“Don’t be idle. You are capable. Make the best of your talent.”
Arpita Saha
One day, she thought of playing with cloth scraps lying around. Soon, she created a vibrant patchwork quilt. Her acquaintances adored it. A homemaker with the zeal to make her mark, Arpita Saha, fell in love with the art of patchwork. Arpita’s daughter, Sugandha Saha, is a postgraduate in Fabric and Apparel. She joined forces with her talented mother to create the Shiuli Collection. Today, Arpita makes patchwork home furnishing products while Sugandha markets them online.
What is your vision for the Shiuli Collection?
Sugandha: The Shiuli flower blossoms at night and falls in the morning. But, its fragrance persists. Like the flower, we want to spread the beauty of patchwork in people’s homes.
Which is your most loved product? What makes customers choose it?
Arpita: Most sold product is Dohar. It works best in air conditioning and mild winters.
Sugandha: People like our handiwork, and especially that it is distinct. Factory-manufactured home furnishing has limited patterns and colours. Usually, markets sell printed Dohars.
We are high on customization. A mother wanted a Peppa Pig quilt for her daughter. We went to long lengths to buy premium quality, digitally printed Peppa Pig cloth. We create colour combinations as per the customer’s choice. Sometimes, customers are looking for peculiar sizes unavailable in the market. They can get any size Dohar made by us.
Someone like them is handcrafting products with immense effort. So, people appreciate and relate better to our products. Also, we make the process fun for our customers. We engage them in the process as co-creators.
What is the biggest challenge you face? How do you deal with it?
Sugandha: Every day brings its unique challenges. When orders are low, it gets disheartening. We boost each other and are up and running again.
Arpita: Shiuli Collection has become an addiction. If I am not creating, I am missing something in life. So, no matter the hurdle, I restart. Experiment with new products. We are creating table runners and mats for corporate gifting now.
How do you deal with demanding customers?
Sugandha: Customized orders can be tricky. After the order was complete, a customer said, “I don’t like the blue shade of the quilt.” Then, we remade the quilt.
As a protocol, we share pictures of the fabric before cutting. We arrange the cut pieces and share photographs with the customer. Now, I show them the look of the design using graphics. In this way, we have increased customer satisfaction.
What are the three things you are more proficient with than when you started?
Arpita: I explored techniques of patchwork on YouTube. I learnt to use a roller cutter and scale instead of measuring tape and scissors. Earlier, a Dohar that I completed in one week, I can now finish in a day. I began alone, but today I have added two artisan women to the team for stitching. I focus on the finishing of the product.
Sugandha: Over time, our knowledge of fabric has increased. We are conscious about using textiles that do not pill with use. We avoid the use of synthetic materials and use cotton.
From the time we began, we have discovered and chosen better vendors. We buy in bulk from manufacturers who offer a variety of prints.
Social media and Website links
Website – http://www.shiulicollection.in/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/shiuli_collection/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/shiulicollection
A technical writer in the field of life sciences, Aarti Bhola, pursued graduation and post-graduation in Biotechnology and Microbiology respectively. She is passionate about researching and writing informative content about any topic. A feather in her cap was her entrepreneurial venture, Melange Handicrafts, that sold lifestyle and home decor goods online. She continues to explore her artistic side via doodling and hand lettering.
