Small Presents in Fabric Summary
Schedule
We have attended the workshop weekly every Wednesday, from 9:30 to 11:30 in the morning. At first, it was thought to have two one-hour sessions a week, one of them, on Wednesday morning and the other one, on Thursday afternoon, doing so alternatively. However, this timetable proved to be impossible, since it was difficult for some students attending the workshop to go to their face-to-face lessons.
Duration of the activity
The workshop was held for two months, from 14th January to 30th April.
Name of the teachers carrying out the activity
- Ana Barquilla Bermejo
- Julia Nava Pino
- Paloma Sánchez Mena
Name of the students taking part in the workshop
- María Luisa Alegre Monge
- Milagros Alonso Domínguez
- Saturnina Durán Luján
- Mercedes Durán Murillo
- María García Durán
- Juan Manuel Guerrero Vega
- Luis Fernando Henríquez Cruz
- María Jiménez Julián
- Margarita López Díaz
- Concepción Naranjo Toribio
- Antonia Paz Cerrato
- Mª de la Montaña Pozas Mirón
- Manuela Andrea Ramírez Ruíz
- Argentina Rivero Cerrato
- Diana Rodríguez Jiménez
- María Agustina Sánchez Lavado
- María Fernanda Sánchez Rodríguez
- Cristina Sánchez-Romero Vega
Nowadays we are invaded by technology and the adventure of entrepreneurship is associated to technological advances such as applications, smartphones, programmes and so on. For this reason, it is our desire to highlight that innovation is also part of traditional arts and crafts, like our resulting small presents made in fabric, which have been called “Small presents in fabric”.
The main reasons for this workshop
The main objective of this workshop was to offer our students the different contents and some innovative techniques to create the products and then to start their own business in a professional way. Traditional art will have a relevant role throughout the sessions.
Aims of the activity
- To learn and acknowledge some techniques to create handmade products with several kinds of fabric (thick cloth, silk, nylon, …).
- To try to develop the idea of innovation and creativity in the handicrafts process, as well as the sense of confidence and positive emotion.
- To achieve the level of proffesionalism to commercialise the products.
Methodology
We have used the different resources available in our Centre as well as others which have been acquired to make the products.
On-line teaching has been offered to the participants in the workshop, so that they can take advantage of their innovative ideas and share them out of our borders.
We have learnt about how to work with different paper pattern design and we have also got to know how to sew on several types of fabric (thick cloth , silk, nylon, lining and interlining, and so on).
The fragrant sachets have been filled with dried herbs which we had previously prepared.
We have also been working with devices for ropes, complements and accessories to decorate different small garments, purses, mobile cases, brooches, photo frames and easy-to-make little objects for home decoration.
One of our great achievements has been how to use a sewing machine, which was completely unknown to most of us.
Conclusion
Our main goal was to give our students the right formation and skills to be able to create their own business.
New knowledge has been acquired like how to use a sewing machine, to understand paper pattern design, etcetera. At the end of the process of creation, the students felt free to decorate the objects which they had previously made.
As a result, when we finished this workshop we realized that our vocabulary had grown bigger and bigger. We have learned a lot of different words related to the field of sewing and the process of handmaking these small objects.
Both students and teachers involved in this workshop have enjoyed the experience of sharing their own knowledge, getting to know as much as we have been able to and we have also exchanged all the information we could and which was in our hands. The workshop has proved to be a fruitful encouraging experience.
The work done by plenty of women along history has been highlighted in our workshop. To celebrate Women’s Day, 8th March, we set a stall with the intention of selling the products we had previously made. The result was excellent: we sold most of them and the money we got was given to charity.
The workshop “Small presents in fabric” finished on 30th April. We would like to state our intention to go on working on this the following academic year2015-2016.
Relevant information and e-mail addresses
- www.entresocios.es ( how to start your own business or expand it).
- infogr.am ( how to do visual presentations relatively easily).
- Wordpress (easy alternatives to create your own web) wix.eon
- www.emprendedores.es (a magazine for entrepreneurs).
- www.blogyuzz.org (Web of centres of entrepeneurs).
Recommended Books
- “Aventuras de emprendedores: 57 historias de valentía y creatividad en la empresa”. M. Galtés.
- “Innovación en tiempo de crisis” Fons Tropenaars.
- “Emprender es posible” Luisa Alemany y Marcel Planellas.
- “La primera venta del emprendedor” Eduardo Remolins.
- “El camino de Steve Jobs” Jay Elliots.
