By Gretchen Zale, STN Contributor
The Chelsea Senior Center Sewing Group has met weekly for eight years, making dresses for “Little Dresses for Africa”. The worldwide project began 15 years ago, providing 10.5 million contributions from more than 87 countries. To date, the CSC group has contributed more than 2,000 garments, ranging from dresses for young girls, ‘britches’ for boys, ankle-length skirts for older girls, as well as attractive feminine hygiene kits.
Sandy Diemer, who leads the Sewing Group at CSC, works together with volunteers to cut, sew (and smile), every Wednesday from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. Sewing machines are available on-site and sewers may take ready-to-assemble materials to work on at home, returning the dresses when finished. Completed items are taken to Rockwell, Michigan, then sent to Malawi, Africa for distribution to underprivileged youth in nearby developing countries.
Each Sewing Group session provides a selection of colorful, often donated, fabric, matching tape and written instructions for the garments, pockets and ruffle accents. Fully washable sanitary-pad liners go into hand-made draw-string bags (including zip-lock bags and panties), to supply older girls attending schools with no available sanitary facilities.
Any adults interested in joining the group or learning more about the project may visit “littledressesforafrica.org” online—or stop in at the CSC Sewing Group on Wednesdays from 1:00 – 3:00 pm.
The Senior Moment feature highlights opportunities for older adults through the Chelsea Senior Center and related organizations
Photos courtesy of CSC
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