Shweshwe Fabric Promotion

In my search for  a shweshwe fabric source, I discovered there was only one distributor in all of North America. I contacted the fabric printer in South Africa, Da Gama Textiles, and rather than sell directly to me, they gave me contact information for Meerkat Shweshwe in Canada. Generally, it's not good business sense to give away such a hard-to-find fabric source, but Celeste from Meerkat has been such a pleasure to work with and she has so much enthusiasm for promoting shweshwe, that I can't help but join in! So, I want to share this short interview with her on Thread Riding Hood, a Canadian blog that is all about sewing and fabric promotion. There you will find some other retailers in Canada who sell shweshwe along with a special discount coupon from  Yardwork that is good for anything in the shop!

To go along with this promotion, I made a few dopp kits, or cosmetic pouches, out of this very special fabric. The shweshwe fabric is just lovely to work with! It has a little bit more weight than the typical quilting cotton - but certainly not so thick that it can't be used in a quilt. But for all sorts of zipper bags, the added weight provides that extra bit of structure and durability. I had a customer buy some to have a pet bed made and I know the fabric will stand up very well for that!

So, here are the three bags that have made the cut (excuse the pun!), so far, and are in the "Bags" section of my shop.

Indigo "Propeller" along with "Onions" for an accent + handles and "Dot Canoe" for the lining.

The very Hot Orange fabrics make up this one - and it is so cute!

"Minaret Windows" on the main body of bag + handles, along with "Spinning Dots" as an accent and for the lining.

Last, but not least, this fun one in the Hot Turquoise fabrics!

"Paisley" for the main body + handles, along with "Dots and Stripes" for the top and for the lining.

And all have a water-resistant layer of polyester "shower curtain" fabric sandwiched between the exterior and lining fabrics. This way, if there are any spills inside, they should stay inside. Perfect for travel! All the bags are washable, although I recommend cooler temperatures to prolong the life of the fabric.