Narissa Fraser
Right one paddle round Madena Ashley Donald-Baird’s yard will maintain her proudly mentioning issues she created. From chook cages made of mesh wire and aluminium to dog kennels made of wooden pallets and purlin, and even concrete partitions – she does all of it.
However she is now not honest correct a handywoman, she would per chance be a purse girl. Combining her skilful fingers, attention to detail and love of stitching, she is now celebrating the sixth anniversary of her commerce, Ashley’s Simplest 1 Bags.
Donald-Baird, 37, used to be raised in Mayaro but moved to Rousillac, about eight years ago.
She recalled instructing herself to sew while growing up, all thru her days as a Mayaro Secondary College (formerly Mayaro Composite) pupil.
She acknowledged she steadily had fetch entry to to a stitching machine, as her mother would sew every now and then, and her grandfather used to be a tailor.
“So I old to honest correct discontinue a little bit of hetero stitch, straight curtain, a tube costume, pillowcase…issues love that.
“I be mindful one time I did one lengthy line of curtains and I used to be very proud.”
She by no methodology as soon as imagined it as a profession relieve then. And curiously, she added, she used to be by no methodology round both household member after they were stitching, but she still managed to ranking the pastime anyway.
“I wager it be honest correct a abilities-to-abilities ingredient,” she concluded, laughing.
The account of how she started making bags, though, is a little comical to her.
In her adult existence, her love for stitching continued, but it remained a pastime. She had a job as an oilfield worker and specialised in provide-chain logistics for some time. However after leaving that job, she determined to “are trying one thing numerous.
“Initially, I wasn’t sure if I used to be going to are trying a food (commerce), or one thing,” she acknowledged.
However in September 2018, she recalled, “It honest correct so came about that I wanted a crossbody secure.
“I walked round, I tried to get one, I couldn’t get any. Then, after I did get one, I didn’t love the quality of stitching it had…and then I sure to fetch one.
“Initially, I built the secure incorrectly, but then I went relieve and tried yet again and I acquired it.”
She acknowledged several folks started asking the attach she acquired it and she received several compliments from chums and strangers.
“So then I made yet every other, I made two more, ten more, 20…After which I started going round selling bags on a weekend.”
In September that year, she registered her commerce.
Orderly and intensely organised, her Rousillac retailer is chubby of hundreds of bags in numerous kinds, materials, and patterns. There would possibly per chance be a whiteboard with schedules and a to-discontinue list, as a minimum ten numerous stitching machines in look – there are others stowed away – and a rainbow of colours in every cloth and thread.
She also made the cabinets and the racks on which her bags hold internal the retailer.
She makes handbags, tote bags, wristlets, pouches, backpacks, as successfully as numerous branded items love T-shirts, pillows, robes and aprons.
All her creations are double-stitched, machine washable and sturdy, she acknowledged. The fabrics she uses encompass printed cotton, tapestry, hickory, leatherette, nylon, denim and drill.
The colours old on her bags are honest correct as shimmering and vivid as her personality, and a range of of them maintain Afrocentric topics. So it used to be no surprise that she frequently gets a form of sales in August for African Emancipation Day.
“I without a doubt hope that in some unspecified time in the future, my work reaches Africa,” she acknowledged.
She tries her excellent to substantiate all potentialities leave her retailer or stalls at pop-up markets with a smile or chortle.
On whether or now not she has a resolution amongst her creations, she acknowledged, “I love doing patchwork, so that is my favourite: getting the entire items, placing them collectively and developing a unfamiliar assemble.”
When folks explore her work, some overall remarks are: “It’s natty,” “It’s numerous,” and “I love that it’s handmade and local.”
She takes essentially the most have the benefit of what she calls her memento line, the attach she highlights all issues local. Those designs encompass items with the scarlet ibis and cocrico, chaconia, steelpan, leatherback turtles, hibiscus vegetation, etc.
“Regarded as one of the issues that pushed to total this line used to be without a doubt watching (a govt reliable) on TV give a foreign delegate a in point of fact straight forward-having a undercover agent secure as a image of appreciation. I used to be love, ‘We (local artisans) would per chance perhaps discontinue so considerably better!’ and I started making these.”
Tourism Trinidad has since commissioned her for that line of products for a time out to the Netherlands.
“Stitching brings me a form of enjoyment.
“I love seeing the reactions of potentialities, and even capability investors honest correct stopping and admiring my work. As soon as in some time, I’d be strolling up High Avenue (San Fernando) and explore four or 5 folks with bags I made and I’d discontinue and focus on with them.”
This pleasure used to be evident as she walked the WMN team thru the route of of making a wristlet – from selecting and measuring the cloth to the remaining stitch. She done the floral secure with red, blue and white hues in below 20 minutes.
As a chubby-time entrepreneur, she acknowledged her commerce keeps her occupied and is “fun and gorgeous.”
She is currently on the avenue to restoration from some health challenges but acknowledged she is ready to head yet again.
Her commerce page, Ashley’s Simplest 1 Bags, can even be chanced on on Facebook and Instagram.
