Among those who never expected their skills from another era would make them hot property are three Afghani refugee sisters.

Fatima, Tayebeh and Tahereh were recruited a month ago by a Victorian company Jada Blinds Supplies to be sewing machinists.

It is the first time in their six years in Australia that they have had full time employment.

They learned to use industrial sewing machines under slave-like conditions as girls living in Iran.

"They've got amazing skills," owner of Australian Face Masks James Farren told AAP.

Along with one other machinist they are making up to 1000 face masks a day, but Mr Farren hopes to hire more staff to get daily production to 5000.

"There's more demand than we would be able to fulfil," he said.

Until February, the family-owned Carrum Downs factory had been supplying custom cut blinds and curtains to Bunnings, Spotlight and others.

But the onset of coronavirus social distancing restrictions saw demand for its services drop, putting the 25-year-old business in strife.

By early March, Mr Farren was convincing his parents to keep financially afloat by temporarily making face masks.

It wasn't easy to get started, as there was none of the required fabric available in Australia.

Proper face masks are more than just cotton, Mr Farren explained.

To have a filter function, they require specially manufactured "unwoven" or "spun bonded" fabric, which is only made in Asia.

Almost all reserves of this fabric was bought up and sent to China in February so Mr Farren could not find it locally.

Instead, he went to a fabric supplier in Taiwan. This was a feat in itself as many Asian suppliers of face mask fabric are not exporting the product.

Mr Farren has no idea how long the family company will be making masks.

"It's so unclear, we're just going week by week and taking it as it comes really," he said.

Australian Associated Press