The dresses/tops/shorts have officially left Austin and are now on their way to the Pan de Vida Children’s Shelter in Mexico.  There were 27 dresses/tops!  Twenty seven.  2. 7.  Also, there were four pairs of shorts.  I was hoping for maybe five dresses and I would probably make four of them. But you all stepped in and made a huge difference.  Thank you so much.

I packaged them up in a vintage Samsonite suitcase and off they went.  Prayers for the group going to the shelter for safe travels.

I put in a request to try and get pictures of the girls in their dresses.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this will happen.  I truly hope I can show you all exactly where your dresses went.

Update:  Photos were taken of the girls in their dresses.  I will share them as soon as I receive them!

‘Tis the season for spring dresses.  Project 2 is in the works!

Please get the dresses, shirts or shorts to me before the end of the month.  They will be hand delivered to the shelter the first week in March.

You are all such wonderful women and are making such a difference in these children’s lives.

Remember, if you are participating, the dresses, shorts and shirts need to be mailed by the end of this month.  They will be hand delivered the first week of March.

What a difference you all are making by spreading a little hope.  Thanks to those of you that answered my last minute call for help.

The children at the Pan de Vida Shelter in Mexico.  The reason why Craft Hope exists. 

Some of you have asked about the bias tape instructions in the pattern.  You can cheat and just buy bias tape instead of making your own.  I cheat.  The above picture is an example of a dress I made using bias tape.

If you are interested in finding out specific sizes that are needed, please let me know.  I should be getting the list in of sizes for the children pretty soon. If you are participating in this first project, I have emailed you the list of sizes.  Please select what child/children you would like and let me know.  I’d like to be able to have something for all of the children so no one is left out.

Again, thanks for all that you are doing to help the children in the shelter.

If you are interested in joining our cause, simply leave a comment.

Remember, if you want to participate simply leave a comment. I’m continuing to work on the site and figure it will grow as the needs and projects grow.  You might notice some under construction mess as I get it all worked out.  There are a couple of tutorials in the sidebar now if you need them.  Many of you crafty mama’s have your own patterns so don’t feel obligated to use the tutorials.

If this is your first time sewing, you are in good company.  Please let me know if I can help you along.  You can also google ‘pillowcase dresses’ and plenty of other tutorials come up. I’ve also started a facebook group, click here to join.

And of course you need some flair to put on your site.  Shout it out to the world, tell them you are participating in this worthy cause.  Even if you aren’t participating in this first project, there will be others.  Go ahead and link to us.  The imbed code is on the right hand side of this page.  Like you’ll hear me say time and time again, there cannot be enough people involved in this project.  We will make a difference.

Thanks for everything you are doing.  I feel so blessed to be working with such an incredible group of women.

Craft Hope was born over tea at the kitchen table.  The amazing creations that we watch day after day on your blogs have inspired us to begin this new endeavor.

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The first project that needs your help provides beautiful clothing for children in need.  We are hoping to collect pillowcase dresses that have been lovingly handmade by women around the world.  We’ll also be sending shorts for the boys.

Or as I explained it to my daughter… there are kids around the world that don’t have mommies and daddies to make them pretty clothes.  We need to make some for them.  Her first question was ‘can I make them?’  And my reply to her ‘of course you can!’

The pillowcases do not have to be new, just in good condition.  Our goal is for you to hand craft one pillowcase dress/shorts, or many if you are capable, and mail them to us by the deadline. For the first project, we will be collecting dresses and shorts for the children living at the Pan de Vida Shelter in Mexico and the Davis Lar Orphanage in Brazil.

A little about where your donations will go…

The Davis Lar orphanage exists to provide a home for high-risk children in Brazil. They seek to restore the children to health, provide a quality education and teach them skills to forge a productive future. The Pan de Vida Shelter, in Sandoval, Mexico, provides a safe haven for women and kids with no place to turn. It now consists of more than 30 children whose parents are incarcerated or deceased.

We are also well aware of the needs of children here in the United States and hope to reach out to local organizations as well.  We hope to expand and grow as the needs arise. If you are aware of such an organization, please contact us via email.

The deadline for collecting dresses for this first project is February 26, 2009.

A tutorial for both the pillowcase dresses and shorts will be added this week.  The tutorials are now in the sidebar if you need one.  My rock star nerdy husband, yes that is a term, has been working like a maniac on this site for me.  Without him, this would still be a vision in my head.  Thanks love.

Also, a huge thank you to Stefani and Susan, who are both graciously allowing us to use their tutorials.  Crafty mama’s indeed.  Also, coming soon is a flickr group and a badge for your blog.  The badge is now on the right hand side of this page.  Please help to spread a little Craft Hope. Simply leave a comment in this post if you are interested in participating.

Give hope.