Sewing bee to make dresses for girls in Africa

One Marquette business is taking part in a global initiative to help give girls in Africa something to wear that they can be proud of.

Lisa St. Charles, of St. Charles Winery, was looking for a way to impact the community.  She’s part of Thrivent Financial’s Action Team, whose members receive $250 each year to join a cause.  Lisa chose to partner with Little Dresses for Africa.

Their mission is to provide clothing for girls by creating simple dresses from cotton fabrics.

“What we do is we cut two arm holes, cut the top off it (a pillowcase), and then take elastic and run it through for the neckline, add ribbon for decoration and for ties,  and little patches and pockets to personalize them for the each little girl, so they’re really easy from start to finish,” St. Charles said.

“We’re thrilled that Lisa’s having this Action Team project and I think it’s an awesome project and we’re happy that one of our members is thinking about the little girls in Africa,” Thrivent Financial Business Development and Marketing Director Shelby Bischoff said.

The sewing bee is Saturday at St. Charles Winery, and everyone is encouraged and welcome to attend as they help create dresses for girls who have next to nothing.

“We’re just looking for people in the community who are interested in doing a quick volunteer opportunity to make a difference in a lot of little girls,” Lisa said.  “We’re looking for people who can maybe bring a sewing machine if they have one, or we’re always looking for material for the event–things like pillow cases, biased cut tape, elastic, ribbons, little patches we can put on the dresses for these girls to make them each a unique dress.”

The sewing bee is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. If you’d like to donate materials, they can be dropped off at the winery this week from 3-7 p.m. More information about the Thirvent Financial Action Team is available here.

You can learn more about Little Dresses for Africa on their website.