The Best Dressmaker in Moshi

Before I arrived in Tanzania for my volunteer experience Monika told me that it's easy to have clothing made at very reasonable prices.  Now that I'm here I understand that it's not only true, it is a must! The person who makes the clothing is Catherine, a former GHTA student, a truly wonderful person, and quite a character.

 



The dressmaking process begins by going to a shop in town to buy fabric.  There are many shops with shelves overflowing with bright, colorful fabrics called kangas and kitenge. A kanga is lightweight like hankerchief material and a kitenge is more like linen.  The fabric is woven in Tanzania and most have batik or tie dye patterns.   Some also have printed words on them with inspirational quotes in Swahili.  The fabric is precut into large rectangular pieces.  Kangas are often worn as a skirt by wrapping it around the waist and tied at the side, wrapped around the top and tied at one shoulder, or wrapped around the head as a scarf.

For my dress I chose a bright teal/lime green kitenge.  We brought the fabric to Catherine's small home in Njoro, the second poorest neighborhood in Moshi. Her sewing machine is in a tiny room at the front of her house. Catherine handed me a lined notebook, turned it to a blank page, and told me to draw what I wanted the dress to look like.  Monika and I drew a quick, very rough design, Catherine broke out a tape measure and measured me, and that was it.  She said come back in a couple days to pick it up.

The picture above is the finished product...total cost about $15.  She also made me a matching shoulder bag with the leftover fabric for $3. Catherine is a wonderful warm-hearted woman who always greets you with a smile and has you laughing within 30 seconds...even if you don't understand her Swahili/English.  She is definitely one of my favorite people in Moshi!