Made with love and hope

I finally completed a dress for the Project HOPE Art dress drive, a sewing initiative aimed providing girls living in an orphanage in Haiti with handmade dresses.

As suggested, I used the Oliver + S Popover sundress pattern. The pattern was simple to follow, making it accessible for even the beginner seamstress. And perfect for this project. The tie-straps make the dress adjustable, suitable for a growing girl.

When I first came across the Project HOPE Art dress drive, I was really moved.  I loved the idea of providing girls with new, culturally appropriate clothes.

But I had no idea how much joy it would bring me to sew a dress for a little girl I didn't know.

As I was cutting the fabric, pinning the pieces and sewing the seams, I imagined a little girl running around in the sun wearing the dress. The image warmed my heart. So much so, I felt compelled to glue a little heart in the inside of the dress. I hope who ever wears it, knows it was made with love.

This experience has made me realize why so many people (myself included) would rather donate something they've made than donate money.

When you make something, like a dress, you are holding something that you know the receiver will also hold. Making an article of clothing connects you, almost physically, to the person who will be wearing it. For me, and I think a lot of people, this sense of connection is powerful and meaningful.

Dresses for Haiti

Last week Oliver + S provided an update on the Project HOPE Art dress drive (the project I was inspired by last November):

In recent months we’ve given a few updates on progress being made by Project HOPE Art and their handmade dress drive. As of our most recent update last October, the group had received 143 Popover Sundresses to deliver to orphanages in Haiti. This was almost five times the original goal of 30!

Well, your generosity didn’t stop there and then. Kathy Barbro tells us today that Project HOPE Art has now received almost 400 dresses, with more continuing to arrive!

Project HOPE Art has delivered the first 300 dresses to Haiti, along with many other items of clothing and footwear, and Kathy has posted a wonderful album of photos from the trip on Facebook. 

This update was a great reminder of an intention I set to make at least one dress for the project. I'm thrilled they're still accepting donations. I have 3 metres of a pretty blue-bird cotton just waiting to be used.

If you'd like to make a dress too, let me know. Once we're done we can mail them together.

Sewing for a cause

I've always wondered if there was a way to combine my three big interests of crafting, clothing and women's (and girl's) issues into a job (volunteer or otherwise). But I haven't had any idea of how these three passions could cross over. Until now.

Project HOPE Art is an organization dedicated to providing assistance to victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The group started a homemade dress drive for girls living in a Port-Au-Prince orphanage. Since August people from all over the world have sewn 145+ dresses for their project, well exceeding the 30 dress goal. Oliver + S donated their Popover Sundress pattern to the cause.

I love this project. Helping girls retain their dignity by owning and wearing new, never-used clothing is wonderful. And I think this project is a great way to channel our society's DIY energy.

I'd love sew dresses for little girls who need them, and shorts for little boys. As far as I can tell though, Project HOPE Art doesn't need any dresses right now. So I'm working on finding another organization that does.