Dress a Girl Around the World with a Simple Pillowcase Dress

Did you ever play dress up as a little girl? Did you put on your mom’s beautiful clothes and heels and admire yourself in the mirror thinking of the fancy clothes you would own some day? Did you have your very own holiday dresses that you put on for special occasions and feel pretty and unique? I know I did. I can even think back and remember some of my favorite dresses. I can remember the color and the way the fabric felt. I can remember the way my whole world seemed to transform when I put it on. It filled me with confidence and made me feel like I was a princess.

Therefore, when I hear about girls that don’t have that one special piece of clothing, it breaks my heart. Girls all over the world grow up without having a beautiful dress to make them feel special and beautiful. They don’t have their own possessions, and they must wear tattered, worn out clothes. Never do they have that moment to put on that perfect, brightly colored dress for holidays. They don’t have that spring dress full of flowers to light up their day and make them feel like the world is paying attention to only them.

This is why the foundation Dress A Girl Around the World was started by Rachel Eggum Cinader. After trips to Uganda a friend gave her the pattern for a simple dress called a “pillow case dress”, and she began teaching women in programs like Smile America how to sew them. And a wonderful thing happened. Little girls began receiving beautiful dresses, probably the only gift they will ever receive, and for the first time they got to feel special. Now, thanks to volunteers all over the world, over 200,000 dresses have been delivered to girls that would otherwise never have a dress of their very own.

You can visit the webpage for step by step instructions including patterns on how to make the simple pillowcase dress that can actually be sewn using a pillowcase. (I have sewn very few times, and even I could figure it out.) By making the dress yourself you can pick the fabric and add small touches to make it unique. It is also important that the dresses be made from durable fabric and sewn with double stitching to ensure that they hold up. Clothes are often washed by beating them against rocks and dried out in the sun so they are susceptible to fading and tearing. It is crucial that these girls get dresses that will last and the handmade dresses with specific sewing instructions will hold up better in such environments.   

Put love and care into the perfect dress for a little girl that has never owned anything beautiful. If you cannot sew there are plenty other options on the website to help get a dress to a little girl. Please visit the website and see how you can make a difference in a little girl’s life.  

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