Viviana Spiga and her husband Fabio arrived in Melbourne a year and a half ago from Rome. The couple had a few "good months" in Australia before Melbourne went into lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak.
"Fabio is a bartender. He was a little luckier than me because the place where he works does takeaway, therefore he continues to work," she says.
But it was different for Viviana - a tattoo artist. Until March, when the first lockdown in Melbourne was implemented, she was renting a studio in a hairdressing shop to run her business.
"The strange thing is that I had to close while they stayed open," she says.
It was all the more painful for her because she worked hard to get her tattoo parlour off the ground.
"Starting my job in Australia was not easy," she explains, "because the job of a tattoo artist's is based on the word of mouth.
"I didn't know anyone here, and then as soon as I started to get going and I had my clients, the lockdown happened."
From tattoo artist to seamstress
Because Viviana and her husband are in Australia on a student visa, they do not receive any subsidies from the government and they get by on what Fabio earns from his two-three days of work every week.
But recently, Viviana has started making cloth masks at home.
Source: Courtesy of Viviana Spiega
"It isn't a big earn, but something is always better than nothing."
She says sewing wasn't entirely new for her as she attended a tailoring school when she was 16.
She made the first masks just before the start of the second lockdown.
"I wanted to thank my husband's boss who helped us move, so I sewed one for him and for all his staff too to return the favour."
Then when the customers of the restaurant saw the masks that the waiters were wearing, they wanted to order them.
"This is how I started making them. I actually hadn't thought of it before."
Making masks wasn't on the mind of Chiara Laureni either, who came to Australia from Bergamo, Italy, four years ago.
After completing her Master's degree in laboratory medicine she is in Australia on a post-study work visa and was working as a cleaner while she was looking for work in her field. But because of the coronavirus lockdown, she lost her cleaning job and while her boyfriend's construction job has remained unaffected, she wanted to continue working.
Like Viviana, Chiara also started making masks by chance. Her boyfriend asked her to make him something to use at his workplace.
"The surgical mask bothered him with his beard and it was difficult to keep it on for eight hours," she says.
Chiara, who had wanted to buy a sewing machine for some time, bought a used one.
“I did some masks for fun, and they looked good, but I never really thought about selling them. Then I tried to put them on the Marketplace and now that's what I'm doing, I'm selling them online.”
Source: Courtesy of Viviana Spiga
A trendy accessory
The mask has now become a trendy accessory. Viviana says her customers want to have a wide choice of colours and patterns to choose from.
"As if they were choosing a dress to go out," she explains. "So I show them the fabrics available and they tell me the one they want."
Masks, even the homemade ones, must be of certain standards to be safe and effective in the prevention of coronavirus infection. As reported on the , they must have three different protective layers and use of recommended materials. The instructions are available in different languages.
"I make them entirely of cotton, so it is more breathable," explains Viviana, who produces about 15 masks a day.
She says she has rediscovered the pleasure of sewing.
"I think I will also continue after the lockdown, maybe making bags. I hope we don't need any more masks."
For Chiara, it was her childhood hobby that she has now turned into a "small source of income" when many are struggling to find work.
Source: Courtesy of Chiara Laureni
“I knew how to sew when I was little. My grandmother had a sewing machine and she taught me the basics. Then I watched a dozen tutorials on youtube to learn. I bought the recommended cotton, which is water repellent, and several fabrics. In short, I bought the proper stuff to make a proper mask, not only fashionable but also safe."
'A lesson in solidarity'
While Chiara and Viviana are supporting themselves by making masks, Melbourne mother Rosa Voto is putting her sewing skills to use to support the vulnerable elderly in her community.
Rosa, a dancer who founded the Melbourne School of Tarantella, started making masks at home together with her two kids for her elderly neighbours.
"Many of them live alone, so we often stop to check that they are fine and if they need something. They are so isolated and vulnerable," she told SBS Italian.
She says the colourful masks she made for her elderly neighbours, helped cheer them up a little.
"Doctors had already given them masks, the surgical ones, but my masks gave a touch of joy," she says.
Rosa had a passion for tailoring for a long time, but also her children sew because "they liked the idea of the mask".
She says her whole family was involved in the activity, with each member having a particular duty.
Source: Courtesy of Chiara Laureni
"In the beginning, my husband and I did the paper model, then one person cut the fabric, the other sewed. Another one in the meantime was ironing, because between the different steps you have to iron, and then the other would put the elastic."
She says it was like a real assembly line that in four or five hours, produced about thirty masks.
“We didn't want to sell them, also because we wanted to teach a lesson of solidarity to our children. This is a moment when one has to give the best of oneself. So let's invest our time and give it to those who are in need.”
Residents in metropolitan Melbourne are subject to stay-at-home orders and can only leave home for food and essential supplies, work, study, exercise or care responsibilities. People are also advised to wear masks in public.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
