Service Project - Dress A Girl Around The World
Sew Yeah is hosting it's second service project for Dress-A-Girl Around The World! This wonderful organization provides dresses to girls in developing and/or poverty-stricken countries. The dresses not only provide for the basic need of clothing, but also discourages human trafficking by showing potential perpetrators that the girl receiving the dress is being watched over (all dresses are given an official Dress-A-Girl tag that is stitched to them).
Sew Yeah is providing a free pattern and tutorial to make dresses here.
Click here for tutorial *PLEASE NOTE, this video is from last year, so the date stated in the video is not correct. Donations must arrive at Sew Yeah by November 1st, 2024.
The full description of requirements from the Dress A Girl website is given here.
DRESS A GIRL DRESS GUIDELINES
At Dress A Girl Around the World, we are making “God’s best dress,” and we carefully screen every dress before it is sent. Please carefully read and follow the instructions below for your dress to be included. Thank you very much for following these guidelines!
FABRIC:
Cotton/poly blend fabric is preferred.
• The dresses may be washed in rivers, creeks, watering holes and maybe scrubbed with rocks.
Only a cotton blend will stand up to this treatment and not badly wrinkle.
Additional dress patterns can be found on the Dress-A-Girl website.
• When choosing fabric, consider the size it will be. Use baby/nursery patterns for smaller sizes.
• If making a size 12 or 14, please put a small 3-4" 'kick-pleat' in the side seam.
• PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE NO LONGER USING PILLOWCASES.
FABRIC TO AVOID:
Avoid white fabric or thin fabric (gingham, for example, tends to be very thin). We are trying to give the girls dignity and their skin would show through. Hold fabric up to a light source. Is it see-through? Hold your hand under the fabric. Can you see it? It’s too thin. If a thin fabric is used, please line it or turn it into a reversible dress.
Avoid using fabric that has: Americana/patriotic; Halloween (skulls, pumpkins, ghosts); obvious
Christmas (Santa, snowmen; though red/green holly or pine/berry patterns ok); Disney or any
Character fabric (Cinderella, SpongeBob, Star Wars etc.); or any printed English words. None of these things would be appropriate in a foreign country.
Think about a little girl wearing a dress made out of the fabric chosen…is it appropriate?
TIES (ORIGINAL DRESS ONLY): Ties should be at least 36” long
• Ties should also be made of double-wide, double fold bias tape.
• Make sure there is enough length to be tied into a bow; otherwise it’s only enough to tie in a knot, which the girls then might not be able to untie. Ties should also be in one length (not pieced together) with the ends either turned under or zig-zagged across.
• Please do not use thin bias tape or ribbon for the ties.
POCKETS
- To place the pockets. Fold the dress in half. Top to bottom. Iron a crease on that fold. Place the top of your pockets right along the bottom of the crease and two inches in from the side seam unless you are using the angle pockets which are sewn into the side seam.
• Cut pockets in 6” Squares. Makes sure the pocket is doubled for extra strength. For example if you are putting two pockets on your dress (we recommend that) You would cut out four 6” squares.
• Pocket fabric should coordinate both in color and pattern, i.e., please don’t use a wild geometric pocket on fabric with a small, feminine floral print.
• We prefer 2 pockets (this might be the only place a girl has to herself for her ‘treasures.,’ as many times several family members live in a very tiny house).
• Pockets should be sewn securely onto the dress—all edges should be finished—no pinking or zigzagging edges.
SEAMS: Inside seams should be serged or zig-zagged or French seams in the seam allowance.
• This ensures that the seams will not break through. Think of little girls playing and running. If the seam opens, she has no way to repair it.
HEMS: need to be turned under and finished.
EDGES: All edges should be either serged, or turned under, no raw edges exposed.
• Ensure that all the raw edges are enclosed in the bias tape ties and that the bias is securely
fastened where it intersects with the elastic.
EMBELLISHMENTS:
• Should all be securely SEWN on
• Could include appliques, yo-yo’s, buttons, braided or woven trims, ric rack, lace, or eyelet.
• Please do not use hot glue to attach decorations or embellishments.
• If using ribbon as decoration please ensure to use a FABRIC ribbon (i.e. grosgrain), not CRAFT
ribbon (craft ribbon will eventually disintegrate in water, which would be problematic with
washing!)
PLEASE CONSIDER:
• The dress each girl receives maybe the ONLY dress they EVER have. We want it to be a high-quality product in which they feel dignified and beautiful.
.• These girls live in areas where they are easy targets for trafficking. Does the dress you are making add to their dignity?
• Girls in some of these countries are considered 'less than human' just by virtue of their sex, and they have no standing in their societies. We want them to know that they are loved by God and that they are indeed precious, with high standing in the eyes of God. We show them that by taking care to make the best dress possible.
• Some of these dresses will go to some of the poorest-of-the-poor, and the poor deserve nice things with good workmanship, not just leftovers or hand-me-downs. "The Lord hears the cry of the poor," we want to honor Him by honoring them.
• Is the dress that you are making a dress that you would be proud having your daughter or granddaughter wear? Is it “God’s best dress”?