Sebastian Aquilina, 66, is the youngest of 11 children, and as long as he can remember, his life revolved around the sheet-metal workshop in Triq il-Vitorja, Qormi, his father opened a 100 years ago. In fact, he fondly remembers going to the workshop right after school, every day, to help his father who was a master at the lucrative trade.

“In the sixties, sheet-metal work was in great demand. The brits were crazy about all things manually manufactured, and we did our best to provide all the furniture and decorations they would fill their houses with. On this shop floor, my dad would have some 25 men working and learning the trade. It was a lot of work, for little money,” Sebastian quips. “Some of them went on to become masters themselves in their own right.”

Walking into the workshop is nothing short of stepping into a time capsule. Here, the value of manually manufactured pieces, is still in highest regard, as the industrial revolution appears to have been left outside in the street.

From mundane chicken coops to the most refined aureoles that would adorn the holiest of statues, Sebastian and his team will likely find a great solution for any request a client might have - as long as it involves some kind of metal.

“The best part of the job is the creativity it allows me, as I feel I can express myself in a rather unique way, with every single piece I create.”

“In my childhood we manufactured and fixed all sorts of metals. The applications for this trade in everyday life were endless. Today, with the importation of cheap products, which often incorporate copious plastics in their construction, our skill has taken a more artisanal direction, which also gives us great satisfaction,” Sebastian explains.

“We get all sorts of clients making the most exceptional of requests. In the past year I have created all sorts of things, from commercial articles such as trays for pastizzi to a headdress for an Aquaman costume for Carnival!”

But Sebastian’s mainstay customers must be Good Friday afficionados who always come up with the most intricate and lavish designs for their costumes – making sure to outshine their colleagues.

“Throughout Lent, we are habitually busy with all sorts of headgear, breastplates, shin-plates and wristbands for our troops of Roman soldiers, monarchs and royalty that participate in the annual Holy Week processions in various parishes around Malta and Gozo,” Sebastian continues.

“Then once Easter is behind us, we are invariably invaded by people from our village festas who also come with their elaborate designs for decorations that will adorn the streets and churches come festa time.”

However, before that, Sebastian and his team are usually getting their hands dirty with another seasonal favourite, and which is in great demand at this time of year. It’s figolli time soon, and no self-respecting baker will venture into figolli-making without one of Sebastian’s trusty cutters. In fact, the over-sized cookie cutters are still individually made by hand.

“We make them in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the more traditional ones are the fish and lamb which have symbolic religious meaning. However we get all sorts of requests, which we are happy to cater for,” Sebastian notes.

Reflecting on his greatest satisfaction as a craftsperson, Sebastian loves admiring his own work, taking great pleasure from a job well done, and delivering quality work to a satisfied client.

Sebastian finishes his overview by stating that his job always allows him to gain new perspectives about his craft, “I am constantly learning from my previous job, always striving to improve my technique and the creativity with which I find solutions to create my art. That must be the best feeling in the world, and what makes us come to this place every morning.”

This feature forms part of The Laid Back Series by GuideMeMalta.com. Bringing to light unique characters, local traditions, and the beauty of old Malta, we search every corner of the Maltese islands to find the most unique of stories that are sure to delight and bring a sense of nostalgia to our readers.

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