Sewing Differences into Beautiful Works of Art
Women of Wagir district, Malang regency, East Java, Sunday (2/4) take part in a shreds workshop as part of the 2017 Malang Shreds Parade at the Kompas Malang office on April 1-7, 2017. The activity tries to motivate housewives to continue to engage in activities even if it is from home.
They may be just be housewives, but the spirit, work and the message of togetherness they “shouted” in Malang City, East Java, have exceeded their limitations.
The shout of the modern day “Kartini” may be louder than the slogan of togetherness that has so far been heard.
In the exhibition of patchworks, discussions and workshops held during the Parade of Patchwork in Malang from April 1 to 7, the efforts of the mothers to move forward were visible.
The Parade of Patchwork in Malang was held by Malang Patchwork and Quilts (Mapaquilts) in collaboration with the Kompas daily.
The parade was joined by hundreds of mothers from various backgrounds. They learned and shared knowledge to develop themselves in the art of patchwork and sewing.
One of them was Neneng Surtiningsih, 41, a housewife from Tanjung, Malang City. Neneng was happy to show off the patchworks that she sewed into a bed cover over several months. She learned from other mothers who were already proficient.
At present, she helps Lina to sew. Besides that, she makes a variety of other patchwork products on her own.
For Neneng, it is not easy to spend time sewing on the sidelines of her busy time as a housewife. Neneng always takes her 2-year-old child every time she attends an activity to learn to make a patchwork.
However, Neneng is still eager to learn, until she finally can progress.
"Not bad, if you can make a patchwork like this. The unused clothes can be utilized and can give additional income," said the woman who has been making patchworks since last year.
Additional income, for Neneng, is very meaningful. As the wife of a construction worker, additional income would ease her husband\'s burden of supporting the family.
Neneng is one of 24 members of Mapaquilts. Mapaquilts are art craftspeople. The community was only formed a year ago after receiving training from Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf).
Although it was just established, Mapaquilts has been able to attract many housewives to make patchworks on the sidelines of their activities taking care of their families. This community is like a mini Indonesia. Its members come from different backgrounds, social statuses, ages, economic statuses, religions and ethnicities.
They consist of pure housewives, entrepreneurs and retired career women. Neneng, for example, did not feel awkward working with Poppy, 62, another member of Mapaquilts whose son works in Ireland. They may have different social and economic statuses, but they can work together to make patchworks and quilts.
“I make patchworks and quilts as a hobby. My children are all grown. Rather than daydreaming and having nothing to do, I spend my time making these pieces of patchworks. My works are different from those found in the market," Poppy added.
Ortien Wahyu, 50, the chairperson of Mapaquilts, established the patchwork community because of her love of fabrics. She previously worked as a banker in Jakarta. Now she is back in Malang and spends her time with other mothers being creative.
Another member of the community is Lusiana Limono, 40, a cloth trader from Malang. The woman of Chinese descent is the motor of the community. She is a knit and batik trader who has a nationwide marketing network. However, the mother of two did not feel awkward working together with other mothers in making patchworks.
"If it was only me who could do it, it would not be good, but other mothers around cannot do like me. By learning and struggling together like this, we not only work for ourselves, but also for the city and perhaps this nation. Each of us, right, has a social responsibility," said the woman, who graduated from the Jakarta Art Institute.
During this time they have to move from one place to other place to make patchworks. However, that\'s what made them become close friends. They support each other to be able to produce a special masterpiece.
Progressing well
The gathering has begun to show results. After only a year, they have been able to show their works during an exhibition in the first week of April 2017. The exhibition was held to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of Malang city and Kartini Day on April 21. The activities were held to motivate and spread the spirit to housewives that they should not only stay at home, but also should share knowledge with others.
The director for infrastructure facilitation at Bekraf, Selliane Halia Ishaq, the head of the pioneers of the family welfare movement (PKK) of Malang, Dewi Farida Suryani, the head of the industry department, Subhan, the head of the Cooperative and SME Office, Tri Widyani, and the deputy mayor of Malang, Sutiaji, were also present to give support to the mothers.
They recognize that the creativity of housewives in Malang is quite surprising. Only with basic training, they have been able to produce good works.
"Creative works such as patchworks should have a place and should be supported by the government. The goal is to build a creative economic ecosystem that can have an impact on society," Selliane said at the exhibition.
The chairperson of the pioneers of PKK Malang, Dewi Farida Suryani, also appreciated the community by offering a place in the PKK showroom to display its works. “PKK is not only a social activity. PKK should be used as a venue to promote family welfare through economic activities like this," she said.
Positive responses come from everywhere. The housewives who were previously shy of showing their works have found a way to move forward. Local and central government have supported their creative works.
Now, the number of the community has increased to 70 people, consisting of not only mothers, but also of young people. A group of housewives in Malang City taught us that although they have different backgrounds, socio-economic statuses, ethnicities and religions, they can "knit the differences" into beautiful work.
They really "knit a patch" into a special masterpiece. If the Indonesian people could imitate the friendship of the housewives, there might be no fights because of different religions, views, or even social status. All can go hand in hand to produce a special piece of work, such as a patchwork. The mothers were not just celebrating Kartini\'s Day with a traditional Kebaya cloth, but also with real things.
