BINTULU: Over the past few years, the mother of two can smile with satisfaction as orders and requests kept pouring in for Barbie doll gowns stitched by her from doll collectors, especially from the United States.
Antara rekaan gaun yang biasa dihasilkan ialah pencil skirt dan vintage dress ataupun classic dress. Setiap satu gaun dijual antara harga RM150-RM200, bergantung kepada jenis fabrik yang digunakan.
–fotoBERNAMA (2018) HAK CIPTA TERPELIHARA
Erpha Ahdayani Othman, 41, has admired the fineness and beauty of dolls’ dresses since childhood, and had even “secretly” used her mother’s sewing machine to stitch doll gowns when she was just 10 years old.
Speaking to Bernama, Erpha said she was focusing on producing Silkstone Barbie doll gowns, as it was a collector’s item and was more exclusive.
“The interest in sewing doll dresses was always within me, but this hobby was long abandoned but in recent years I have been keen on dressing Barbie dolls. Not only that, every dress I produce is a record in terms of size and design,” she said.
According to Erpha, since returning to sewing, she has produced hundreds of Silkstone Barbie gowns with the largest order received from customers in the United States.
“To sew a small gown you need skills, if one millimetre is missed the gown will become big. I can stitch one gown in a day but need to be fully focused during sewing, the stitching pattern should be correct so that the quality is maintained,” she said.
Erpha who hails from Kampung Dagang, Bekenu, said besides the stitching techniques used attention should also be given to each order.
“I use a wide range of fabrics including silk and cotton. The type of fabrics used should take into account the dark and light colours. The mechanical pencil used should also be bright so that the strokes will be clear to prevent inaccurate cutting of the fabric,” she said.
Sharing her secret of producing a dress that can attract customers, Erpha said the types of fabrics and patterns also play an important role so that the stitched gown suits the Silkstone Barbie doll.
“Among the designs I usually sew are ‘pencil skirts’ and ‘vintage gowns’ or ‘classic gowns’. Each garment I sell is between RM150 and RM200 and the price depends on the type of fabric used.
“Designers for dolls’ clothes are not many, the design may be the same but the type of fabrics used and the sewing differentiates the handiwork of each tailor,” she said. – Bernama
