043 Sewing classes

Orang Asli women usually just wear the sarong, tied at the waist or below the armpits. Contact with Malays had led many of them to wear the baju as well. When a large consignment of sewing kits from a US charity arrived at the hospital it was decided to classes in sewing. A couple of wives of Malay hospital staff helped me to make a paper pattern of a baju and so we were able to teach the women how to make a baju from start to finish. They started by choosing their material and progressed to cutting out the baju using the pattern. They then sewed the garment and fitted it. They learned very quickly and were very pleased to be given a sewing kit to take back to their kampongs. Later on, a couple of very ancient sewing machines were donated to the hospital and they proved to be popular too.

Malaysia

Duguid, Jennifer Cairns

1965

JPG

https://commons.keene.edu/s/KSCArchive/item/7111

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-CR/1.0/

StillImage

Keene State College