FOR decades, Nabsiah Wahab was a boarding school authority figure in Melaka and Johor Baru, enforcing the rules and keeping students in line.
While juggling a demanding career, sewing was her pastime given her background as one of the first graduates of Sekolah Vokasional ERT Azizah specialising in home economics in Johor Baru in the 1970s.
Today in her retirement, Nabsiah, 72, fondly called Mak Nab, is similarly dedicated in teaching women and youths how to sew and create crafts.
“I served as a boarding school supervisor for 31 years.
“After retirement, I still had the desire to impart my knowledge to others, so I decided to volunteer my skills,” she told StarMetro.
In July last year, she joined Kraf Hibiscus, a community project in her Taman Pulai Indah neighbourhood that collects and distributes preloved clothes.
Facing a surplus, the group started finding ways to upcycle the clothes into practical items like pouches, coin purses, pincushions and tote bags.
She taught around 10 committee members, mostly retirees and housewives, how to sew and she now oversees the group as they hold workshops and produce crafts.
“They operate on autopilot. When they face challenges, they come to me for guidance.”
The project gained attention when the group set up a booth at the Iskandar Puteri City Council’s (MBIP) Low-Carbon Carnival last year and some of their items sold out.
“We had to sew more on the spot. We were very happy because the public accepted our products,” she said, adding that many of their customers were students who bought keychains, scrunchies and pouches.
Nabsiah said the project was more than creative fulfilment, it gave her purpose.
“Every morning at 8am, I walk to my ‘office’ at the Rukun Tetangga (RT) centre nearby.
“It gives me a routine and direction instead of just sitting at home,” said the mother of four and grandmother to seven.
Nabsiah said she found joy in teaching the younger generation.
“It’s important to have a hobby outside of work. Work is work, but a hobby makes us happy.
“That was what my mother taught me,” she said.
She hopes that more young people learn sewing as it is a practical skill and can provide extra income.
One of her students, Hawa Eryna Faidzal, 14, said Nabsiah’s sewing classes were fun and challenging at the same time.
“I learnt basic sewing from my mother, but this is my first time making a keychain and bookmark from scratch,” said the Form Two student.
She also learned how to use a sewing machine and hoped to earn a side income from handicrafts one day.
Meanwhile, committee member Zalina Salleh, 58, said the group aimed to organise more sewing classes.
“Our participants range from students as young as 11 to those in their 50s.
“No prior needlework knowledge is needed, as we teach them from scratch.
“Once they master the basics, they can produce handicrafts based on their own designs,” she said, adding that she watches online sewing tutorials to learn more.
