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Two women stand at a wooden table in a brightly lit room, working with white fabric. The woman on the left, wearing a patterned top and a pink scarf, smooths a piece of fabric with her hands. The woman on the right, wearing glasses, a white top with a pink pattern, and a red scarf, leans over the table and touches the fabric. A colorful patchwork piece lies on the table in the foreground. In the background, there is a doorway, shelves with items, and a bag hanging on the wall.
  • 2 facilitators

Thursday 5 November 2026

Advanced bag construction: attaching Kantha panels to inner pockets

Facilitated by Shabana K H

We ran a specialized construction experiment on adding decorative Kantha panels to bag exteriors with pre-stitched inner pockets. Getting a clean and professional finish without breaking the bag's alignment or usability was a complex technical challenge. We needed to cut the pocket opening neatly and finish the raw edges safely. We also had to manage the seam allowances and decide whether to fold them inward or outward. We anticipated that a Kantha panel over a poorly finished pocket opening could make raw fabric edges snag or pull out when users reached in.

To solve these problems, we analyzed different ways to fold the allowances and tested assembly methods on sample pieces. We cut the pocket opening directly into the bag body and folded the allowances outward, not inward. We anchored the folded edges securely with two parallel rows of topstitching, making a flat base. We then placed the complete Kantha embroidered panel directly over the prepared pocket region and stitched it into place. This gave a clean finish, and the inner pocket worked smoothly with no visible raw edges or loose fabric inside.

What the activity directly produced: sessions held, people reached, things made.

What changed for the people who took part, and what showed it.

Successfully engineered a standardized method for mounting exterior Kantha panels onto bags with pre-existing inner pockets without compromising interior finish or usability. How we know: Verified through structural testing, hand-entry friction tests, and physical inspection of the internal pocket seams.

(We measured it)

What the team will keep or change next time.

We folded the allowances toward the outside of the bag and anchored them with double rows of stitching. The result was a flat base before we attached the top Kantha panel.

Cutting an exact pocket opening into a stitched bag body required careful work. We wanted to avoid over-slitting the corners or warping the bag's alignment.

Next time, we will mark the corners with tailor's chalk before cutting. This should give square pocket openings every time.

LivelihoodStitching Clubaikyam fellowsShabana K Haikyam space

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