“I
get nervous when I'm to deliver the products. Like, what if they aren't
satisfied? But so far, everyone seems to be pleased and it pleases me in
return”
21 year old seamstress
Shanaye Monteith of Yallahs, St Thomas commenting on her business of making Bags
After
Christmas it'll be New Year 2016. And what better way to start the New Year
than with a New School Bag. But with school bags being made of plastic, one is
hard-pressed to find a School bag made by hand in Jamaica from high quality
material.
This
is what makes the 21 year old seamstress Shanaye Monteith of Yallahs, St Thomas
so fascinating as noted in the article “Young
St Thomas woman blazes a trail in bag making”, published Thursday December
10, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.
The
young gifted artisan is doing something that's rather rare in Jamaica; making
school bags.
The
bags are hand-made from various materials and come in the colour the owner
orders. Many of her creations thus far resemble school bags and she does other
styles of bags that can be carried anywhere.
But
natural artiste never originally made school bags, but rather had an artistic
inclination that was discovered by accident. So far, she has sold some ten (10)
bags and is going strong to quote Shanaye Monteith: “Since then, I've sold
about 10 of the bags, which is amazing seeing that I didn't plan for this”.
Albeit
the economy is slow, she still keeps herself occupied making bow ties. So how
did this St. Thomas native get into the business of making knapsacks?
Shanaye Monteith, maker
of knapsacks – How to use YouTube to make school Bags
It
all started with a challenge from a friend to make bag to quote Shanaye
Monteith: “I was creating things such as
paintings, crafty houses and picture frames from fudge sticks, and once I even
tried to sew a jacket. Upon completing the jacket, I showed my friend and she
was very pleased and asked if I could make her a bag. At first, it just seemed
like a crazy joke, but then I began putting some thought into it and then
decided that I would give it a try”.
Albeit
taken aback, Shanaye Monteith was up to the challenge, searching the Internet, especially
YouTube for Bag Designs and patterns, to quote Shanaye Monteith: “I started
sourcing the materials needed to make the bag, then searched Google for various
styles. After I went on YouTube to watch a few videos and then began working on
the bag”.
This
is what originally sparked my interest in this article, as YouTube and other
instructables websites possess a wealth of information from which one can make
products.
There are even tools online that allow you to sell your creations online such as Etsy and Ebay as noted in my blog article entitled “How to make money as an EBay Seller online - Everything in Jamaica from Rare Coins to Unique Craft Items”.
So
one can imagine her surprise when after making her bag, she began getting
orders for her creations to quote Shanaye Monteith: “They began telling me that
they need one of my bags and described the colours that they would prefer it
in. It was so surreal. It wasn't a part of my plan to sell the bags or
anything, but my sister, being the business-minded person she is, took front
row. I'm very shy when it comes on to certain things, but she began sending the
pictures of my creations to her friends, encouraging them to buy”.
A
big part of the reason why she does so well is her sister, who has now taken up
the business side of managing her sister's new found source of income: “She's
very motivating. Even when I think the bag isn't coming out the way I had
imagined and become frustrated, angered and on the brink of giving up, my
sister encourages me to exercise my creative mind and has me persevere 'til
it's done”.
It's
rare to see someone that is so creative that she can look at videos and
websites on the internet online and begin to make something that is sorely need
in Jamaica; hand crafted Bags. I myself am in need of a bag but I fear
purchasing one Downtown, as they seem to be mainly made of plastic.
Hopeful
she’ll get the assistance that she needs to sell her creations online as well
as the manufacturing assistance to mass produce her design and literally have
her future sewn up in a bag for 2016!
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