The incoming freshman class at Duke University had a very busy orientation week following move-in day on August 19. On top of sessions designed to familiarize them with campus life and the Triangle community, they were also offered something they perhaps didn’t expect—lessons in sewing.
Bull City Boomerang Bag, a partnership between Don’t Waste Durham and local sewing studio Sew Crafty, sponsored a workshop at Duke on August 22, during which more than 100 members of the Class of 2027 received hands-on experience in making cloth bags and totes. For more than two hours, Bull City Boomerang Bag took over a common space in a Duke East Campus dorm with stations available for sorting, cutting, pinning, ironing, and sewing old T-shirts and other scrap textiles into reusable shopping bags.
In addition to bolstering their skill sets, the students took part in a program that gives back to the community. Bull City Boomerang Bag is an all-volunteer organization that makes reusable cloth bags for free distribution at grocery stores in low-income areas throughout Durham. The ultimate goal is to create a reusable-bag distribution system, in preparation for a single-use bag fee, a proposal that is currently under consideration by the Durham City Council.
But who couldn’t use a free, reusable bag right now? And why wait for a new city ordinance to start keeping single-use plastic bags out of the environment?
Though perhaps skeptical of the session at first glance— is sewing really part of college orientation?— the students quickly warmed to the task. One student noted that she had never sewn before, even though a sewing machine was always present in her parents home. “It’s very soothing. I liked the process.” Asked if she would do it again, she replied, “Yes, definitely.”
Another student said she had heard about Duke’s sustainability programs, but that “it was really nice to get involved with something Durham-related. It’s nice to give back to the community.”
The concept of reuse also resonated. One student was in awe of the amount of textile material on hand. “Seeing stuff that would normally be thrown away being reused for a better purpose was really cool.” (Many of the students also sported their own reusable water bottles.)
“The kids said they really enjoyed it, and I think we’ll see some of them coming to our regular Boomerang Bag sewing sessions.”
The student orientation coordinators praised the sewing workshop as a welcome change of pace from the speakers and panel discussions that dominated the orientation sessions. They said they would enthusiastically recommend more hands-on, environmentally focused, and community-oriented sessions for future orientation programs.
The results of the session were impressive, especially for novices working in such a short timeframe: 50 completed T-shirt bags, 10 completed tote bags, and more than 100 other bags and totes ready for further action. Never having executed a sewing class on the scale of the Duke event, Sew Crafty owner and founder Toni Mason was pleased by the result. “The kids said they really enjoyed it, and I think we’ll see some of them coming to our regular Boomerang Bag sewing sessions.
“I feel really good that we did this,” she added. “I’m proud as can be of all the volunteers and how they just rallied and got to work. And, I’m encouraged by the kids who were engaged and enthusiastic.”
Of course, you don’t have to be a student to be part of the Boomerang Bag team. Whether you want to learn to sew or give back to the community, consider becoming a Boomerang Bag volunteer and participating in the regular sewing sessions. It’s not just a learning and giving experience—it’s fun!
