The second and third-year BSc Fashion and Apparel Design students of Baldwin Women’s Methodist College recently attended a three-day workshop that was organised for them by the college authorities. The workshop, which focussed on how to make bags and pouches, was held by Snehashree, a group comprising of five friends who work in the field of education. The 15 students who took part in it were given a clear goal — they had to make eight products across the three days of the workshop. 

They were briefed on how to make a variety of different products, which the students thought to be both fun and informative. On the first day, for instance, the group made mobile pouches, pencil pouches and little purses to store jewellery. Before starting the workshop, the teachers instructed the students on what techniques to use and demonstrated the procedure so that they’d understand it better. The students experimented with natural fabrics like jute and cotton and thanks to able supervision, came out with some fantastic results. On the second day of the workshop, they were taught to make hand purses, which they did with cotton silk, sponge and jute. On the third, the participants made two kinds of bags — college and school bags, made with a combination of jute and cotton. They pulled out all the stops to ensure that they came up with items that were both usable and aesthetically appealing.

The three days might have been gruelling but the students were clearly keen to do the best they could. They got to keep the products that they made during the workshop, which was an added bonus. Sara Sharpa, one of the students, says, “It was a good experience; we learnt the art of making different types of bags. I enjoyed it very much.”

The students were also delighted by the fact that the techniques they were taught will come in useful for their course. “We learnt something new and what’s more, these techniques can be used for a fashion show. We can create new things for ourselves, as well as selling the products,” says Gitamoni, another participant.