Bags are like little personality extensions, don't you think?
Some must have the right designer name to be considered for a sale, others need to have a trinket hanging from the strap to make it a viable purchase, writes
Us? We don't 'do' designer and like to be original in our choices.
Which made finding something suitable a real drag recently. And then, having made the usual trawl of stores with big price tags and bland produce, we stumbled across a quite wonderful stall at the last Handmade & Vintage Fair in Milton Keynes.
All the bags were made from denim – and every one an original. There are fabulous fabric animals too, for those seeking a low maintenance hippo or elephant for the home!
The creativity is down to one lady, Caroline Coster, who teaches computing and English full time.
But when not in the class room, she is usually found sewing up a storm with her creativity, and it's all for charity.
The business is called Sewing for Utange, and proceeds from sales go to support the school for orphaned children in Kenya.
“I first heard of Utange through a friend, Jane, who told me about a friend of hers, Debbie, who was setting up an orphanage out there,” Caroline recalls.
Eager to help swell the fundraising efforts, Caroline duly offered them some bags to sell. She had experimented with selling them at craft fairs in the past, and thought they might bring in a few bob.
“We were all dubious whether they would sell at first, but at one of the first events the owner of a London shop wanted to buy the entire stock!”
Quickly realising the potential to bring in the cash for the cause, Caroline got busy making again.
“I am a Christian and I see such tangible proof of how I am being used and blessed through this,” she told Total MK.
In 2011 she visited the region to see for herself how her efforts were making a difference to this community so far away.
“It was a life changing experience, it really was.
“I had never seen such poverty, and never experienced so much friendliness and openness and happiness. From that moment I knew I wanted to return and do more...
“Utange is only 10 minutes from the Mombasa tourist resort of Bamburi, but there is virtually no industry and little opportunity for people to earn an income....life there is generally a hand to mouth experience.
“There is no electricity and water has to be fetched from the village wells. Families are lucky if they eat daily; many of the children only eat every three to four days.
“That's why Debbie set up the feeding programme, Feed 500, to feed the very poorest children in the village.”
Tragically, with women turning to prostitution to feed their young, AIDS has ravaged the area and many children are orphans.
Kenya has introduced free primary education, but as Caroline saw first hand, it's not as simple as it should be: “...the teachers are doing their best, but it is hard to teach a class of 80 children who do not have pencils, can't afford to buy the text books they need, and are in a classroom with seats for 40.”
Despite the bare necessities lacking, youngsters there appreciate the opportunity to take in information.
“The children all value their opportunity to learn and love school...”
Caroline's creativity began at a young age when she began making clothes for herself (she even made her own wedding dress!) and later began quilting.
These days though, as we said, denim is the material of choice, and she has a great stock of the hard wearing stuff on tap: “I take donations of jeans wherever I can take them. People often turn up at events with jeans for me.
“My major sources are the staff and pupils at school and last July a lovely many called Lance Haggith spoke with me. “He set up the Sports Traider shops to raise money for people to get into sport and gets given items seized by Trading Standards that are 'designer rip-offs,' and has passed a lot to me to be cut up and used in my creations.
“He also passes on hoodies which can't be sold because of the designer imitation logos, but I use the insides as linings for the bibs I make.”
And her own pupils are now well aware of Utange and the charity work – indeed the youngsters have exchanged letters and skyped with the pupils there, and last year Utange's Pastor John Kahindi visited the Henlow Church of England Academy.
“That was an amazing experience,” Caroline recalls, “He had never been on a plane before his visit. While he was with us it snowed, and he had never seen snow!”
But where does our teacher find the time to whip up this charity storm?
“Some of my colleagues have joked that I have more hours in the day than they do! It isn't true but I do spend a lot of my 'spare' time sewing,” she said.
“You will find me sewing most weekends and holidays when I'm not running a stall.
“I have a few friends in my Church who help by cutting out pattern pieces for me. I cut out, pin, stuff and hand sew in front of the TV in the evenings – I am generally too tired at that point to sew.”
But it'll take more than tiredness to stop Caroline in her mission.
“I would love to give the women in Utange a sense of hope,” she says.
“I get satisfaction when people appreciate the items I have made, but more particularly when they show an interest in what I am doing.
“I love explaining what a difference £1 makes to children in Utange, and make sure I have items priced at £1 so they can afford to buy something. One pound feeds a child on the programme for a week.”
Caroline is now counting the months and days to next Summer – she will spend the whole of August in Utange, helping, informing and running workshops for the ladies that will help them to make bags similar to Caroline's to sell to tourists in the area.
It's another great idea from the lady who estimates she has so far made and sold in the region of 5000 items, which have raised close to £20,000.
And maybe you can help her push through that £20,000 barrier? Caroline will return to The Handmade & Vintage Fair in Middleton Hall at thecentre:mk this weekend.
Her bags of fun make bags of difference to those in real need.
Make contact: www.sewingforutange.blogspot.com
