In an interview with a Turmush correspondent, she shared that she was born in the Aitmatov district. In 1998, after getting married, she moved to Min-Bulak. “My husband and I have four sons and one daughter. I became the youngest daughter-in-law in a large family, so I didn’t manage the household. Since childhood, I have been passionate about sewing and learned to make patchwork patterns from my aunt. After school, I received a seamstress certificate. About 5-6 years ago, I became interested again in sewing ethnic patchwork quilts and started creating them. I had an old sewing machine, and even with it, I received many orders, although the work took a lot of time. My husband supported me and said that I could pursue my passion when our children grew up. Unfortunately, he passed away three years ago. He saw our children grow, but he didn’t have time to enjoy their successes,” she recalls.
After the loss of her husband, Altynai began to work harder to support her family. In 2022, she took advantage of a social contract and received 100,000 soms, which she used to buy two modern sewing machines. This allowed her to increase the volume of orders for wedding trousseaus. “In our village, there is a high demand for such work, as we can offer lower prices without paying rent and working from home at any time. Mostly, I sew ethnic patchwork quilts, with prices starting from 2,000 soms depending on the material. I also often receive orders for bags with patchwork detailing, and the quality of the pattern significantly affects the price of the product,” she explains.
Previously, the bride's trousseau included two long pillows, but this tradition has recently lost its popularity. Altynai is trying to revive it by creating beautiful pillows with patchwork patterns, as the trousseau remains with the girl for her entire life as a memory. “This social program has helped me a lot – now I don’t sit idle and don’t look for work elsewhere. I successfully combine household duties with my favorite activity,” she adds.
