Yesterday was the first time that ‘Sew Good Namibia‘ has had an opportunity to showcase the items made by the three women now upcycling donated fabric into household items. The International Women’s Association Namibia very kindly invited us to exhibit examples of the project’s current products at their coffee morning in Windhoek and a number of shopping bags (to replace single-use non-biodegradable plastic carrier bags) and sets of net sacks (for purchases of loose fruit and vegetables) were bought. We also took some orders, engaged in valuable networking, and received some great ideas for future product lines.

It’s interesting to see that while we have received a great deal of interest in our Facebook page, this hasn’t really translated into sales yet. It seems to be the case that when people can see the quality of the goods made by Julia, Amory and Margrieta in person, and talk to someone directly involved – that’s when the human connection is made and people really want to support the group.

With that in mind, we will now be focusing on making items with a ‘birdy’ theme since the Namibia Bird Club has generously allowed us space on their stall at the forthcoming craft market at The Shed, outside Windhoek (19th and 20th October).

The ‘Sew Good Namibia‘ project has a new member, who will be focusing on hand-sewing patchwork blocks in order to expand the range of products the group can offer. Ms Amory Tjipepa works in the security control room of an estate outside Windhoek and has plenty of time on her hands to make up these items from strips of contrasting furnishing fabric while she is on duty. Clients will be able to then have the finished squares made into cushions, quilts and pet beds.

(2026 update: since its inception, the ‘Sew Good Namibia’ project has remained – of necessity – a micro-scale operation. This is partly a function of the supply of its raw materials – donations of usable discontinued furnishing fabric samples are small in volume, only intermittent, and never guaranteed. But also, taking on a new craftsperson, training them, achieving high standards through strict quality control, and motivating them to create items when they only get paid once the product is sold has meant that, at the time of writing, we only have four women making items for the co-operative. Many, many others have been taken on, then proven unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons. Therefore, in terms of communication and logistics, four has turned out to be the optimum number for smooth running of the business and plans to expand have been shelved for all time. However, as the fabric has to be prepared (sticky backing paper removed, shrinkable material washed) before it can be sewn, the women sometimes sub-contract this important step to the youth in their communities.)