Hidden down alleys and up and down stairs in Kigali, you can find wonderful fabric shops. Some are in such dark places they have big torches to help you choose. Others are well lit, revealed row after row of stunning designs
We were accompanied by a local tailor, who knew rather more about fabric than we did. We chose some beautiful block print soft waxed cotton.
But what pattern to use?
Outside the tailor’s workshop, we met a women wearing a lovely button front dress.
When we admired it, she reponded to our praise with the universal response of practical women: “it has pockets!”
Clearly, that was the pattern we needed.
We were very impressed, then, when the tailor sketched out a pattern, added a uk-sized clergy collar, measured us… and invited us to come back in a few days.
On our way home from Gahini on Thursday, after dark, we pulled into a bustling Kigali. The streets were packed with traders, shoppers, those socialimg, and the destitute. Motorbike taxis wove everywhere, only some of them with lights. A vibrant city, alive with blaring horns, voices raised, and hustle and bustle.
In the back of the tailor’s workshop, first me, then my friend, were directed to try on our new dresses in a little curtained area.
And do you know what?
From a sketch on a page, he had made a dress that fits perfectly…
And it has pockets!!
Beth's Blog 
Wow! You are so lucky. It’s beautiful!
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