Sunday March 20, 2005

BY PHILIP AUGUSTINEEXPECTING her first child in August, flight attendant Terry Pain Hagedorn took up quilting after finding herself with a lot of free time on her hands. 

“I have a sewing machine at home but I’ve never used it before. Since I’m grounded and have nothing else to do, I decided to indulge in a hobby,” explains the 36-year-old whose passion for needlework extends to cross-stitching, knitting and crocheting.

Hagedorn started quilting in January and plans to make something for her baby. Not one to sit idle for long, she also studied for a degree while working at the same time.

After five years in the job, Hagedorn took up a BA in Human Resource Management from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

“I would organise my flights and schedule them in such a way that I only fly in the morning, come back by mid-day and take my classes in the afternoon. I had a great time and I finished the degree in two years,” she explains, adding that she wanted to upgrade her qualification.

She feels many are burdened by their jobs and lose the motivation to go beyond what they know.

Quilting is a great stress-reliever and enthusiasts can create just about anything.“ No matter what you do for a living, you should always try out new things for self-satisfaction,” she opines.Hagedorn also plans to pursue a Masters in Psychology/Counselling at Universiti Malaya once her baby is born.

“I’m planning to stop flying for at least five years and make sure that I spend time with my child,” she adds.

Fellow student Saripah Bakar took up quilting three months ago. ”I have also gone for baking and creative writing courses before. “These are things I’m very interested in and I’m glad I can pursue them,” says the 35-year-old who works as a manager at an education centre.

Saripah says, quilting is something she wanted to do for a long time.

“As a child I was not interested in sewing clothes but I always wanted to sew decorative things,” she explains while showing off her first quilt which she took two months to complete.

“Quilting is a great stress reliever because once I start sewing, I forget everything else and I feel very happy,” enthuses the mother of two from Kuala Kubu Baru.

Saripah, who comes for classes once a week, is now working on quilts for her children. Sewing can be quite addictive, she admits. Once, she did not stop sewing until 3am.

Learning, she says, is a natural process. “We must try to learn as much as we can and keep up with our fast-changing world,” she adds.

Quilt Gallery director H.K. Gill says quilting is a creative craft that allows for self-actualisation.

“Just like many arts and crafts, quilting gives you an end product that you can use and keep forever. If properly maintained, you can even pass it on to the next generation,” she explains, adding that people who come into the shop range from 10-year-olds to those in their 70s.

Even if you are not a quilt enthusiast, she says students can choose to create just about anything, from bags to clothes. Gill says: “The sky’s the limit.”

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/3/20/education/10461576&sec=education

Contact Gill at quiltgallerykl@yahoo.com

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