New Donation Received from Wee Pots

This very cute little pot which you can use to keep your jewellery together instead of scattering them on top of a desk or bedside table, you can use to serve sauce or other spices on the dinner table was donated by Wee Pots. 

Owned by Joe Wolf, she hand builds pottery that are either small, tiny, little or mini in a 2x2  sqm laundry room! At Dreamers Market these mini pots  were selling like hotcakes! At the end of the market, she handed this item over to me to sell in my Dress A Girl website. She said it is not that much but will help in my fundraising.

This pot is made of earthenware clay with Japanese tissue transfer and double-fired. Diameter is about 7cms and a height of about 2.5cms. If you are looking for a little treasure that is handmade with love in a 2x2 sqm laundry room, then this item is for you. This will be sold at only $5.00 in my Dress A Girl Australia e-shop (normally retails for $8 I think or when on sale). Postage is $6.60. It comes in a box for easy gift-giving. The sale of this item will help pay for the postage of at least 3 dresses anywhere in the world. And if you asked me how much I treasure this little item, it is currently in my cabinet sitting next to a 30-year old vintage teapot set I have. It will remain where it is until it gets sold or might end up there permanently (LOL!)

Check out below other products handmade by Wee Pots in her 2x2 sqm laundry room - Am not sure if she has an on-line shop for her wee pots. You can send me an email if you are interested in any of her weepot handbuild items and will gladly forward it to her.

Thank you Wee Pots!!

Dress A Girl Australia's Numbers update

It is eighteen minutes before midnight and barely 5 days away from the end of the year 2012 and the best time to give everyone an update on where Dress A Girl Australia is at vs 2012 Goal.

As of this writing, 1,661 dresses were received, 161 past the goal of 1500 dresses set last March. 360 pairs of shorts have been received vs the goal of 500 pairs.

An update on the 'Make-it' or 'Break-it' Christmas Charity Drive, we did make it as we have gone past the goal of 1500 dresses. I have received 315 dresses and 89 pairs of shorts since the charity drive started on the 1st of October. It is still not too late to join in this campaign. Still not too late to help make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate children around the world.

Thank you so much to everyone who did their best in helping make a difference this year 2012. The year has not finished yet so there will be more updates coming your way as I receive more dresses and shorts. I think I have about 50 dresses for pick-up at the post and more on its way. Thank you so much. Thanks everyone for your kindness and generosity. Much appreciated.

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #143 - Donated items for sale

MBCCD #23 Since these items when sold will allow Dress A Girl Australia to send more dresses to the less fortunate locations around the world, I have included these items on the list of donations to acknowledge. Donation #143/#23 are tealight holders and will be added in the shop for sale. 

First on the list are screenprinted tealight glass holder covers donated by heyboom shop. These covers have been manually screenprinted (not machine) and done on burlap. I personally saw her cut these star templates by hand before doing the screen print. These tealight glass holder covers will be sold at $4.00 each including the glass plus postage of $6.60. Each tealight glass cover sold will pay for at least one dress to any location overseas. That is one dress for one girl and one big smile. 

Tealight Glass holder covers donated by heyboom shop

A very big thank you to heyboom shop for your continued support of Dress A Girl (Around the World) Australia.  heyboom has an etsy shop for all the things handmade by her. Check out her handmade activities in her blog here.

After receiving these items two weeks ago, I remembered I still have at least a couple of candleholders somewhere in the house. I used to sell soy candles and with it came tealight holders. I stopped selling soy candles when I decided to go back to full-time work after 2 years of full-time rest and relaxation. These two are the last of the inventory items I still have on hand and once sold they are all gone. Am thinking of reviving selling soy candles such as tealight, votives and jar candles only as a fundraiser and if can find the time to make.

This is a made in india tealight holders set of 3. They can also accommodate votives. This will be sold for $14.95 plus postage of $13.15. (Wow! Australia Post has done it again. Their postage rates have gone up.)

Tealight or Votive holder set of 3 donated by Soft Treasures

This beaded mosaic tealight holder is also made in India and will be sold for $4.95 plus postage of $6.60.

Tealight holder donated by Soft Treasures

Any interested parties can contact me or send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com.

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #139 from Katherine Nott

MBCCD #19 15 dresses this time from Katherine of ACT and number 139/#19 on the donation list. Katherine has been with Dress A Girl Australia almost from the very start I would say, when the campaign started to attract group of supporters. With the number of dresses she has made, am not sure if I can actually give the exact number (unless I look at my log) but am sure she knows how many she has contributed, how many girls lives' have changed with the dresses she has sewn.
Here is her collection of 15 dresses this time -

To Katherine, thank you, thank you, thank you! Everything you do for Dress A Girl (Around the World) Australia is very much appreciated. Thank you so much.

