Reminder on Fabric Materials to use

Hi everyone, just a reminder about the fabric materials to use when making dresses. Please make sure that they are not thin or flimsy that you can see through the dress. I received a few the past few weeks and I dont think they are wearable. I dont have the time to put lining on them so they will not be distributed. 

For everyone's info. Thank you.

Update on Dress Distributions

Here is an update on Dress Distributions for the remaining months of 2013. I have decided that unless the need is very urgent or there will be willing volunteers to handcarry dresses, there will be no sorting/packing tasks in the months of November and December. I have designated these two months as my "rest and relaxation" months.  My last market for the year to raise funds will also be in mid-October so the remaining 2 months of the year(Nov and Dec) is really the best time to have a rest (and best time to catch up on my "one dress a day for 365 days" campaign) and the best time to plan for the new year 2014.

Distributions will resume in Feb/March 2014. So if you dont see your names listed in any of the dress distribution articles between now and mid-November, your dresses will be distributed next year. 

For everyone's info. Thank you.

Story to tell...coming soon

I think I have a story to tell. A story of a creative journey that started with just one dress about 30 months ago and has now made a difference to the lives of about  2500 girls and 600 boys from the less fortunate locations around the world and more to come. A journey that has generated big smiles from the kiddies who probably for the first time in their lives gets to wear a new dress which they could call their own. A journey with no big-brand sponsors but funded by making and selling handmade items, by being a craftivist and surviving well to keep the journey going and very thankful to sewers and hobbyists from the Australian community who find it in their hearts to share whatever blessings they can, their time and effort to make lots and lots of dresses to make this world a better place.  

I cannot say when it will be finished but it will happen and soon. So watch for it.

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Arts and craft. The possibilities are endless, limited only by one's imagination. It is the kind of creativity that always comes from the heart.

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A short history of my crafting activities : I went to a private school where Arts and Crafts was part of the yearly curriculum from the intermediate years of 5 and 6 up to high school senior year. The subject was called Home Economics. The end of each year was never complete without submitting a project in crochet, sewing, embroidery, origami, decoupage, making poinsettia flowers during the Christmas season etc. The only crafting I never learned how to do is knitting and I still dont know how. 

Crafting became my hobby and when I started to work I used it as my outlet to relax from the pressures at work. I used to walk pass a fabric shop when I go for  a Saturday morning walk so I made it a point that I had money in my pocket just in case I needed to buy something or the shop had something new which I would like to buy. When I was allowed to work from home 2-3 days a week in my previous job, I bought a table where I could have my laptop and sewing machine right next to each other. When I was not replying to emails or code-changing or trouble-shooting problems, I would be doing something on my sewing machine. For almost 5 years of working from home I ended up making more than a dozen landscape quilts most of them my own designs (some I have given away as gifts to my close friends), 

Country Playground

fabric bookmarks -

more than a dozen advent calendars ( still make them now and sell them), 

piles and piles of memory pillows in different shapes and sizes. Everyone's picture was on the pillow. I still have some of them in my chestbox. Finally I got fed up with pillows I made a doll with my niece face on it. :-) 

I did not make dresses as I did not know how and I was not really into making dresses I think. I bought a pattern from the fabric shop and attempted to make one but I ended up making a tote bag out of the fabric. The dress I made when I started Dress A Girl Australia was the very first dress I made and took almost 6 hours to finish and that is the dress worn by the third girl from the left on the picture below taken when I did my very first dress distribution in the Philippines.

First 2 dresses on the right was made by my sister Joan, third dress was made by another sister of mine Monique, the fourth and fifth dress made by me and the yellow dress at the end was made and donated by Deidre Parker in August  2011, the very first donor of Dress A Girl Australia.

These are the first two dresses I ever made in my entire life. Was I so proud when I saw it worn by these 2 girls. I gave away 60 dresses in Sept 2011 of which most of them were made by me and my three sisters and a donor from Tasmania and when I went back to the Phils two months ago to bring 150 more dresses and this time collected from so many donors I was told that the girls are still wearing the dresses but are a little bit shorter now as they have grown a little taller.

After a year of sewing pillowcase dresses I started to be more daring in my sewing and ventured into T-shirt dresses which I sent to India early this year plus other donated dresses. My sister Joan provides me with all the t-shirts I need. There is something about these t-shirt dresses that is so likeable.

I must have made about 500 dresses by this time especially that I am getting lots of fabric donations. I still go to work full-time( no longer work from home) and because of the limited time I can spare I can only sew simple dresses. My heart tells me to make more complicated ones but my body cannot but whatever type of dress I make am sure there is someone out there who will be so willing to wear and proudly call it her own.

