Founded in 2008, Little Dresses for Africa is a not for profit charity that strives to send beautiful clothes for vulnerable children across Africa.
The charity was founded in the US, but we work with the wonderful Sarah who is the charities UK ambassador. She's lovely and once your little dresses arrive here with us, we send them on to her and she works to make sure they're sent to worthy communities across Africa.
The pillowcase dresses are hugely appreciated by the communities as items of clothing, however the charity works closely with the communities too. All the dresses are delivered to small and remote villages by groups of volunteers. The charity delivers the dresses to the children and spend time with the residents, building relationships to focus on educating about clean water, assisting with primary education and helping to build community.
The little dresses are always delivered to small villages and distributed alongside a local church or orphanage. The charity always ensures that the villages that are receiving dresses do not have easy access to clothing items, therefore do not negatively affect the local economy or compete will a local business.
You can keep updated with where our little dresses are being sent by following the Little Dresses for Africa - UK facebook page.
The Little Dresses charity works entirely on donations of homemade dresses.
We send you beautiful new pillowcases, so we want to encourage you to do something really great with your old ones. All you need is a sewing machine and a spare afternoon, the instructions are made to be simple so whether you're a sewing expert or a complete newbie, everyone can get involved.
Find our instructions for how to make your own dress from a pillowcase here.
Want some inspiration? See our gallery with a selection of some of the 2000 dresses we've been sent so far!
Share your own photos with us on social media too, always tagging in #mylittleslsdress.
A suzani is a large, hand-embroidered textile panel; the word comes from the Persian word suzan, which means needle. Originating from nomadic tribes in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries, suzanis have become highly collectable and valued for their beautiful decoration and fine craftsmanship.
The primary use of a suzani was within the yurt (a Central Asian nomadic tent), as a protective wrapping panel for textiles and belongings. They were also used as prayer mats, as bed sheets and for seating — pieces of furniture are seldom found in yurts, because they are cumbersome to move.
Suzanis had a symbolic significance, too. They were traditionally made by brides and their mothers as part of a dowry, and presented to the groom on his wedding day. They represented the binding together of two families, and were adorned with symbols of luck, health, long life and fertility.
Suzanis are made from cotton, sometimes silk. The pattern is first drawn onto the cotton, before being embroidered on narrow portable looms. They are usually produced in two or more pieces, meaning that they can be worked on by more than one person, before being stitched together.
Just four stitches — tambour, basma, chain and kanda-khayol — are used to realise a large variety of patterns, which traditionally include the sun and moon, flowers and creepers of the Asian steppes, leaves and vines, fruits (especially pomegranates), and occasionally fish and birds. These motifs were believed to imbue the suzanis with spiritual powers, offering protection or strength to their owners.
Suzanis are coloured with vegetal dyes, although some more recent pieces may use synthetic dyes, which are not considered to give the same intensity of hue.
The natural dyes use imported indigo for blue, cochineal and imported madder for reds, saffron for yellow, a mix of indigo and a yellow tree fungus for green, and iron oxide and pistachio nuts for black. The dyeing process takes place in an outdoor vat, similar to those that can still be seen across the Maghreb.
More images and info. Go to source link below.
https://www.christies.com/features/A-guide-to-suzani-textiles-8341-1.aspx
Go to website to see all 25. Link below.
https://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/sustainable-textile-innovations
Assignment:
Participate in a Textile Sustainability Event. Each student will have a task in the event. The Mending Project, led by upper level textile students, will be present at the event.
Collections:
Student Tasks:
Additional Info/Resources:
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/how-to-get-rid-of-old-clothes/
https://greaterorlando.dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/donate/
https://www.giz.de/en/downloads/giz2021-en-promoting-sustainability-textile-industry.pdf
What are bioplastics?
Bioplastics are made wholly or in part from renewable biomass sources such as sugarcane and corn, or from microbe such as yeast. ... Bioplastics made from renewable resources can be naturally recycled by biological processes, thus limiting the use of fossil fuels and protecting the environment.
Assignment:
Explore the process for making bioplastics. So that we can employ sustainable practices, work sessions will be scheduled during class time. This will allow us, as a group, to utilize and not waste materials.
Bioplastics are biodegradable materials that come from renewable sources and can be used to reduce the problem of plastic waste that is suffocating the planet and contaminating the environment. Does it make any sense to continue using packaging that can take centuries to disappear to pack products that only last days or months?
Plastic is the third most commonly used petroleum derivative in the world; each year 200 million tons of plastic are consumed on the planet. It comes from a non-renewable source (petroleum), it is contaminating and non-biodegradable (it can take more than 1000 years to decompose).
More to see and read from Active Sustainability. Link below:
https://www.activesustainability.com/environment/what-are-bioplastics/?_adin=02021864894
Introduction
Natural dyes are extracted from particular roots, wood, bark, leaves, flowers, nuts, insects, shellfish and mineral compounds.
Assignment:
Explore the various processes of natural dye. So that we can employ sustainable dyeing practices, dye sessions will be scheduled during class time. This will allow us, as a group, to utilize and exhaust several dye pots. We will work together to set up dye baths and clean up. Natural dyes are provided for the students.
Also provided, a yard of 100% cotton PFD (prepared for dye) fabric for each student.
Shibori will be introduced so students can explore various methods of creating pattern/marks on the fabric. The verb "shibori" means to "wring, squeeze, press" in Japanese.
