- Mandy Nurrenbern
Stitch and B****

Way back in the day, in my Peace Corps years... Okay, so it may not be THAT long ago. Back in 2011, I started to teach myself how to sew pants without having to use patterns. Material in Mozambique is pretty damn amazing. I started a sewing class about 2 nights a week at my school and the kids would come to me with different things. We made a shirt, different style dresses, pants, etc. One of my 'clever ideas' was to go back to the USA with tons of Mozambican material and make clothes and sell them. I knew it would never be big, never make me rich, but it could be a few extra bucks in my pocket for a hobby.
Well, then it didn't really happen. Life got busy, I didn't buy a sewing machine, etc. ADEDAR dream then popped in my head and I became very focused on that. As I got more and more focused and thinking about how to fund this fun new adventure, I came back to sewing and broke down and found a sewing machine. Now in Mozambique, I spend some nights here and there cutting out pants and sewing them. It keeps me busy, and now I have learned to make the pants without copying pants of the person, but by measurements which is a huge learning curve for me.
I came back to the USA with 15 pairs of pants, a wrap skirt, 2 tablerunners, and a whole bunch of coasters made from bottle caps with material wrapped around it. All but 3 pairs of pants have new owners. PLUS, I have had orders out my ears for more things! I made 7 pairs of pants during my time in California, 3 sling shoulder bags, and 1 apron. And people still wanted more. As I was leaving, I got 4 more orders made, and then 2 more orders while in the Midwest. Out of all the material I also brought back, I am down to 1. I think I need to be more prepared for next year with more pants, and now I have better measurements for sizes of pants to make!
FYI, you are free to make an order for pants. Every May/June I come back to the USA. Donations are always welcome here on our site (adedarafrica.wix.com/adedar)