She creates hats adorned with owl feathers, known as үкү топу, for young girls, and sews ak elechek for older women.
Sharshekan was born on September 9, 1953, in the village of Kerege-Tash, in the Ak-Suu district. After completing her education at school in 1970, she studied accounting in Karakol. For some time, she worked in her specialty before transitioning to a cashier position. She has five children from her marriage.
“After retiring, I started engaging in creativity and handicrafts, joining the group ‘Shayir apalar,’ where I began sewing elecheks for the participants. I had an old elechek that I bought, and I decided to take it apart and sew it anew. Since then, I have been sewing elecheks,” she shared.
Etbekova noted that her products can be purchased in Bishkek, Naryn, and Osh.
“I sew elecheks considering modern trends. I have 6-7 different models. Previously, women who became mothers used 15 to 30 meters of white fabric for elecheks, so they could use it for newborns if necessary. Today, we use only 3 meters of fabric, making the products lightweight. I also use felt. Traditionally, elechek was sewn from white material, symbolizing motherhood. But nowadays, white gets dirty quickly due to cosmetics, so I create models that can be machine washed on a short cycle. After washing, the elechek restores its color thanks to the use of chiffon,” she added.
In addition to elecheks, Sharshekan also sews үкү топу and кеп такыя (round hats with a side flap, onto which a scarf or turban made of thin white fabric is worn).
“Some artisans add paper when sewing elecheks and үкү топу, but I consider this disrespectful to our traditional headwear and prefer not to use paper,” she emphasized.
The prices for Sharshekan's products are 2500 soms for an elechek, from 600 to 1000 soms for үкү топу, and from 500 to 1000 soms for кеп такыя.
She has also started producing soap.
“I took special courses and add various herbs and beneficial components to the soap. My products do not contain chemicals, and I also make household soap for washing,” Sharshekan Etbekova reported.
