It's so exciting to actually be able to create something that might really make a difference.
I was approached a few months ago by Rhion Magee, product developer for Project Okurase (see the website: www.projectokurase.org) to help design yoga bags out of fabrics, beads and other materials created in Ghana. The idea was to create a prototype that can be recreated by the women of Okurase (a village in Ghana) on donated pedal-powered machines (the village has no electricity). The proceeds from the sale of these bags will go directly back to the village, into a recreational training facility.
I was given a suitcase of various, multi-colored African pants (which were sewn incorrectly and could not be sold), and rather than discard the pants, I was asked to design a yoga bag from a pair.
So...you are looking at our first prototype, made from a size small pair of pants. I used every inch of pants I could use, including the drawstring! The bag has a pocket on the side, beaded closure, a strap made out of webbing and then covered with the fabric, and a 22-inch zipper from Joann's. For the corded piping, I took a shopping bag apart and used the handles, which I then covered with bias strips from one of the pant legs.
Stay tuned...I'll be making more and you'll be seeing them online, soon!