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #137 - Ladies of Kapunda S.A. Sewing Bee #6 Parcel 3

MBCCD #17 The third and last parcel from the Kapunda Ladies of South Australia from their last sewing bee last Nov 24 is donation number 137/#17. A collection of 28 dresses, a dozen undies and teddies for the pockets. Six of these dresses will be donated to the Sandy Hook Elementary Angels, an event jointly sponsored by Dress A Girl Connecticut and Oregon and will be mailed after the Christmas holidays.
Here are the 28 dresses, dozen undies and teddies -

Thank you to Sharon for the 3 t-shirt dresses with cute bags, undies and teddies and thank you as well to Julie Govski(2x), Margaret Doecke(4x), Mary Lauke(1x), Margaret Adair(4x), Nelda(2x), Chris Redden(2x), Loris Pullen(5x), Deborah Parish(1x) and Julie Quast(1x) and the extra 5 dresses made for Bangla Desh. Thank you so very much ladies. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Much appreciated.

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #136 - Ladies of Kapunda S.A. Sewing Bee #6 Parcel 2

MBCCD #16 Second parcel from the Ladies of Kapunda Sewing Bee #6 is donation number 136/#16 on the list. It is a parcel of 23 dresses, 1 pair of shorts and 2 t-shirts. Some people maybe wondering why I am doing this by parcel and not acknowledged in one go. I find it easier if I do it by parcel and more easy when I start to sort and pack to send for distribution. These ladies are too active and I am extremely grateful for the work that they do.
Here is the collection -

Thank you to Loris Pullen(3x) Chris Redden(4x), Deborah Parish(3x), Loretta Vodic(2x), Margaret Adair(9x), Sharon Diamantopolous(1x) and loved the bag,Valda Ridley(2x Tshirts), Shirley Bell(1x) and Marilyn Pitt(1x).

Also, special thanks to Sandra Crawford, Dora Eisen and Lorraine Ellis for their fabric donations. Thank you so much.

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #135 - Ladies of Kapunda S.A. Sewing Bee #6 Parcel 1

MBCCD #15 Number 135/#15 on the list is a collection of 34 pairs of shorts, 6 dresses and 2 t-shirts from the ladies of Kapunda, South Australia. This collection is a product of their last Sewing Bee of the year held last Nov 24.  I have never seen so many pairs of shorts (and I thought I already own and wear so many :-)) but 34 (not 33) in one parcel is awesome.
Here are the 34 pairs of shorts from Loris Pullen and Chris Redden -

T-shirts from Valda Ridley

and 6 small dresses from Shirley Bell

To Chris, Loris, Valda, Shirley and the rest of the Ladies of Kapunda, thank you so much for your consistent support to dress the less fortunate children around the world. Looking forward to sewing with you all in the new year 2013. Thank you and more power to your group. 

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #132 - A Dress for Bangla Desh

MBCCD #12 This dress which is number 132 on the list of donations and number 12 in the make-it or break-it christmas charity drive is for Bangla Desh donated by Delcie Wardrop of NSW. Delcie has been one of the donors for the Charity Auction for Dress A Girl Australia and when she sent the dress she donated on behalf of the winning bidder, there was another dress in the parcel and a note that it is for Bangla Desh. Yes, next year I will start collecting for the children of Bangla Desh.

Thank you for the dress Delcie. The very first dress for Bangla Desh. Thank you. Much appreciated.

Donations on behalf of the winning bidders(Charity Auction) Batch 3

This is the third and last batch of dresses donated on behalf of the winning bidders in the first Charity Auction for Dress A Girl Australia last Nov 2-7, 2012. Due to circumstances beyond my control (actually it was under my control but I gave priority to another Dress A Girl Australia task which I believe greatly benefitted the less fortunate children around the world) this acknowledgement is delayed but here it is.

The third and last batch of dresses and pairs of shorts are for the following donors and bidders:
1) Donor - Cassie Ashley                               Winner - Rachel Platt

2) Donor - Delcie Wardrop                           Winner - Elizabeth Rowland

3) Donor - Dress A Girl Australia & Katherine Nott           Winner - Frances Cornish

4) Donor - Katherine Nott                                         Winner - Fabi Sun

5) Donor - Katherine Nott                                          Winner - Rose Preston

My heartfelt thanks to all the donors and for the support provided by the winning bidders of the charity auction. Thank you for making the auction a big success. And my special thanks to Katherine for organizing the event. Thank you everyone. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Much appreciated.

