A LOSS of RM18,000 after turning down orders to make about 300 items of Hari Raya clothes did not break the spirit of single mother Mahani Udit to seek other opportunities to earn income using her sewing skills.
Instead, Mahani, 30, used her skill to sew clothes from pieces of waste fabric and nose and mouth masks on a small scale from her house.
Mahani was forced to refuse orders to make ‘baju Melayu’ and ‘baju kurung’ and to return the RM18,000 deposit because her sewing shop in Bukit Jambul Complex could not operate during the enforcement of the Control Order Movement (MCO) while her workers were given leave.
“When the government announced the MCO, I only took 100 orders of clothes (which I cut and stitched from home) and had to return the customers’ deposits totalling RM18,000,” she said when met by Bernama at her residence in Bukit Jambul, Penang.
According to her, since the implementation of Phase 1 of the MCO, she had received orders for 3,000 units of mouth and nose masks which were sold online at RM5 apiece.
“Thankfully, the response has been very encouraging. To some extent it can cover my monthly income. I use a ‘runner’ or postal service to send completed orders,” said Mahani who has five years of sewing experience under her belt.
The mother of three said that besides sewing mouth and nose masks, she also sewed clothes from pieces of fabric that were sold for RM15 to RM25 each, including via Facebook.
Asked how she obtained her equipment and stitching materials such as thread, beads, buttons and so on during the MCO period, Mahani said the matter was not a big issue as her stock was still sufficient and she could also order them online.
Meanwhile, her steadfastness in improving her family’s living standards was evident when she also revealed that she wanted to pursue her studies through distance learning (PJJ) in Diploma in Management at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
“For me, it is not too late to continue my education despite being a single mother since 10 years ago. I hope the current situation will improve and economic activities can continue as normal as many people are impacted,” she said. — April 29, 2020, Bernama
