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Shipping & delivery
This item will be posted to you by The Old Button Supplies within 3 days of receiving payment.
| Shipping destination | Cost | Additional items |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | £1.90 | £0.00 |
| EU & Northern Ireland | Doesn't deliver here | |
| United States | Doesn't deliver here | |
| Rest of the World | Doesn't deliver here | |
Hi and welcome to The Old Button Supplies, where I sell stunning vintage, preloved and new fabrics and haberdashery.
I also have another shop on Folksy - The Old Button Sews - selling beautiful gifts designed and sewn by me, together with some lovely sew it yourself craft kits.
Shwe Shwe cotton was originally produced and printed in Europe and shipped to South Africa, but Da Gama Textiles bought the rights to the prints and shipped the original engraved copper rollers to South Africa in the 1980/90s. I believe the Three Cats designs were from the UK (Lancashire) and the Three Leopards were from Germany. You can read more on the manufacturers own website - Da Gama Textiles. It's fascinating.
I bought these FQ when the Only Kids Aloud choir were invited to sing in Cape Town in 2014 as part of South Africa's cultural celebrations of 20 years democracy - following the freeing of Nelson Mandela. I intended to use them to make a charity quilt, but in the end I decided to go for a multi colour striped fabric that I felt represented the Rainbow Nation, and worked better with the Welsh inspired quilt blocks I designed.
So sadly, they never got used - I'd love you to make something beautiful with them.
You have 14 days, from receipt, to notify the seller if you wish to cancel your order or exchange an item.
Unless faulty, the following types of items are non-refundable: items that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to your specific requirements; items which deteriorate quickly (e.g. food), personal items sold with a hygiene seal (cosmetics, underwear) in instances where the seal is broken; digital items.
Please note that if your order is being posted outside mainland UK, you (or the recipient) may have to pay customs or VAT charges and a handling fee. The seller is not responsible for any charges or fees that may incur.
Full description
Stunning printed fabric from South Africa, that uses a discharge process with a weak acid bleaching geometric patterns on indigo dyed fabrics. These Shwe Shwe fat quarters have the manufacturer's stamp (Da Gama Textiles) and the Three Cats or Three Leopards logos on the back indicating the origin of the designs. See the Inspiration box for more information.
Starch was used to protect the fabric on the long sea journey in the 1930s, and although no longer needed it has been retained for tradition. This gives the fabric a stiffness and a particular smell, but washes out completely leaving the fabric with a similar feel to quilting cotton.
Size: 45cm by 50 cm (this is narrow loom so smaller than a standard UK FQ). Please note these will shrink up to 10% on washing, to about 40 by 45cm.
10 available - each has a different print. Will be sent at random - or you can contact me before purchase to see what I have left.
Bought 10 years ago, these are unused and have been carefully stored in a cupboard in their original folded shape. As shown in the photos, starch has settled into the crease lines, this will disappear on the first wash.
Material - cotton, with a prewash starch coating.
Care - wash before use. Wash at 40 degrees, wash separately as the dye may run. Tumble drying not recommended.
SHIPPING - this item will be posted Royal Mail Tracked 48, but you can upgrade to T24 - see listings.
Designed by Sharon Lloyd
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