Today we have a "Guest Blogger" who happens to be my dear friend Toni. She is a fellow artist and we have been friends for a number of years. We used to ride the ferry into San Francisco each day to work before she moved out of state (I miss those conversations). She was also one of the first people I told about my idea to do the Little Dresses and she was immediately on-board. Toni has been a great source of inspiration and support as this project unfolds.
Her group will host their Little Dresses for Africa party at the same time that we host ours here in CA.
Check out her story below and the beautiful flyer she created
I knew I wanted to spend time during the winter months doing some sewing, relearning the skills I had from years of sewing my own clothes, being creative in use of fabrics, and just enjoying the construction process. I didn’t have an idea of what I would do, just something. That night, my dear friend Devon, emailed me a story about a project called “Little Dresses” where pillowcases are turned into cotton sundresses for children in Africa. Tai Chi has taught us that when we send intentions out into the world, that they are felt by those we have thought of, but I couldn’t believe that my intention was answered that quickly!
I formulated a plan to host a sewing party, and created a flyer to pass out, hoping to get some material donations. I was astonished at the reception! I spoke in front of my Tai Chi class, and was amazed at how quickly people agreed to participate. Even both of the men in class said that they would like the opportunity to do something like this for these girls. I assured everyone I can put them to use, sewing skills or not. So far, I have one woman awaiting her adoption process, one woman with superior sewing skills, one woman and her 93 year old mother coming to sew, one who will donate pillowcases, and Joseph who says he can sew a button on, and perhaps a family of 3. And a promise of another sewing date in February at the spa where the Tai Chi classes are held!
As I told Devon, people want the opportunity to do good, and thanked me for the chance to participate in this project. And I thank Devon for seeking out this opportunity and allowing us to participate with her. World Sewing Day coming up on January 23!
Thank you Toni
I'm Just Sayin!
2 comments:
very nice invitation
I want to let you know that there is another organization out there making and delivering pillowcase dresses to little girls around the world called Dress a Girl Around the World that you may be interested hooking up with their sewing events.
They started in late 2009 and have made over 33,000 dresses, delivering them to 47 countries with the help of sewers in 42 US States, Canada, UK, Australia, and Hong Kong.
Their web address is www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com I know there are members sewing in California and Wisconsin that you both can connect with to take part in their sewing events if your interested.
Plus, they can help you coordinate with a state rep to distribute your dresses so that you don't have to pay for shipping. In Wisconsin we're setting-up a "Pony Express" to get dresses from sewers directly to WI organizations traveling to areas in need.
You can also check them out on Facebook. I think CA has a couple of pages however, I know Wisconsin has one and you can find it at Dress a Girl Around the World - Wisconsin. The WI page provides links to tips/tricks of sewing, pictures of events, and info on sewing events in WI.
Thank you sew much for helping sew dresses for little girls in need! My daughter and I delivered 140 dresses to Belize in April this year and the memory of their smiling faces as their heads popped through the top of the dress is priceless!
Therese M. Schmidt
Wisconsin State Rep
Dress a Girl Around the World
Post a Comment