Counting down to the wedding ceremony of a beloved niece, Mdm Hamidah Binte Wahab set out to work on her congratulatory gift earnestly.
Like the true artisan she is, her gift to the newlyweds – a pair of handmade key fobs, hot-stamped with the couple’s names.
Every stitch of the key fob was hand sewn by the 61-year-old, who has post-poliomyelitis. This was no mean feat for Mdm Hamidah who sews with one hand. But the effort was worth it when she sees her loved ones enjoying her creations.
Looking at the intricately lined stitches, some may be surprised that Mdm Hamidah only started picking up sewing three years ago.
From Packer to Artisan
For over two decades, Mdm Hamidah was engaged in mainly sub-contract work, such as packing and labelling of products at the SPD Sheltered Workshop.
With no prior sewing experience but a keen interest in the craft, the budding artisan decided to take a leap of faith to join the then newly launched SPD Artisan Collab to hone her leather-crafting skills.
“I wanted to learn sewing as it reminded me of my late mother who liked to sew. My sister also enjoys sewing,” Mdm Hamidah said in Malay.
She joined a group of 15 aspiring artisans after a suitability assessment by her occupational therapist.
One-handed stitching at its best
Picking up a new skill is a challenge. But learning to sew with one functional hand presents greater difficulties, especially with the saddle stitching method that uses two needles.
Each stitch is created as the thread goes through the leather twice, resulting in a more durable finished product.
Passing the stringent quality checks also calls for the artisans’ utmost precision, which one can see from the impeccably lined stitches on any SPD Artisan Collab products.
When asked about the challenges she faced while sewing, Mdm Hamidah gave a casual shrug and said: “The pain caused by the occasional needle poke.”
But her care team knew there was more than she lets on.
“A challenge that Hamidah faces when doing leather stitching is threading the string through the eye of the needle using one hand. But with constant practice, Hamidah has learned to do this independently,” said workshop supervisor Cindy Tan.
“While Hamidah may take a longer time to pick up new skills as compared to the rest of the team, she always strives to keep trying until she has mastered the skill.”
It took the team a few trials to develop an effective way for Mdm Hamidah to sew.
“In the past, Hamidah would need to constantly adjust the orientation of the products on the table. To support her work, the team found tools such as clamps that she can use to keep the leather piece in place so that she could focus on her stitching,” explained Cindy.
Though her training period coincided with the COVID-19’s Circuit Breaker, Mdm Hamidah did not let it hamper her learning progress. The resourceful lady continued to practise at home and adapted her learning using the toolkits provided by the SPD team.
It took her about a month to learn to sew the key fob, and around a year to perfect her skills. Now, Mdm Hamidah is a proud artisan whose craftwork extend beyond key fobs to cardholders and passport sleeves.
Sharing her gift of sewing
Having picked up the leather-crafting skill, the mild-mannered lady has become more confident and independent. To the younger trainees, Mdm Hamidah is a mother figure whom they look up to.
Since early this year, Mdm Hamidah has assumed the role of a trainer, imparting her sewing skills to members of the public in workshops.
“Seeing people appreciate my craft makes me feel happy and proud,” said Mdm Hamidah, who is grateful for the support shown by her customers.
Learning to sew flower embroidery is a personal project that is next on her agenda. With Mdm Hamidah’s grit and zeal for learning, we have no doubt that she will succeed in time to come.
Special thanks to Ms Nargis Hussain for helping to translate Mdm Hamidah’s responses.