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Stitching together a life and a hobby
By Esther Williams
"If you find something you love doing look hard to see if you can make a living at it instead of giving it up for something more sensible," stunt woman Jennifer Lamb once said. But how many of us actually do this? Don't we prefer to pursue conventional vocations which are often more lucrative?

While there are sufficient opportunities to get into a field that suits your interest today, it probably wasn't so a couple of decades ago. Astrid Fernando, having completed her A' levels was selected for a job at the Standard Chartered Bank. "It provided an opportunity of relieving my father of some of the financial burden," she says of her decision to take up the position where she worked for 23 years. After office hours and weekends, however, saw her with needle and thread turning out exquisite bits of embroidery. "It was a talent that I discovered while in the Holy Family Convent, Dehiwela, that had a weekly session for needlework," she reminisces. "I knew all along that I could step into this field if I chose to leave my job." She always kept aside some of the money she earned to buy books on embroidery. She also ordered many books from the Internet.

Having left the bank Astrid now does embroidery as a full time occupation. "I realised that with basic stitches you can do wonders." She initially conducted classes at St. Mary's Church in Colombo. Subsequently she was called to do a TV programme called Arunodaya that is aired on Fridays on Swarnavahini. The response apparently was tremendous.

Today Astrid also conducts classes in Kandy, Galle, Dehiwela and Kurunegala with about 125 students ranging from teens to grandmothers. "Some of their work is as good as mine," she says talking of her decision to have the first exhibition cum sale of their work.

Her exhibition titled Stitches-n-Designs is on at the Jayawardena Cultural Centre today, November 28 from 9.30 a.m to 6.30 p.m. On sale will be a variety of items: Paper quilling (made of coloured photocopy paper), ribbon embroidery, cross stitch, Brazilian embroidery (bullion stitches are used for various flowers), Pergamano ( a craft of the Netherlands that uses tracing paper to make wedding invitations, cake boxes and framed pictures). Black Work (black thread on canvas), Gold work (Indian springs and shisha are used in pictures), parchment craft (made with paper and coloured chalk to give a 3-D effect) and much more.

Expressing the hope that her students would use the skills they gain in self-employment, Astrid considers being economically independent very important. It certainly would benefit the retired - to fill their time and make them feel useful. As a student of hers who is a heart patient said, "I don't have to think about my problem now as I am so engrossed in making lovely things for my family."

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