Dress Sizes below 5

Dress sizes at least below 5 are slow-moving. Unless I find recipients for these sizes, I do not envisaged distribution of these sizes until next year. Demand is for sizes between 7 to 12. 

For everyone's info. Thank you.

Only 1 Drop-off location

In reply to a lot of enquiries i have been getting lately regarding drop-off points for dresses, there is only one drop-off location and that is my postbox number which is PO Box 240 Casula Mall Casula NSW 2170 . You can collect dresses to donate but they will have to be on this postbox number in order for the dresses to get to me. I picked up any parcels from this location every Saturday morning without failing unless I am sick and cannot drive at all or I am away which i normally let you know. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

What am I up to for the next few days

Busy days ahead organizing and holding system training sessions at work. Busy contemplating what to do for Christmas bags and busy thinking what new things to make and where to find the time for Christmas markets. Word of the day is busy but not too busy to pack more dresses for needy girls around the world. :-)

Disappeared without a trace.....and found!

I have been looking for this bag I made since the last Dreamers Markets in mid-July. I have looked everywhere but could not find it. It was important that I find it as inside this bag was a sketch of mini houses that I wanted to make for my next market in October. I finally found it last night after folding the remaining dresses and the pairs of shorts I included in parcel #5. All the time it was underneath all the t-shirts, dresses and shorts that filled 5 parcels for Uganda. I even thought I left it at the Dreamers Markets venue.

This could be the reason why I was in a hurry to finish packing Parcel #5? LOL! Am glad I found it.

First 4 parcels sent to Abim

Looks like good things are happening my way this week especially on saving dollars. Sometimes I would ask for it (since I believe there is no harm in asking..at least I asked) but this time it is the other party who offers on how I can save my cash. First I paid a dollar for 7 t-shirts. This morning I paid 29.95 for 10 boxes when normally it would cost 43.50. And the 20 I use to pay for the boxes came from the 20 I saved on the t-shirts. Great deals in 2 days.

Anyway, I finally was able to send this morning the first 4 parcels for Abim Uganda. 

Still a lot of work to be done for the last 2 to 3 parcels(I think) as I still need to sort and pack about 163 pairs of shorts but I can easily do this next week at one parcel a day. Thank you so much to the donors who made these 4 parcels possible and to the special group of people who helped make the send off of the parcels to Uganda so much possible. Thanks a whole lot!  More details on this distribution will be posted very soon.

I also want to thank D Beckett, Sharyn Paull and her mum Betty, R Dyson (or was that a P Dyson?), Lisa Gallagher of Narley Creations, Emily Bieber, Vanya Bryant and the Craft & Hope group of Kapunda S.A. for the parcels I picked up at the postoffice this morning. Once again, thank you Ladies for your support. Much appreciated.

Highlights during the week

Lots of great things happened during the week which some of you might be eager to know. Firstly, 4 bigs bags of dress materials were dropped off at my place last Monday by Jenni Kirillov. The bag of materials are owned by her mum who was an avid dressmaker years ago but due to health reasons have not been able to sew for many years now and has requested to find a good home for all her materials. My heartfelt thank you to Jenni's mum for the dress materials and to Jenni for delivering the goodies. I will  make a few dresses for her to include in the Uganda and Cambodia parcels very soon. Thank you.

Next highlight is that my employer (I work full-time M to F) launched an exciting new initiative called The Side by Side program. The program provides its employees with the opportunity to apply for a one-off Grant of up to $5,000 that will be awarded to their nominated eligible community organization. I applied for the grant and nominated Save the Children Australia for their community work in Wilcannia NSW under Belinda Ritchie.The results will be known in early October and I hope she wins the grant. If she wins the grant, a playground will probably be provided for the kids and their parents who accompanies their kids three times a week and new activity tables for the kids to use and enjoy and perhaps develop their skills in art as I have been told that the kids love to draw and colour. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my nomination is successful.

Last but not the least, distributions of dresses and pairs of shorts and accessories . About 560 dresses and 178 pairs of shorts and 178 tshirts are leaving my humble abode this month for Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Uganda and the Philippines.

For those wishing to make dresses to donate, preference at this time is for pillowcase dresses between the size of 7 to 12. Thank you!

