Hello creative friends and amazing needleworkers, welcome to my blog, and here is me wishing you all a great start of the week.
collaged with my phone
it's always exciting to share with you guys the story behind every creation as it brings warmth to our hearts and also brings life to what you created. Fashion over the years has been a way of expressing ourselves, and culture is known to be the way of life of a particular group of people, do you know that fashion also uniquely differentiates different cultures, especially here in Africa, Nigeria precisely, there are diversities of culture, still we can differentiate ourselves through our dressing/Fashion, from the combination of our accessories, fabric, styles, etc.
Permit me to take you on a trip to the western part of my country, Nigeria. I recently made a traditional outfit known as the Iro ( wrapper) and Buba(free blouse). My beautiful client above wanted to represent her culture known as the Yoruba people who reside in the western part of Nigeria.
This outfit Is one of the easiest to make as it takes less time, It is just a free blouse, and a 2 and half yards of the remaining fabric or more depending on the size of the person is tied around the waist, a head wrap either with the same fabric or another depending on each person's preference is used to completes the unique fashion statement of the "Yoruba" tribe.
Making Process
For this project, I used an African print fabric, also known as ankara
The pattern to make the buba (blouse) isn't complex, all I need to do is cut out the biggest circumference of the upper bodice, which is the bust here in a box form, the sleeves can either be a long or short sleeves, she preferred short then create a passage for the neck at the middle of the bodice block. A facing is used to turn the neckline.
Next, I joined both sleeves to the siced of the bodice block and join them by the sides, finally hemming the blouse, that's all, easy right?
Without being told, when she walks by anyone, even if she might not be a Yoruba woman, everyone assumes she is, because of her uniquely chosen Yoruba style fashion and as you can see from her smiles, she is happy with her outfit and proud of her culture.
Care to share about your culture's fashion in the comment below? I would love to know about diverse of cultures around the world.
Please note, all images used in this post are all mine.