Her sweet voice still lingers in the corners of my memory bringing back to mind her innocent and gentle face. Madame Katrina, our neighbor who lived just a few meters away, was in her mid-fifties. She lived by herself. Her husband passed away early before they had the chance to have children. Every time she spoke of him in front of my mother, tears dropped from her eyes.
Madame Katrina was seamstress. She enjoyed making dresses tirelessly. She used to sit behind her “Singer” sewing machine from the early dawn hours, surrounded by piles of fabric and fashion magazines. I can still remember how as a child I was going through the Egyptian “Hawaa” magazine, the German “Burda”, and the French “Modes & Travaux”, too. Madame Katrina was very talented in making dresses for women and young ladies.
In the 70s and 80s, there were no shopping malls as today. There were small stores. The quantity and variety of goods were limited compared to nowadays. Each item held a unique value. In fact, the little choices we had spared us the confusion of too many options. During those years, tailoring was important for both, men and women.
Whenever I think of Madame Katrina, I remember my school uniform that she used to sew for me. Back then, schools were not responsible for selling our uniforms. Nowadays, uniforms are easily available in shops and even supermarkets along the main roads. In a way, this reduces the luxury of the fun we used to have when our moms held our hands and pulled us from one place to another when “journey” for the Septembers’ new school years’ preparations started.
Though the “process” was long, however, it was entertaining. For a couple of days, we had to search for a suitable uniform fabric. After finding it, we had to look for a good tailor to sew it.
In August of each year, my mother and I would make our way to “Al-Takrouri” store in Salah al-Din main Street in East Jerusalem. We bought the “navy blue” fabric and took it to Madame Katrina. She would meticulously take my measurements, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. She would then ask me to return in a week or so for my first fitting. During this session, she would ensure that the measurements were just right before asking us to return a week later for the second fitting, where Madame Katrina would make any final adjustments if required. Occasionally, she would even suggest a third fitting to ensure everything was perfect.
This has only to do with the uniform “journey”, not to forget other duties such as the buying and bookbinding of the books.
This was another fun story.
Published on March 11, 2021
