Palms and flowers 3. NALINJI - CURTAIN BORDERS 2 LENGTHS OF 3 METERS X 42 CMS

A pair of curtain borders. Length 3 meters and width 42CMS
100% cotton calico with cotton print offcuts, these panels would make a very striking leading edge on a pair of curtains.

Embroidery by Nalinji Charo Kifalu who is my father's gardener in Kenya. A fabulously gifted man, able to turn whatever he touches into gold (literally!), whether its gardening, breeding his own cows, electrics and plumbing, building a verandah with columns, installing and connecting his own house with solar power. Completely self taught in most things, galvanising himself together after he was left to look after his siblings when his father died leaving him the eldest male member of the family at 16.

After having seen the embroidery work that I have been doing with Dhahabu, another embroiderer I have been collaborating with for over 8 years in Kenya, he asked if he could have a go at something that he could do after work and in the afternoons when it is really hot. I came up with appliqué work using off-cuts from the clothes I have made on trips to visit my father. I wanted all the materials to very easily obtainable, so the base cloth is Kenyan calico which he can buy in the local town and is then washed to pre shrink before use.  My only stipulation with the appliqué was that the stitching had to very fine to withstand lots of washing without fraying, (especially for the tablecloths). The designs I have left completely up to Nalinji, I just ask him to make various lengths suitable either for a pair of lampshades, curtain borders or tablecloths and the design has all been completely his own and are always joyous to receive in the post as I never really know how they will turn out, some are much more abstract in design, others quite floral.