Kenya: The dramatic Conclusion.

It seems rather ironic that I'm writing this blog post during a snowstorm that's been going all day, but that's life sometimes. Getting back to blizzardy Alberta after being in Nairobi is a little sad, but still theres something about the relentless snowfall that makes it feel like home :). 

But that is the end of the adventure. 

This is a recap of the last few things I did in Kenya and what I learned while I was there, so, lets begin. 

First off, the reason I went in the first place, work. Overall I designed, drafted, and sized the 16 patterns that I was able to complete (out of 18 that I had planned) as well as designing some shoes for infants which were a wonderful treat to make. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what the collection looks like. 

I have to say I really loved being able to work with these Kenyan girls, it was really wonderful to see my designs being worn by actual children before I left. The one above is called the Pocket Tunic. 

This one was probably the hardest to design because of the multiple layers of colour and the appliqué design. It was so worth it though when I think about how iconically Kenyan it is. It just turned out beautifully. 

This is the Katie skirt! My favourite piece in the collection, it's been in my head since last September and it was so rewarding to be able to have it finally done and designed! 

This was the first dress that I designed and drafted for Amani, I love the colours and the floral batik, it was a great way to get started! 

And of course, the shoes! These were so much fun to draft and design, and it was so rewarding to see them completed! 

So that's a short recap of the work that I did. I have to say I have never felt so excited to go to work everyday. It's amazing how encouraging and excited the women were to have me there helping them. They had such a desire to learn how to make the different pieces, and while it can be frustrating trying to get things done when people do not move as quickly as expected I would have missed out on many rich interactions and blessings if I had not taken the time to walk them through the steps and I doubt I would have been anymore productive at the end of the day. Amani Ya Juu is a very special place with very special women and I only hope I was able to bless them as much as I feel blessed by them. 

But work is not all encompassing of any trip, and while I sadly was not able to go to the Masaii Mara I was still able to have some good mini adventures, and now I just have a good excuse to go back to Kenya! 

This is a photo of one of God's most wonderful creations... TEA! That's right, turns out Kenya is one of the places that grows and exports the most tea in the world, delicious delicious Kenyan tea! Not only is it a wonderful crop to grow because of how wonderful it is, it's also very beautiful, turning miles after miles of hillsides into this deep green colour. Very beautiful. 

Also beautiful is Brittany, the other Amani intern while I was there, she is in charge of their social media (you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter if you are interested) as well as doing many other odd admin related work for them. We went to the tea plantations together and had a very lovely day :). 

And just one more picture of tea (can you tell I love tea?) :). It really was delicious. 

I was also blessed with the opportunity to go to one of the local churches for a worship concert Sunday, they had some really amazing local artists perform as well as an extended time of praise and worship. This picture is of the worship team, who decided to coordinate their outfits for the special Sunday, looking pretty sharp! 

And what's a trip to Africa without a Safari? Crazy! This time around my host family recommended the walking Safari, as it would be more time conscious and I would get to see the animals guarenteed, which is not the case on a game drive. And did we ever see some animals! I went with my host-sister Dorothy and it was a really spectacular trip! 

First we got this close to a pygmy hippo, SO CUTE. 

Then we got this close to a rhino, there he is, just eating hay and chillin'. 

Next we got as close to lions as I ever want to be! It was rather unbelievable how close we were, they're such beautiful animals. 

Maybe this one was a little grumpy... 

The walking Safari has a random assortment of monkeys who just wander around, they were very cute and again we were able to get very close to them for some pictures. 

  

This is a water buffalo, as you can see, they ARE very different from bison, 12 years of Canadian education has not failed me (I remember that being emphasized often in elementary)! 

                                    

And this is a cheetah, it was acting just like a house cat, which was adorable to watch. So beautiful! 

And that is the pictures of the walking safari that are worth showing off, it was a great way to spend the morning and I did get to see some wonderful animals! 

Thus ends my five week adventure to Nairobi, Kenya. It was an experience I would not have traded for anything, both as a person and a designer. I feel as if the experiences we have and the cultures we visit open us up to learning more about ourselves and humanity in general. It is amazing how small the world can seem until you take the time to go somewhere, and experience something you had never really even thought about before. I would recommend anyone, artists and designers especially, to at least get to know someone from another culture if not to visit one for a while. It's such an enriching experience. 

