Provia	Nalugo Traders (Click to enlarge)	Rosette
Several of the small traders from whom we purchase our fabric at fair market value.

African Fabrics:

• VERITABLE WAX FABRICS
• OTHER AFTRICAN FABRICS
  • MALI FABRICS
  • KENTE CLOTH
  • SHWESHWE CLOTH

 

African Fabrics:
 

VERITABLE WAX FABRICS

“Veritable wax” or “real wax” fabrics are high quality fabrics available for sale all over Africa, although those I have available are mostly from Uganda. These are the fabrics African women use to make their dresses from, hugely colourful, with flamboyant designs on them. They are noted for both their colour-fastness and their lack of shrinkage. Unexpectedly they are usually printed in either Britain or Holland, using methods adapted from the Indonesians. This results in a background crackle, similar to that found in batiks.

The fabrics I have for sale have been purchased from individual women in the market place, or by a Ugandan entrepreneur who makes his choices from the women selling in the Oweno Market in Kampala. Kitambaa Designs has a policy of buying directly from African artisans and trades-people, ensuring fair trade principles are followed.

$15.95/m

Please click on the samples below for a larger picture, then click on the BACK button in your browser window to return to this page.

VWJ1 Cowrie Shell Circle	VWJ13 Brown Geometric	VWK13 Green Lily on Cream	VWK19 Navy Vine with Gold Flower	VWL4 Red and Gold Bicycle Chains
VWL10 Apple and Banana on Navy	VWL12 Brown Stones	VWL13 Yellow and Orange Windmills	VWL14 Turquoise and Green Chrysanthemums	VWL15 Curly-cue Globes
VWL16 Green, Yellow and Navy Clover	VWL17 Indigo Peacock	VWL18 Lime and Blue Diamonds	VWL19 Golden Seagulls	VWL21 Butterflies on Brown
VWL23 Pink and Navy Widgets	VWL24 Lime and Turquoise Clamshells	VWL25 Olive Geometrics	VWL26 Large Orange Leaves on Brown	VWL27 Nigerian Yellow and Brown Ivy
VWL30 Large Green Floral on Brown	VWL31 Orange and Blue Wildflowers	VWL32 Purple and Green Dahlias	VWM 1 Yellow baskets	VWM 2 Turquoise spirals
VWM 3 Birds in the trees	VWM 4 Pink and green jelly beans	VWM 6 Red and yellow curls	VWM 5 Blue water reflections	VWM 7 Lime teardrops
VWM 8 Fuschia and yellow passion flowers	VWM 9 Yellow and turquoise dancing leaves	VWM 10 Brown and cream guinea fowl	VWM 11 Red and blue dragons
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OTHER AFTRICAN FABRICS

Other African countries also produce unique fabric, and Kitambaa Designs imports some of these for your sewing and quilting pleasure as well.

MALI FABRICS

This selection comes from  Mali in West Africa.

MA9 Ladies in White	MA4 Ladies in Red	MA5 Ladies in Blue
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KENTE CLOTH

This reproduction Kente cloth is actually made in India. The authentic woven Kente cloth that it imitates, is just as colourful, but much more expensive, and not suitable to be used in quilts.

$15.95/m
 

K5 Dark Orange
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SHWESHWE CLOTH

Shweshwe fabric was introduced to Southern Africa by German settlers, or so tradition has it.  Its distinctive, small-scale geometric designs are printed in white on indigo blue, red and brown.  When I lived in Lesotho, I saw this cloth worn by women as a special dress-up fabric.  Kitambaa is now importing this indigo fabric directly from De Gama Textiles in South Africa.  While these fabrics were traditionally printed in England, under the Three Cats label, it is now produced exclusively in South Africa.  It works beautifully on its own, or with Japanese indigos.

$15.95/m
 

Shweshwe fabric is 35" wide.
SS12	SS13	SS14	SS15	SS16
SS17	SS18
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Updated May 30, 2011

Please contact Pippa directly to order fabrics. Payment may be made by personal cheque, VISA or Master Card. Shipping costs will be determined on a per order basis.