Warm Winter Dress Project

Andrea Wilson, Dress a Girl representative from Fredericksburg, VA asked me several months ago about sending dresses to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

A Christmas project we originally thought but we soon realized that the need of these little girls was much greater than what we would be able to do in Virginia. We decided to enlist others to make warm dresses for the Lakota girls.

Pine Ridge Reservation, located in South Dakota. There is an estimated population of 40,000 the reservation is 2,000,000 acres in size, unemployment is over 80% compared to the rest of the country where unemployment runs about 9%. The average salary is $8,900 for a family of 4 or even more. The weather is extreme, most families most live in poverty, many do not have adequate heat, food, healthcare or clothing. They struggle from one day to the next.

Our warm Winter dresses will be send to Lakota Oyate Wakanyeja Owicakiyapi (LOWO) which is an service that provides care for children who have suffered from the effects abuse and neglect. These children are transitioning to foster care families or with relatives.

One of the many challenges is to provide seasonal clothing to children that have little or no clothing when first coming to LOWO. Many of the foster families or relatives do not have the means to purchase clothing for these children and that is where Dress A Girl Around The World comes in.

Dresses and other articles of clothing will be distributed by case workers to assist in the care of the fostered children.

Because of the severe weather we decided that dresses needed to go as they are made. If you have the means please consider including an extras- such as panties, tights, leggings, hat, and gloves or mittens.

This is a difficult time for all of us secondary to the economy but it is particularly difficult for the Pine Ridge Reservation. We are all called to share what we have, and make certain that every girl on the Lakota Reservation has a warm Winter dress of her own.

Thank you so much for joining the effort to lend a helping hand by sewing dresses and purchasing supplies to send to the girls on Pine Ridge Reservation.

If you have any questions at all you may contact me at
DressAGirl@charlottesville.net my name is Karen

A skirt pattern which include elastic length and skirt length are available free at www.themerrychurchmouse.blogspot.com I would probably increase the length of the skirt by 2“ so that it covers the knees.

A warm dress pattern, and dress lengths are posted on my warm dress tutorial.