I hope you all enjoyed these Africa adventure blog posts, I'll put tutorials for craft things on here eventually, I promise! 

Katie <><

Kenyan adventures #2

So far my time here at Amani has been exciting, and nurturing as a designer. I've been in full design/pattern making mode for the last few weeks and have been (mostly) successful. I'm receiving a lot of positive feedback from the people here, which is so encouraging! 

These are some of the samples that have been done, I've decided that if I could make little girls dresses forever that would be okay :) They're so much fun to draft! I've also gotten good reviews from my Target Market, having done very extensive research... 

Look how happy she is, wearing a dress over her dress! Overwhelming success! 

Reluctantly, however, this week I have moved from little girls to the more dangerous waters of little boys clothes, I'm finding it challenging to bring anything new to the design table for little boys, but I'm doing my best with some feedback from moms and trying to keep the same design elements as the girls stuff. So far it's going okay.

Something more exciting is that my patterns are now bilingual! 

I found out this week that some of the women who will be sewing my stuff did not have school in English, and that is was difficult for them to read the patterns, so I decided to learn some designers Swahili! Such useful and practical words as "cut" (kukata) and "fabric" (kitambaa), soon I'll be able to carry on a whole conversation! (ermmm...) 

Until then though, this is helpful. 

When I haven't been working tirelessly with Amani, I've been seeing a little bit of the amazing things Kenya has to offer. My first weekend here I was able to attend the Naivasha fashion weekend as an "assistant designer" for Amani, I took lots of pictures, and they were all blurry, except this one. 

Why yes, that man is wearing roses, thanks for asking. The girls dress is also made of some kind of flowers. I was thinking of seeing how much the rose coat cost, but I was worried about getting it through customs. 

I've also become acquainted with some of the locals.

This is Daisy, it was nice to get to know her and her friends at the giraffe sanctuary just outside of Nairobi. I think if there was one animal I really wanted to see, it was giraffes, so this was a very exciting outing, as I didn't only see, but fed and petted some giraffes. You are also able to kiss them, but they got my hands slobbery enough that I decided against it. 

Aww... 

Giraffes like getting there pictures taken, this one was totally posing for me. 

Well, that's life so far here in Nairobi, I'm just trying to soak in every hug and smile, learning a lot about drafting, and about how to work with language barriers. And appreciating every sunny day a little more when I hear about how cold it's getting at home. 

First week at Amani Ya Juu, in Nairobi, Kenya

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman traveling must want to share her traveling experiences...

That being said I have almost been a week in Nairobi, Kenya and feel that update #1 is in order :). So far I've been pretty tired, which is a normal reaction to a 9 hour time change, and though it is taking some adjusting to get used to the food, the environment and the accents of the people around me I am feeling very welcomed here. There is a warmth and peace at Amani Ya Juu, where I am interning, that is already making it a great place to work. I have been given an incredible amount of freedom here and am still trying to dive into my work with the children's clothes. Thankfully, children's clothes are very fun to work with, and no matter what I do they'll be cute based on their little-ness, which is incredibly helpful :P. The colours and rich patterns of the fabrics are making my designing job easier and harder. It's impossible not to be inspired by the wonderful material, but it's a challenge knowing how to use it in a way that it will be well featured, but I'm learning :). 

When I'm not at work I have been spending most of my time with my host family, Joyce, who is the director of Amani Ya Juu has gracefully opened her home to me, it has been a pleasure getting to know her and her daughter Dorothy, who I'm sharing a room with. Though the grogginess of jet lag it has still been nice getting to know them and I'm excited to share this experience with them. 

Anyway I could try and write all of the things that are happening and what I'm up to but a picture's worth a thousand words and is a better way to share with you all where I am and what I've been up to :) 

These are just some photo's of Amani, not many, just so you can get an impression of what it's like.

These are some of the fabrics I'll be able to use, so many colours and patterns, it should be pretty fun :) 

This is the main reception area. 

Amani has a shop right on the campus, this is the entrance. 

This is what greets you when you go into the shop, I love that old sewing machine. 

This is the garden cafe, which is also part of the Amani campus, such a lovely little area. 

This is the cafe, as leaving the shop. 

