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

Other Imported Fabrics:

• JAPANESE INDIGOS

 

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	VWK17 Navy Red Feather Vine	VWK19 Navy Vine with Gold Flower
VWK23 Green Navy Lily Pads	VWL1 Green Ducks	VWL2 Blue on Blue Medallion	VWL3 Blue and Green Cacti	VWL4 Red and Gold Bicycle Chains
VWL5 Yellow Nigerian Leaves	VWL6 Red, Yellow and Brown Circles	VWL7 Turquoise Medallions	VWL8 Brown and Green Coronets	VWL9 Red and Yellow Paisley
VWL10 Apple and Banana on Navy	VWL11 Turquoise Shields	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
VWL20 Gold and Navy Grasses	VWL21 Butterflies on Brown	VWL22 Orange Yellow Swirls	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	VWL28 Yellow and Turquoise Triangles	VWL29 Allover Yellow Nigerian Floral
VWL30 Large Green Floral on Brown	VWL31 Orange and Blue Wildflowers	VWL32 Purple and Green Dahlias
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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.

MA2 Black/Cream Stripe	MA10 Orange Aztec	MA8 Balck/Cream Hieroglyphic Sold Out	MA13 Purple Masks	MA1 Tribal Stripe
MA3 Red/Black Chain Links	MA9 Ladies in White	MA4 Ladies in Red	MA7 Turquoise Masks	MA14 Blue/Green Squares Sold Out
MA5 Ladies in Blue	MA6 Orange Geometrics Sold Out	MA11 Orange Interlocking Rings
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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
 

K10 Autumn Kente  Sold Out	K9 Easter Kente (Woven) Sold Out	K8 Woven Navy Kente  Sold Out	K4 Kente Dark Blue  Sold Out	K5 Dark Orange
K7 Orange Navajo Kente  Sold Out
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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.
SS1 Plain Indigo  Sold Out	SS4  Sold Out	SS6  Sold Out	SS7  Sold Out	SS9  Sold Out
SS10  Sold Out	SS11  Sold Out	SS12	SS13	SS14
SS15	SS16	SS17	SS18
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Other Imported Fabrics:

JAPANESE INDIGOS (45" WIDE)

Japanese indigos have long been regarded with respect. Like the Shweshwe cloth from South Africa, they work beautifully on their own, or combined with other fabrics.

$17.95/metre

TP-3587	TP-3591	TP-3592	TP-3594	TP-3597
TP-3600	SI 1 Indigo Sanddollars	SI 2 Indigo Angles	SI 3 Indigo Tracks
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Updated August 30, 2010

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.