The Threads of a Life
Sitting on the threshold of the doorway, the girl keeps her eyes fixed on every precise stitch the needle makes into the fabric. As if performing a daily ritual, she never tires of scrutinizing how the hands of her neighbor, Ofelia, manage to weave their magic. She spends long hours there, in silence, simply observing.
To little Digna, it was as if the sewing machine had transformed into a sorcerer’s hat, from which—with a single incantation—beautiful “works of art” would emerge.
At such a young age, she could hardly fathom how, from a simple piece of fabric, Ofelia managed to create dresses, robes, shirts, trousers, skirts, and blouses—all with exquisite designs and craftsmanship.
“Even though my neighbor was never interested in teaching me the craft of sewing, I would go to her house and sit quietly, never taking my eyes off the work she was doing on her Singer sewing machine,” she confesses, recalling the beginnings of a fascination that would shape her entire life.
Many years later, that childhood allure evolved into a profession, and that profession into a true passion. Without formal schooling or academic degrees, but driven by an obsession with detail and perfection, she earned the respect of even the most demanding designers.
And even though she rarely sits down to sew anymore, Digna Rosa Alonso remains a touchstone for many of her former students. Many of them are heirs to that tradition of dressmakers who are part of Cuba’s cultural identity.
Today, now retired and in her eighties, this woman—who possesses an enviable vitality—agrees to stitch together her memories and revisit a few key moments from her own life story. Surrounded by sewing machines, threads, fabrics, needles, and patterns, the workshop she still maintains in her home serves as the setting.
From the countryside of Cárdenas to the world of sequins
She was born 87 years ago on a farm near the city of Cárdenas, in the western province of Matanzas. Just as she was due to start school, a hurricane destroyed the only small rural schoolhouse in the area. There was no start to the school year, no teachers, and no solution in sight.
One day, while bored with her games, she was drawn by a strange, rhythmic, and monotonous sound coming from a nearby house. The door was open. Inside the living room, the woman who lived there was doing “something” with a device that was entirely unknown to her. She soon discovered it was a sewing machine.
That became her “school.” It was there that she learned the technique of cutting fabric. And sewing came before the alphabet. That was where she began to become a dressmaker—even before she had fully come into her own as a woman.
Shortly before turning 20, she married and, along with her husband and family, moved to Havana. In the capital, she worked as a dressmaker for households in the old, elite "Country Club" area—a neighborhood home to the owners of various powerful foreign companies.
With the triumph of the Revolution, many opportunities opened up for young people like Digna to receive training or to professionally refine their sewing skills.
“I worked in environments that demanded a very high standard of quality. For instance, I worked in the workshops that supplied clothing to the famous ‘El Encanto’ department store. I also spent about a decade working in the ‘Exclusiva’ workshops, which were part of the Light Industry sector and located in Cerro municipality.”
“After that time, an opportunity arose for a contract with the Ministry of Tourism’s Agency for Artistic Performances (Turarte). At the time, I was living in El Vedado, and the agency’s headquarters were located at the corner of 17th and F streets.
“Initially, my job was to put the finishing touches on garments that arrived already cut and ready to be sewn. Before long, however, I moved to the cutting tables, where I worked on designs created by fashion designers such as Manolo Barreiro, Rafael de León, and Otto Chaviano, among other greats.
“My time at Turarte was a job I truly loved.” Primarily, we created costumes for the lead performers—both women and men—in all the major shows at the most prominent hotels in Havana, Varadero, Holguín, and other provinces.
“In addition to working for the casts that took part in the Carnivals and various other high-profile performances.
“While I continued to handle womenswear, I always preferred menswear—even tailoring full suits.
“I take great pride in the fact that I repeatedly participated in the creation of costumes for the individual runway shows of designers De León, Barreiro, and Chaviano.
“Looking back, I feel a deep sense of nostalgia for that time. It was the best period of my career as a dressmaker. Beyond the intense pace of the work, the Agency truly felt like a home to me.
“When I reflect on my professional life, my fondest memories are rooted in those workshops. Everything we created was of the highest couture standard, crafted with unsurpassed mastery.”
Stitching Together Memories
Afternoon light filters through the windows of her small workshop. Scattered across the workbench are fabric scraps, thimbles, pins, scissors, and sewing patterns…
Surrounding the space, various sewing machines of different sizes and models bear witness to the high-end tailoring that defined Digna’s professional life—a fact well known to the designers she worked for, the creators of those lavish shows, and the artists who wore her costumes.
For over four decades, her strong, agile hands—their skin marked by countless hours of tireless labor—gave shape and life to designs worn by some of the most prominent figures in the Cuban artistic scene.
Her fingers committed to memory the measurements, necklines, and folds that would later shine under the stage lights. Yet, she humbly acknowledges that her greatest source of pride lies not in the dressing rooms, but in the dozens of dressmakers she trained over the years.
She remains deeply committed to teaching—a pursuit she cultivated alongside her work as a dressmaker. There are still trade secrets that some of her former students seek to learn.
Such is the case with Georgina, one of her most cherished pupils—and one with the most solid professional foundation. She is currently part of the team of dressmakers working for the renowned designer Freixas. Nevertheless, she continues to return, time and again, to draw wisdom from her beloved mentor.
Indifferent to praise, Digna might downplay her own fame, but she cannot deny that she dressed the famous. For her, being a dressmaker was never merely about cutting and sewing; it was a passion, a craft—it was her life.
Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff
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