Last week, we caught up with Year 8 pupil Eli Evans who, if you were eagle-eyed, has been sporting a rather striking new bag this term. Incredibly, this bag was designed and made by Eli himself and so we sat down together to find out more!
The inspiration behind the bag came from Eli’s Shiplake Seven project in which he made a bag. The Shiplake Seven is a teaching and learning framework designed to foster and develop key interpersonal qualities in our young people. It is integrated across the academic and co-curriculum, allowing the seven qualities to be nurtured inside and outside the classroom. Pupils are encouraged to use these skills in their lessons and activities, and for Eli, through his DET sessions, he learned how to use a sewing machine for the first time.
This project and subsequent use led to Eli doing a course with Lady Sew and Sew in their Henley workshop. Lady Sew and Sew have grown to be Europe’s biggest quilting and patchwork warehouse, but they also run a wide range of workshops and classes.
Doubling up as both a shoulder bag and backpack, the bag itself is extremely impressive. Taking around 10 hours to make, and done by himself without any help, it comes with ample space for all of his belongings, including specific pockets and pouches for stationary, bottles, headphones, and laptop. Design-wise, it is hard not to miss it with its pink and orange straps and the interior lining matches this.
Eli certainly has ambitions and, after he gets his own sewing machine, intends to make more bags as well as other items for his friends. Could this be the start of a small enterprise here at Shiplake College? Perhaps maybe, just maybe, he will be taking requests for bags soon!
Flickr album: Eli Evans Bag, September 2024 |
Height: auto |
Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin
