation, "No problem; I do everything."