Donations on behalf of the winning bidders(Charity Auction) Batch 2

This is the second batch of dresses donated on behalf of the winning bidders in the first Charity Auction for Dress A Girl Australia last Nov 2-7, 2012. Sorting and identifying which bidder donated which dresses was easy as I actually made all these dresses and pairs of shorts specifically for the charity auction. In fact, I had one extra dress with no item to go with so have decided that I will be giving the dress as an additional donation on behalf of my mum who made a bid for 2 dresses.

This second batch of dresses and pairs of shorts are for the following donors and bidders -

1) Donor - Doris Beatty               Winner - my mum Jolly Nelly Sun

My mum donated the dresses she bid for to Dress A Girl Australia

Dresses donated on behalf of my mum

Extra dress donated on behalf of my mum

2) Donor - Kikay Designs                Winner - Amy Richens

3) Donor - Soft Treasures             Winner - Dreamers Market

4) Donor - Soft Treasures              Winner - Fabi Sun

5) Donor - Linda Smyth                 Winner - Jo Kelly

6) Donor - Dress A Girl Australia       Winner - Rachel Platt

7) Donor - Doris Beatty                     Winner - Rafaelita Joan Wolf

8) Donor - Deborah Parish                Winner - Rose Preston

The last batch of dresses and donors and winners will be coming up very soon. Thank you to all the donors and the winning bidders. Thank you for your support.

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #131 - From Steven Walter Children's Cancer Foundation in Katoomba

MBCCD #11 These bundles and bundles of fabric donation is from the Steven Walter Children's cancer foundation boutique op shop in Katoomba and is number 131 on the list and number 11 for the Christmas Charity Drive. These bundles were given to Monika Osvald to make into dresses to donate to Dress A Girl Australia. What a noble act it is from one foundation involved with children with cancer to another group involved in a world of making dresses so that every little girl in the world owns a pretty dress.

My heaps of thanks to the Steven Walter Children's cancer foundation boutique op shop in Katoomba and to Monica who will be spending time sewing dresses, pairs of shorts, scarves from these bundles. Thank you!

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #130 - From Katoomba

MBCCD #10 Number 130 and number 10 on the Christmas Charity Drive donation is from Monika Osvald from Katoomba. An assorted collection of 11 dresses, 14 t-shirts, 6 pairs of shorts, 4 head scarves, 28 boys undies and 19 girls undies. She wrote to let me know that she was going shopping at Kmart which was closing down with a voucher she received and wanted to donate to Dress A Girl Australia. And she really went on a shopping spree for the less fortunate children with the number of t-shirts and undies she sent over.  :-)

Thank you so much Monika for your kindness and generosity. Thank you for filling up my box with undies. They will be on their way to Uganda in early December. And the t-shirts will be on their way to India at the end of November. Thank you. Much appreciated.

Donations on behalf of the winning bidders(Charity Auction) Batch 1

Am starting to receive the dresses sewn and donated by donors on behalf of the winning bidders of the Charity Auction for Dress A Girl Australia held last Nov 2 to 7, 2012. This batch of dresses are for the following donors and winners -
1) Donor - Geraldine Harper     Winner - Christine Peters

2) Donor - Sharyn Paull   Winner - Elizabeth Rowlands

More to come in the next few days. Thank you to the donors and the winning bidders. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #129 - From Wendy Yates

MBCCD #9 Number 9 on the Christmas Charity Drive and #129 on the donation acknowledgement list is from Wendy Yates of Victoria. A collection of 17 dresses and guess what else....17 girls underpants. Woohoo!! Wendy is so happy to donate the items and is so impresses with the work that all of us do. She said it is amazing.

Wendy, thank you so much for the dresses and the underpants. Thank you for believing in this cause. I am so happy that you are so happy to donate. Thank you. Much appreciated.

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #128 - From the Ladies of Kapunda

MBCCD #8 Number 128 and #8 in the Christmas Charity Drive is a collection of 13 dresses and 2 pairs of shorts from the Ladies of Kapunda namely Deborah Parish, Margaret Adair, Chris Redden, Shirley Bell and Loris Pullen. 

These ladies find so much happiness and enjoying their passion of making dresses to help the less fortunate children which is so admirable. To Deborah, Margaret, Chris, Shirley and Loris, thank you so much for all the help, kindness and generosity. Thank you for helping spread the word around. It is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #127 - From Lyn Wagner

MBCCD #7 It is Donation Acknowledgement time once again. Number 127 on the list and #7 for the Christmas Charity Drive are 8 dresses in various sizes from Lyn Wagner of Toowoomba Qld.

