Shazia Surwar
Shazia Surwar was born in Pakistan and came to the UK with her husband in 1994 when she was 19 years old. She started at Silai in 1996 and now assists tutors in some courses. Shazia has sewn since she was young and used to teach embroidery in schools in Pakistan. To the left is a photo of the shirt that Shazia speaks of in her extract.
"I made my first dress with Rose. A long dress with buttons on the front, I took it with me before assessment, I went on holiday in Pakistan, I took it with me to give it to the tailor and they made the other one in different colours. But the tailor got a fire in his house, and it burned it! And I've got a shirt left! It's about that small in shirt length - it's a dress becoming a shirt. When I bring it back I felt shameful and sad ‘cause that dress was going to the assessment, I had to cut it all and then re-do it from the bottom. And I had to make the dress a matching skirt with it, you could call it a shirt or a mini dress!
My mum cut the clothes then would sew and then I'd look how to cut them and I'd start cutting into some clothes. So before I came to Silai I could sew my own clothes and make simple design, but not very fashionable! I'd never used a pattern before, and I learned how to use a pattern after a few years in the courses. But here I learned the more professional way".
