Shweshwe Skirt Examples

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Here are two examples of skirts made with shweshwe.  R is modeling both of them - the first is one that M brought in, which she said is characteristic of a Sotho shweshwe skirt.  The shweshwe cloth is from De Gama's "Three Cats" series, and the brown applique accents were created by using the reverse side of the print.  In some areas you can make out the Three Cats proprietary imprint.  B, who I have been sewing with at the Zamu center, made the second skirt.  It is also made from Three Cats shweshwe, but is an example of a two-color print (yellow and brown) that is really popular.  Again, the reverse of the fabric has been used for accents on the hem, waistband and tie, and the patch pocket tops.  The  bias tape trim tends to be popular, especially on the full-length dresses made with shweshwe.  Sometimes the skirts or dresses will have ric-rac as an accent instead of bias-tape.  The movement of this skirt is lovely -  the bottom portion of the skirt has been softly pleated into the skirt's yoke giving this skirt a different sense of movement and fullness from the first one.

Comments

[Shauna Chapman]

I {heart} shweshwe!