Women's Tailoring Groups
by Susan Hart
I have enjoyed sewing and making my patterns most of my life, so it was natural when I made my first H2O trip to Uganda for me to help with the women’s tailoring groups. My sister Nadine asked me to make new patterns and to help teach quality improvement for existing products. I am also a crafter, so Nadine sent me examples of bracelets a previous team had taught and proposed that I work with the Palabek group to help them bring their work to the next level as well. Thus began my start with H2O.
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In preparing for my first trip, I designed new patterns for the sewing groups, and acquired supplies to take with me and leave behind for all of the people I was to work with. Upon arrival, Nadine and I chose fabric with Denis and Bosco in Kampala, and off we went!
Color combinations and fabric print preferences are quite different between Americans and Ugandans, so I spent a lot of time working to convey color, bead, and button combinations to the bracelet makers so their end products would be attractive to Americans. There were a lot of “ah ha” moments for all of us as we learned what each other saw as beautiful, based on our cultures. The team, new to making products for others, also learned how important a quality product is to attract buyers. The bracelets they made during our sessions were greatly improved, and impressed us all!
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Grace, Terrence’s wife, graciously let us use space outside her shop in Gulu for training the Palabek team. In working with Grace and the Palabek tailors outside her shop, I discovered that Ugandans have different sewing techniques from Americans. This was an amazing discovery once we all realized it, so in the evenings I quickly converted the patterns I brought to their style.
I worked individually with the Katamarwa tailoring women to review the quality of the products each of them made and to offer suggestions. They were very appreciative, not having realized that quality differences in their work made a difference. It was great to see how easily and quickly they applied what we discussed to more consistently do their best work. Eunice, their star sewer, was especially eager for the new patterns, and her work was beautiful! The Katamarwa team were a lot of fun to work with! We had some fun conversations and lots of laughs as we worked together! I felt a wonderful connection with them as we worked during those days.
Upon return from this trip, I began selling the products to friends, Fair Trade and African stores in Portland, OR, and at the annual African Film Festival in Portland. I looked forward to returning to Uganda in April 2020, to more happy times working with my new friends, bringing new patterns to teach. However that trip was cancelled because of the pandemic.
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