After the Second World War, the rubber prices plunged and many Foochow families had to seek work in other industries like timber, shipping, and road and housing construction. Times were bad and more over post war children (baby boomers) all needed extra cash to continue their education.
Girls who completed primary six were often married off to lesson the fathers' burdens.especially when there were three or four generations (tiers) living together. Subsistence farming was inadequate to feed the whole family.
The Foochows even had a term for marrying girls off, which now would seem very unkind, "Selling a daughter off".
After a cousin matched made my mother to my father, my maternal grandmother who had just come back from China, was reluctant to marry off my mother who was then 24 years old already. At that time, mum was considered "old already". Would any one want to marry my mother who would not have many bridal gifts?
Due to the poor economic situation in those few years my widowed grandmother could not bless mum with the usual bridal gifts befitting a beloved daughter. She had lost all her well earned fortune (from rubber) in China because of the war.
Mum said it pained her a great deal that she was not blessed with a sewing machine. My father was very understanding and redressed her anguish by buying her a good Singer machine after a few months It was not easy to buy sewing machines in those days as shipment had to come in from \Singapore by special order too. Thus the sewing machine has always been a symbol of my father's love for my mother.
It was always a loving act when mum mended a dress or or blouse, or sewed a pajamas for us. We never had to buy clothes because she could roughly sew something for us to wear. I made my first machine sewn school apron with it and I was so proud of myself.
My children also enjoyed using the machine to sew whatever they loved.
But my second sister is the best dressmaker in the whole wide world. She had learned sewing from our aunt, and can even draw paper patterns.
This sewing machine is kept in tip top condition (since 1948) and
is now in Kasuma, Petrajaya, Kuching. The sewing machine has been moved from Pulau Kerto, to Sibu town, to Airport Road and finally to Kuching over the years.
70 or more years ago, daughters who were able to work as hard as sons were retained longer, some up to 26 years old. Whereas those who were dainty, lazy, and often tired of working (e.g. carrying of water) were quickly married off, probably to get a man who could be able to provide her with bowls of rice to eat.
A family with some money would give as many as 9 bridal gifts to a daughter. Hence a daughter who was skilled would be endowed with a sewing machine so that she could continue with her seamstress job in the village. Many cousins of mine continued to work as seamstresses until they were too old to see.
A friend was recruited to sew and repair army uniforms in a home based "factory" during the Confrontation working more than 10 hours a day. Another was recruited just to sew the edges of materials in a tailor shop. Her husband's family had moved to town and they lived in a two room apartment. Life was not easy. During her off days, she would sew pretty dresses and she collected small tailoring fees of 3 dollars in those days.
A sewing machine is thus considered a life long investment by the bride's family to start a girl off in her new family.
Many Foochow girls were advised to take a year's sewing course in Sibu before they were "qualified" to get married. Indeed match makers had a kind of assessment for brides to be.
Earn extra bride points if you could sew with a sewing machine!!
But in my mother's heart, Love is a Singer Sewing Machine.
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