It is so nice to know that the Dress A Girl Around the World campaign is slowly spreading around the country. To Lyn, thank you so much for the dresses. Thank you for joining me and the rest of the lady campaigners around the country in making a difference to the lives of the less fortunate children. Thanks a lot!

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #126 - From the amazing 2 Betty's

MBCCD #5 Betty Barrett has done it again with the help of her good friend Betty. A collection of 15 dresses and 7 pairs of shorts is number #126 on the list and Christmas charity drive donation #5.

Betty Barrett, your enthusiasm to help the less fortunate children around the world is just amazing and teaming up with your good friend Betty to make sure that the dresses get to Sydney is incredible. Thank you so very much to the two of you for your unwavering support, kindness and generosity. Your partnership makes a very good example to follow not only in the world of sewing but to the whole world. Thank you. It is very much appreciated.

Donation Acknowledgement FY2012 #125 - From Tasmania

MBCCD #4  Number  125 on the list and number 4 donation to the Christmas Charity drive is a collection of 72 dresses from Helen Shearer, The Hobart Embroidery Club and others and the Wednesday Group at the Quilted Crow in New Town of Tasmania. Helen came to know about my Dress A Girl Around the World charity work from an article printed in Hobart's The Mercury daily newspaper in May. Since then she has been talking enthusiastically about it to all her sewing friends and together they have made a total of 72 dresses. 

In Helen's letter she wrote that everyone enjoyed being involved and that all dresses were made with love and great support for the work I am doing. Some of the ladies were experts at sewing while others were not but each dress is very special. They made them in different sizes and hope that somewhere in the world they can make 72 little girls very happy.

Here are the 38 dresses Helen made -

The 23 dresses from the Hobart Embroidery Club and others -

and the 11 dresses from the Wednesday Group at the Quilted Crow in New Town.

What an amazing work from a group of amazing ladies. Individual names were not given as they are all happy to be identified by the group name.

To Helen and all the ladies in the group, my heartfelt thank you for the work that you have done. Owning at least one dress is going to be a reality for 72 disadvantaged girls somewhere in this world and thanks to each one of you for making it happen. Thank you for your kindness and generosity and thank you so much for supporting this campaign. Thank you for joining me in this journey of making a difference in the lives of 72 disadvantaged children with one small dress at a time. For some of us it could just be one of those dresses that we would normally wear but for these 72 little girls, it could just be their world. Thank you. It is very much appreciated.

And last but not the least, heaps of thanks too to the ASG Warped Wenches for their donations and postage for the dresses to get to Sydney. What a great team work! Thank you so much!

Sewing for Charity Auction

In case some of you have not heard yet, there is going to be a charity auction for Dress A Girl Australia early November for about 5 days. I have been sewing this weekend for the dress matching I am donating for every item to be auctioned. The donor will be making 2 dresses. One to be auctioned and the other to be donated to Dress A Girl Australia under the winning bidders name. I will be matching the item to be donated to Dress A Girl Australia with either a dress or a pair of shorts so the winning bidder actually will be donating  2 items under their name. I started sewing on Friday night and ended my sewing today.
Here are the items I made last Friday, 21-Sep-12 -

Items made Saturday, 22-Sep-12

and the items I made today, 23-Sep-12

I will be making more just in case there are still items to be donated but I dont see myself making them next week. Next week will be a very busy week for me at work and I dont even think I will have a chance to say hi to my sewing machine during these days.

More details of the upcoming charity auction event will be made available as soon as the details are finalized. If you want to donate something to be auctioned, please send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com.

Donation Acknowledgements FY2012 #106 - From 85 year old Betty

If you remember a few months back I wrote about two Betty's who were good friends and who were both 85 years old. For Donation number 106, it is a collection of 9 dresses and 3 pairs of shorts which were sewn by one of the Betty's and the note that came with the parcel said that she is enjoying every minute she spends sewing these dresses. And by the look of the dresses and the pairs of shorts, with the ribbons and the trimmings and the pockets on the pairs of shorts I can really tell she is having a good time. Good job Betty! Here are the dresses and shorts made by Betty -

Thank you so much Betty for the dresses and the pairs of shorts. You should be very proud of what you have accomplished. What a great effort from an 85 year old who is very eager to make a difference in this world by sewing dresses for the less fortunate children around the world. Thank you.