A Dress for every little girl...

Young volunteer modeling a recent "creation"!

I love how God subtly leads you someplace unexpected, even on the "evil" Internet. While perusing a local church site, I stumbled upon a ministry opportunity that caught my eye: "Dress a Girl Around the World". The opportunity was to gather with other women who like to sew and make dresses for young girls in impoverished countries.  The idea behind the ministry is that every little girl should own at least one dress. Now there's something I can get behind!

This awesome ministry is a division of Hope 4 Women International, a non-profit organization whose goal is to bring dignity to women around the world, and for every girl to know she is loved and respected from childhood. Volunteers around the country get together on a regular basis and create dresses made from something a ubiquitous as a pillowcase.  Using a little elastic, some double fold bias tape, perhaps some lace and embellishments, you can make the cutest little dresses.  It's quick, it's creative, and it's very rewarding, not to mention having fun and fellowship with other volunteers... Imagine a Saturday morning in a big room filled with laughter and chatting, the hum of sewing machines, the laughter of teens at the assembling and ironing stations -  it was almost like being at an old fashion quilting bee. 

The donated materials for each dress are put into zip lock bags.  Volunteers cut the pillow cases, fabrics, elastic and bias tapes. You add the embellishments if you feel extra creative...

The bias tape is sewn around the armholes and form a little strap

that ties the dress at the shoulders with little bows.

I loved this fabric!

Pockets are added to each dress, not only because they are cute,

but because a new pair of panties are slipped into each pocket. How cool is that!

Hard for me to pass up making a "pink" dress!

The dress hems and casings for the elastic are already folded in the kits,

so all you have to do it sew the hem...I used a decorative stitch on my machine for this hem.



How cute is this???

Or this???!!!

one of the many volunteers showing off her creation!

It was fun to see other people's creativity...

The "Sew Fest" lasted for four hours and I was able to finish two dresses. 

 I started a third, but I had to bring it home to finish. 

I grabbed a couple of kits to work on at home until the next month's Sew fest.

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the children of Africa.  I see the pictures of the little girls and I weep. This ministry is a way for me to actually DO something, rather than just watch their plight on the television. And God knew it was right up my alley!

Check out the Dress a Girl around the World website, and if you're in the Sacramento area, why not join me and the dozens of other women (men are welcome too!!) who want to sew to make a difference in a little girl's life. 

 

The next "sew Fest is scheduled for

Saturday , December 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
(THANKS SUE FOR THE CORRECTION!!)

Bayside Church

Room 418

 

or contact Susan Bushnell

Area Coordinator

at sueb@redshift.com

 



or Sharon Miranda,

Northern California Representative

at mmiranda627@gmail.com

 

 

Sharing with