And here is the postal address for any contributions to this very worthwhile cause -

                                      Dress A Girl Australia

                                      P.O. Box 240

                                      Casula Mall Casula

                                      NSW 2170

Dont forget the 'T-shirts for Abim' and '100 Days of Quilting' charity drives are still going on. The 'T-shirts for Abim' is soon to close (25th of August) so if you want to do something different, perhaps donating a t-shirt to this cause would appeal to you. Come and join us...living the year 2013 making a difference. For more information, please feel free to send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com. Thank you.

Thank you so much in advance.

Missed pair but still going

I thought I did an excellent job of packing pairs of shorts for Sri Lanka at 10pm last night but this morning when attempting to get my car keys, this is what i found amid all my shipping helpers. This pair didnt make it inside the parcel and the bag is all sealed. I guess i will just have to post this separately in a 60cent envelope.

The image below shared from Dawn French' facebook page describes how I felt when I saw the pair of shorts.

I guess I have to and I can.

Crafting and making a difference

Loving making a difference with my sewing and quilting!

Would you like to join us? For more information, please send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com

16 years on and still keeps me warm

This is a quilt my sister made out of fabric scraps which she then gave to me 16 years ago. At the back of the quilt is the date she made it - April 1997.  Still strong and comfortable enough to keep me warm. It has endured fighting between my 2 nephews whenever they sleep over as they both want to use it as it really keeps them warm. It is a treasure to keep.

Come and join us in the "100 Days of Quilting" charity drive and make a meaningful treasure for a few kids in  Romania, keep them warm, make them feel comfort and joy during their winter season through your kindness and generosity. This drive is open to everyone whether experts or beginners. Have fun collecting fabric squares from fabric scraps and stitch it with full of love.

For details and questions, please send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com.

More parcels leaving home and more of this and that

More updates from Dress A Girl Australia this week -

• Now that the "100 days of Quilting" charity drive is well on the way, I am also receiving more enquiries on the email one of which is on who can join the drive. So just to be clear, the charity drive to raise more quilts is open to everyone and not just for quilters. Beginners are very welcome. There are lots of websites that you can to to and get some hints and tips. Would'nt that make you proud if the very first quilt you made ends up wrapping a girl in need to keep her warm during their winter season. As I have said earlier, you can organize your friends and family, collect squares and have fun stitching them together and make one quilt or two as a group. Thank you.

This bunch of long-sleeved t-shirts, girls/boys undies and a few pairs of socks I am aiming to send to South Africa through a friend towards the end of this month. As soon as I have identified the names of the donors, a donors list will be made available.

100 dresses for the children of Sri Lanka to be handcarried by the pastors of the AOG church of Gayndah in October. 50 pairs of shorts will also be included. Donors list will be made available soon (when I have completed the allocation for the pairs of shorts for the boys).

Watch this space for more updates.

More of this and that.....

I want to make sure that what I post in my facebook page is also posted here in my blog so from now on or every now and then you will be reading some short updates of this and that...all about making a difference in this world.

• Am thinking of starting a charity drive for 20 quilts for Romania but I will only accept new quilts. No used ones. Thinking of too many drives I think I will end up with no drive at all.
• I think i have come up with an idea on the smaller sized dresses. Some of the dresses could fit a small 5 or 6 year old but short in length. If it is matched with a pair of longer shorts or knee length shorts i think it would look great. The dress would become a top and chances are the girl can wear it longer or outgrow the top and shorts. Ummm....more work but worth it i think.
• Will be running simultaneous charity drives which will probably start mid-July until the end of the year. Anyone can have the option to select which charity drive they would like to support and participate in. Still busy with my handcrafting for a forthcoming market - the Dreamers Market but details will be made available very soon.  Watch for it!  

One Dress A Day for 365 Days for April 2013

After a disappointing March, I did my best to make up for it this month and here it is - 29 dresses and 3 pairs of shorts bringing my total as of today to 114 dresses out of a possible 120/120 days - One dress a day for 365 days, my journey in 2013. WooHoo!!!

These dresses wouldn't have been made possible without the generosity of the following donors:
Fabric Donations -
1) My mum Jolly
2) Monika Osvald Collection
3) Sash Hinton
4) Linda Smyth Collection
5) Meredith Cain 
6) Dress A Girl Australia

T-Shirt Donations -
1) Heyboom shop
2) Monika Osvald
3) Dress A Girl Australia

Thank you so much to everyone for their kindness and generosity. It is very much appreciated.

If you want to keep track of how am doing with this journey, please click here or click on the '365 days diary' tab which you can find at the top of this page.

Keep watching as May dresses start to get posted!!

Great News!!

