FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Passionate about patchwork

Passionate about patchwork

Two Yong women from Khon Khaen offer a range of bags and accessoires fashioned from strips of material

THE ANNUAL Baan Lae Suan fair always attracts thousands of visitors eager to discover something new and last week’s expo was no exception, with many of the shoppers flocking to admire a collection of stylish patchwork made by two young ladies from the Northeast province of Khon Kaen.
A passion for needlework brought Thitiya Ploysopon, 28, and Ratchaporn Seetha, 25, together and it wasn’t long before they opened the craft studio Numgunde – Isaan for “let’s enjoy”. That was two years ago and the girls haven’t looked back since.
Conveniently located at the back of Khon Kaen University, the girls have received positive feedback from students wishing to switch off from digital pressures for a while and take pleasure in manual crafts.
“I love creating hand-made products that are special and unique and which also make my creative juices flow. To sharpen my skills, I enrolled for a bag-making class at Bangkok Arts and 
 Crafts College,” says Thitiya, a graduate in decorative arts from Silpakorn University.
When Thitiya’s dad, a government official, was transferred to Khon Kaen, she went too and continued to indulge her passion for crafts by making hand-stitched accessories to sell at the local arts market. Ratchaporn was selling her stuff there too and so the two became acquainted. 
“My family produces patchwork products and exports to Japan. I’ve honed my personal sewing skills and want to share the joys of needlework with others,” says the half-Thai, half-Japanese Ratchaporn, who graduated from Khon Kaen’s Faculty of Management Sciences.
Numgunde’s studio offers a variety of sewing workshops covering bag making along with scarves, caps, dresses and camera straps. Made-to-order products are also accepted.
“Most of our customers are students or first jobbers who want to create a special gift for their loved ones. They’re attracted by fabrics in different shades and textures, which they can mix and match to make bags, hats, scarves and camera straps and make their own fashion statement,” Thitiya says. 
“You can discover your powers of invention at the craft workshop. Things you make yourself are unique and authentic.”
 The duo started their brand last year after buying up a large quantity of fabric scraps. Their first collection features cotton handbags, totes, shoulder bags and caps with patches of different fabrics in colourful shades. They posted photographs of their creations on Facebook and Instagram and their customer base quickly jumped from a few friends to hundreds of buyers.
The new collection boasts more black-and-white accessories to better match casual wear. There are also reversible shoulder bags, drawstring backpacks, caps for him and her, shoulder bags with shoulder supports in triangle and circle shapes, and scarves inspired by the obi – the sash for kimono – each with a secret inner pocket to keep wallets and mobile phones.
“If you want to create your own stuff, drop by our studio. Beginners can get right to work with the help of instructors who are always on hand to show basic techniques. The fees are very reasonable,” Thitiya says.
 
 
MAGIC MATERIALS
>>Numgunde studio is on Kasiensin Road (behind Khon Kaen University), Khon Kaen. 
>>Call (081) 456 4325 or (087) 860 3158.
>>Shop online at the “numgunde” page on Facebook or IG: numgunde_studio.
 
nationthailand