What kind of project did you make?
How did it connect you to Congo?
How did you find yourself praying as you worked with "Congo cloth?"
Nancy:
I’ve been in Africa twice and both times I’ve fallen in love with the fabric. I’ve bought cloth, gotten outfits made, and worn them there. But back in the USA I don’t know how to wear all this brightly colored stuff.
My favorite piece from a 2008 trip to Liberia has been a short-sleeved summer jacket. It was actually the top to an outfit that included a long skirt, but I have worn the skirt only once—and not with the matching top. I wear the top all summer with jeans and a tank top and get compliments on it. I’ve decided that jackets are exactly the right splash of color for me. (Think Chico’s.)
When Suzanne Lind and Christine Nofsinger brought their portable Congo cloth market to the Central District Conference in the summer of 2010, I was in heaven
--a feast for the eyes that triggered memories of Congo where my husband and I spent several years in the early 1970s. I bought a 3-yard piece, which turned out to be more than enough for a jacket.
Since my sewing skills are rusty I looked for a simple pattern. I found Simplicity 4552, a kimono style.
I’ve now made two jackets and will maybe make more. I love the way they look with tanks and jeans or long-sleeved tops in the winter, as well as dressier flowy pants. I can wear the jackets and not feel like I’m in costume.
I have often prayed for Congo with great sorrow, but the cloth reminds me of joy and resilience and our shared hunger for beauty.
I think of my gorgeous Congolese sisters adorned head to toe in these colors. I’m glad to wear a piece of it.
We are glad to have Nancy as a member of the Congo Cloth Connection planning committee. nbl
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