Just to let everyone know of the following activities currently going on here at Dress A Girl Australia -

1) A group of volunteers from the Free to Shine charity organization will be going to Cambodia in September and will be handcarrying about 150 dresses on behalf of Dress A Girl Australia. Thank you to Nicky Mih, CEO, Free to Shine for this great opportunity.

2) Am also communicating with Save the Children charity org here in Australia for an opportunity to dress girls through them here in Australia. Fingers crossed it will happen very soon. Greatest accomplishments for 2013 and maybe more to come. Wow! Woohoo! Yippeee!!

To know more about the work of Free to Shine, please click here or visit their facebook page here.

To know more about the work of Save the Children Australia, please click here or visit their facebook page here.

The two Bettys

Friday it is and after being reminded by a colleague that it was 11am and I better start walking to the Domestic Terminal, I had the priviledge and the pleasure to meet the two bettys(Betty Barrett and Betty Paull) and Sharyn's sister earlier today. Had such a great time for 2 hours i almost forgot i still had to go back to work! It was so nice to put a face on a name. Thank you for giving me the chance to meet up with you and again it was such a pleasure and i hope to see you again soon.

Amazing feedbacks from Dress A Girl (Around the World) Australia supporters

A couple of feedbacks from supporters and campaigners of Dress A Girl (Around the World) Australia which I'd like to share with you -

#1 - In Jabiru, the heart of Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory is an arts and craft group who started a Dress a Girl project about a month ago, hand-carving their own lino blocks to print their own fabric to make into dresses! Penny Hart said that they would love to send the dresses to Sydney for distribution once they're done and are very happy to see that an Australian group/campaign existed. Wow! Thanks heaps, Penny Hart!! Much appreciated!!

#2 - Sometime late last year I received an email from Mary Gast a textile technology teacher from Beaconhills college, victoria who wanted to introduce making dresses for Dress A Girl Australia as a co-curricular activity for her students. Today I received an update from Mary letting me know that she has 14 students on board making dresses and will be finished at the end of Term 2. Such a fantastic news that I am jumping up and down with joy. Another group of young girls helping other young girls who are less fortunate. What more can Dress A Girl Australia asked for. Thank you, Mary!!

If you want to help make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate children around the world, then come and join us in this journey of dressing girls around the world. Help make this dream of every girl owning at least one dress become a reality and not just imaginary. For each of us deserves to own at least one. What if that dress were made by you.

For more details and/or information about this campaign, please send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com.

What to do...maybe it is time to have a rest for a few days

Today is the 26th of March and in another 5 days the month of March would be gone and I have only made 13 dresses out of a forecasted 31 dresses for the 31 days of March. A lot of unexpected things happening which made it impossible to make one dress a day and I look at it as a sign that maybe I should stop dressing girls for a few days...have a rest!

First, it was my sewing machine. It just wouldnt move, If it does move, the threads are tangled and the sewing machine jams up. And when I started sewing again using my sister's sewing machine, last night I discovered I only had about half-a-metre left of bias tape. it wont even be good enough for one armhole. When was the last time I made bias tapes? cant remember! :-) Looks like ages ago. I did'nt want to make a dress and not finished it so no dress was done since last night. Then I thought maybe I should just print labels. But guess what. two cartridges of my printer has no more ink and usually when there is no more ink, most printers wont work even if the other cartridges still have some ink left. For my printer to work, it needs 5 inks. I didnt force it to print since I didnt want my printer to get damaged. I have ordered rolls of bias tapes this time (as I dont think I will find the time to make them anyway I can buy them at wholesale price) and also have ordered the ink cartridges. The shop I go to did not have the colours I wanted in stock. Without these two very important materials, am kind of paralyzed. Cant do much until I receive the items so I might as well have a rest and re-energized. I am still hoping that I could at least make a dozen dresses before the month of April starts on Easter Monday.

What to do! But I think I am enjoying and having fun overcoming these challenges! 
Here is a link to the 13 dresses I have made so far.

One dress a day for the month of March

Feedback on dresses with sleeves

No dress made today as am spending my time sorting and packing dresses. I appreciate very much the dresses that you make and send but to all those who are making dresses with sleeves or peasant style dresses, please do not be offended but please do not make the neckline of the dress too wide as the dress might fall off the child wearing it. This is the first time am packing dresses with sleeves and I noticed that some necklines are too wide. Even if the neckline has an elastic, I think some are still too wide. Dresses with sleeves are going to Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh where sleeves are required but these children are not of heavy build. Please take this comment positively as a guide to making a more beautiful dress and one that a child can enjoy wearing. Thanks everyone!