Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Little Dresses for Africa on Rednesday!



     This Rednesday I decided I needed to get back to work on my “Genie’s 100 Dress Challenge.” Earlier this year, after reading about the needs of the orphans in Africa, I set for myself the goal of making 100 pillowcase-type dresses for the Little Dresses for Africa Charity.  If you are interested in reading more about the project and seeing some of the dresses I have made along with photos of some of the children in their dresses, there are lots of entries listed on my right hand sidebar...”Little Dresses for Africa” and “100 Dress Challenge."  I was going great guns with the project until we got into the SOL testing those last 3 weeks of school.  Then, once school let out, I began just plain goofing off, “messing around my house, ” and working on quilt squares for the Rainbow Around the Block Tennessee flood victims project with Anna Maria Horner.  Unfortunately, my little dresses got placed on the back burner until I got the idea to make some for Rednesday.  All the material has been donated to me by children from my school...all I do is sew the dresses and add the applique. These three are not made from pillowcases but rather these 2 are from donated fabric...

 
and this next one is from a dress I picked up at Goodwill, cut it apart (it was full of holes but the material was so cute), and turned it into a new dress.

These little dresses are so much fun to make, VERY easy, and I get the warm fuzzes each time I complete one.  Since each dress will be the ONLY DRESS the orphan has, I decided to make and send along a little something extra special for each child. That was when I came up with the idea of the little necklace made from Shrinky Dink plastic.

Now I am faced with something else...LDFA needs little shorts for the boys. After my children grew up, and I no longer needed to sew their clothes, I made the mistake of giving away all of my patterns. In the stores they cost an arm and a leg. but I finally lucked out. One of the custodians at my school found an old Simplicity pattern she had squirreled away so now I have a pattern for the boys.  That’s great, but I still need to come up with a little something special I can make for them like I have done with the necklaces for the girls...do any of you have a suggestion? I am stuck on that one.  Once again, HAPPY REDNESDAY....it’s a shame they only come once a week!

“He who wants to do a great deal of good at once, will never do anything.”
~Samuel Johnson - 1707-1784



9 comments:

  1. These are so beautiful and you are so kind to make them. What a wonderful project.

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  2. Thanks.....I still have a long ways go to get to my 100.....will just keep plugging along one dress at a time.....G

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  3. I never learned to really sew! I have sewn curtains, and easy things but no clothing! I think these are wonderful and such a nice project--they are as cute as a button!!

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  4. This was easily my favorite Rednesday post today! These little dresses you're making are the sweetest, and going to such deserving little girls. And you make them sound so easy to do too. What a kind heart you have!
    Happy REDnesday!
    Carol

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  5. Bless your heart! What a wonderful project and your dresses are so adorable. They (and your charming necklaces) will be much loved and so appreciated!

    Happy Rednesday,
    Sally

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  6. Oh they're gorgeous:)
    Maybe for the little boys you could make a fun Shrinky Dink shape attached to a keyring or clasp that they can clip on a belt loop on the shorts?

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  7. Genie.

    I am a Biologist and Teacher in Brazil. I'm going through pages to invite people to visit our Verde Vida. Our theme is the environmental cause.

    Thank you very much

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  8. Claudio....Your site is UNBELIEVABLE....I was the Costa Rica Tesquita girl, but now I need to think about Brazil and your birding...your photos are absolutely beautiful even if I cannot the Spanish. Think I will get bookmark the Spanish to English site on my computer and start reading what all you have to say. I thought my little hummingbirds were pretty good, but those shots do not hold a comparison to yours. Thanks for visiting. Genie

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  9. Dear Genie, I've been meaning to write ever since you commented on my pillowcase post! Sorry it has taken me so long. (I did finish 7 more pillowcases since then though!) Your 100 dresses project is such an inspiration! The children look so bright and sweet in them :) It is such a blessing to be able to bless others, isn't it?

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