Lourdes “Lulu” Alonzo, 41, was known in her small town in Taguig not just for kind smile, but for her magical hands with fabric. From school uniforms to wedding gowns, she stitched dreams together with quiet precision. Her mother had taught her the craft on an old foot pedal sewing machine, and over time, Lulu turned their home into a makeshift shop.
But despite her skill and dedication, she never earned enough. Her husband had passed away when their daughter was just three. With bills piling up and tuition rising, she often stitched late into the night just to make ends meet. Her turning point came when a cousin in Dubai told her, They need skilled tailors here. You’d earn five times more.
It took months of paperwork, borrowing money for placement fees, and courage. At 39, Lulu packed up her measuring tape, scissors, and a notebook of her designs and boarded her first flight out of the Philippines.
In Dubai, she worked at a boutique that catered to Arab women who loved elegant abayas and custom-fitted dresses. At first. the language barrier and new designs intimidated her. The customers had particular tastes gold thread embroidery, French lace trims, flowing silk with no room for error. But Lulu watched, listened, and learned.
She worked with women from India, Egypt, and Sudan each with their own styles and sewing techniques. She became known for her clean seams and her eye for adjusting patterns to flatter different body types. Her specialty became hand beaded cuffs and embroidered borders, a detail that man high-paying clients adored.
Though Lulu missed her daughter deeply, she felt comfort in her craft. Every garment she worked on, she imagined stitching blessings into it not just for the wearer, but for her family back home.
Every payday, she sent money to her sister, who cared for her daughter. She paid off loans, bought a sewing machine for the house, and saved for her child’s college fund. In her quiet moments, she imagined coming home not just as a mother, but as a businesswoman.
Her employer soon recognized her talent and began letting her lead small projects. Lulu designed a Ramadan collection of abayas with traditional Filipino embroidery techniques subtly woven into the patterns. It was a quiet tribute to her heritage, and to her surprise, the designs sold out within weeks.
After three years, Lulu had saved enough to start her own tailoring business back in the Philippines. She rented a small space and called it “Lulu’s Line” tailored with love. With help from her now-teenage daughter, she began accepting clients even while still abroad, preparing for the day she’d return for good.
Now on her fourth contract, Lulu doesn’t just stitch fabric she stitches together a future built on love, sacrifice, and perseverance. Each button, each hem, each fold is a silent testament to the journey of a mother who left home not to escape, but to build something better one stitch at a time.
