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Training and working with women artisans

During my tenure at Kubsa I had the opportunity to assist in organizing and training women for the Khowdi project. We conducted two workshops across 2 villages in Gulbarga district. The first one was an incubation program to build a team of women artisans and show them the possibilities of the khowdi making skill that they all possessed to be a source of livelihood. The main focus was mobilization to kickstart the project. Over a year they were involved in basic products like runners and cushion covers. The second round of workshop was planned to streamline the process of making the quilts and achieve quality. It was an extremely eye opening process and a humbling experience working with these women.

Khowdi workshop 1 - February 2022 

Duration 7 days

Number of villages 2

Number of women 50

Purpose of workshop - Induction of Women artisans 

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Highlights

- The first workshop was designed to onboard artisans from the village and engage them in quilting for a period of 1 week before starting the production 

- They were paid a daily stipend to encourage continuous engagement

- Wages were fixed for a few initial products mainly designed for practice through dialogue with the team.

- Group leaders were appointed to handle material inventory for a start

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Clockwise

  1. Initial process of layering the fabric before quilting

  2. Attaching the top layer of different colored scrap cloth using the basic running stitch

  3. Women with their individual base for the baby quilts they were making during the workshop

  4. Team of women trained over a period of 7 days during the final certificate distribution

Khowdi workshop 2 - July 2023

Duration 10 days

Number of villages 2

Number of women 70

Purpose of workshop - Quality training 

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Highlights

- With insights from over a year of engaging with the artisans this second round of workshops was designed to streamline quality

-Workshop was  focused on color sorting of fabrics, pattern making, marking and cutting using a pattern 

- Quality parameters were set - Stitch lengths, edges of the quality, size and finish were emphasized on.

- Skill assessment 

- Tailoring training for aligning and cutting the correct sizes

- Basic tailoring training to achieve straight lines and achieve better finish with basic products like tote bags

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  1. Stitching along the markings made on base fabric

  2. Attaching the top layer of different colored scrap cloth using a machine for better edge finishes

  3. Color sorting of fabric to be layered on top of the quilt based on fabric weight and color

  4. Drafting the basic pattern on paper before cutting the base fabric

  5. Team of women trained over a period of 10 days during the final certificate distribution

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