Some of the tools I brought from home, all being put to good use. 

This is Dorcas, who is making my samples. 

This is my first sample done, it still needs some tweaking but it's still so cool to see a design come to life! 

A little gift I got for Amani currently waving in reception. 

There are just a few pictures of what life here is like, I'll send more as I am able. 

Thank you for your prayers and support, God bless! 

Katie <><

Hey! Sorry it's been a while, school has been keeping me so busy that creativity has been spent there in in the last little while! And that is the reason for this post! Just wanting to show a few pictures of what Katherina Joy has been up to for the last few months! I have a graduate show for my school coming up in September and I am super excited!
Anyway, hope you all enjoy!
Katherina <><

This is a pattern for a pair of pants, I thought it looked so cool laid out like that! 

This is a complete outfit which was used for a school photo shoot. 

Below are a few snippets of other outfits. 

Stupid Easy Iced Tea

As a lover of caffeine and things-that-are-zero-calories-and-won't-give-me-cancer-but-are-still-sweet, tea is my go to beverage as an easy and delicious way to do something good for my body and energy levels.
Oh, and tastebuds. Mmmm... tea.
Combined with this avid love of tea is the love of not being uncomfortably hot and ICED TEA has become a daily drink for me in this unusually warm May (Mmmm... unusually warm May).

Stupid easy iced tea:
This "recipe" is just as it's name imply's, stupid easy. This is a simple way to make your tea iced in the same amount of time as it takes to steep.

Start with TWO glasses (a big one and a little one) and the tea you want to ice. If you aren't used to steeping your own tea I would recommend starting with fruity teas like this tropical green tea from DAVIDsTEA. If you are usually unsuccessful in steeping tea then opt for an herbal tea or a rooibos tea, because they don't have "tea" (camellia sinensis plant, which is what white, black, green, oolong and pu'erh tea's are made of) they won't go bitter when they're steeped too long or in water that's too hot... 

In order to not be seen as a tea snob for using loose tea and that lovely intro to tea steeping seminar, I want to add that it is just as easy to use plan ol' tea bags to make iced tea. Just use two. 

Quite clearly, I am not a nerd. 

The next step is to start steeping your tea in the small cup using only a cup or so of water. If you are using loose tea put in at least twice the amount of when you drink it hot. If you want to add sugar or anything do it now to the hot tea. 

Fill the large cup with ice all the way to the top. 

 Once your tea has steeped for it's normal amount of time carefully pour the one cup of super concentrated tea into the cup full of ice. A lot of the ice melts and once you mix it you end up with the perfect amount of ice cold tea without having to wait for it to chill

 See? Iced tea perfection... Mmmm. 

In other "tea related" news... cats like sitting beside tea shop bags, not inside them. Which, while it's cute, isn't really Instagram worthy... disappointment. 

What I've been up to...

Unfortunatley most of my creativity for the last few months has been taken up with school, so here's a few snapshots of the projects I've done there. Enjoy!

This is a WW2 inspired dress, I liked the combination of a feminine hourglass shape with the military style. It didn't turn out quite as I hoped, the waist isn't as cinched as I would have liked. 

The back of a dress made of paper mache and gold leaf for an "unconventional materials challenge" that my school does. 

This is the front of the paper mache dress, it was entered in a contest for the city of Edmonton which was a great experience. The dress is baroque inspired as I am a HUGE fan of history and because paper mache can keep a wide shape easily. 

Jacket that is inspired by the actress Emma Stone, turned out pretty much how I wanted it to (success!), I hope to wear it in the future (right now I'm terrified of ruining it before our "critique") 

"Time Machine" corset, my first foray into steampunk. This is probably my favorite project of the whole year not only because it turned out well but because it was very involved and I learned a lot of skills making it. The lights (hard to see in the picture but they line the top and bottom) were a challenge both to get a hold of (seriously, battery powered LED's should be easy to find) and to get into the corset. The clock on the top needed its own special pocket, I needed to learn how to age metal for the belts and how to rivet and grommet - SO MUCH FUN! I just wish I could wear it all the time :P. 

Looking at it all now it doesn't really seem like much, but I can tell you it seemed rather impossible at the time to get it all done. I suppose one project at a time is really key. That and to love what your doing enough that you really put your heart in it. 

KB.