Tears Of Indra

In every hamlet of Tambon Khayai there are people working with a sewing machine for their livelihood, making and repairing clothes mainly for the hamlet itself. These sewing machines were either destroyed or damaged by the flood waters. 

We went first to visit the factory of Singer in Sena district, Ayutthaya Province. The factory had no showroom and indicated us a shop in the vicinity of the supermarket Tesco. We went visiting that shop, but there was hardly any sewing machine to see. We had to order the machines and the delivery time was long. So we looked into another solution. 

Friday 23 December, Pia found a shop in Rojana area with a large choice of machines. As we fixed the approximate price per machine already, a good alternative for the Singer was quickly found. We had two choices a basic manual machine and an electric one. Half of the group of seamstresses opted for the basic sewing machine with table and the other half for the electric one without table. 

For the manual machines we bought an extra motor, while for the electric ones we added a table. The machines were delivered the same evening. 

The next day at 0830 Hr we invited the six seamstresses to come pick up their new machines. After a cup of coffee and some cookies we gathered for a picture and distributed the sewing machines.

We have to thank Ms Lizzy Michael who through her many contacts managed to find a sponsor for Operation Singer and of course the sponsor herself Ms Christine Peter who supported the whole activity with one single donation.