The simplicity of the idea first caught Amanda Davis’ attention. It was the end of May when she became acquainted with the Little Dresses for Africa project, and since has wasted no time spreading the word.

Little Dresses for Africa, a non-profit organization collects dresses made from pillowcases and delivers them to orphanages in central Africa. The girls who receive the dresses are in great need of clothing, and many were orphaned because of the AIDS epidemic. Volunteers sew the simple dresses.

Davis heard about the project from a friend, and researched it online. She was intrigued, and began to recruit others to take part in it with her. She began visiting Sunday school groups at her church, First Baptist, showing them sample dresses and asking for pillowcase donations. She eventually visited every adult Sunday school class in the church. Davis also set up a display table in the church welcome center, had a notice printed in the church newsletter, and an announcement displayed in the Sunday morning service.

“We’re trying to let the whole church know what we’re doing,” says Davis. “We’re trying to get as many people involved as we can. Such a little bit of effort brings so much joy. It’s not very much to us, but it means a lot to the ones who receive it. The end result is multiplied many times.”

Davis found people eager to take on the project, including two Sunday school departments, a church sewing group, Hearts for God, and the Women on Mission, or WMU, are sewing dresses, and others donating materials. The Girls in Action are also potentially joining the project when the begin meeting in the Fall. Harriet Gutknecht, the leader of the WMU speaks highly of the project.

“It has absolutely snowballed,” she says. “It’s become a church wide thing where everybody is participating. Even people like me who aren’t great at sewing can help with money or supplies.”

The dresses take an average of 15 to 20 minutes to make, and the ladies have incorporated the sewing of dresses into their daily routines, making them between loads of laundry and other household chores. Davis and another dressmaker, Barbara Sanders, have created a sort of assembly line technique for their dresses, with Sanders creating the basic dress and Davis adding decoration and finishing touches.

“Barbara Sanders brought me 19 dresses the other day,” says Davis. “She has made over 60 dresses during this process.”

The first batch of dresses never made it to Africa, however, as a First Baptist Church member personally delivered them to Malaysia instead, where they were then taken to an orphanage. Arthur Bosarge traveled to Malaysia on a short-term missions trip last month, and took 10 pounds of dresses with him.

About two weeks before the trip, Davis was showing me the little dresses,” says Bosarge’s wife Paula, “and I said they would be so great for my husband to take to Malaysia. She said they would try to get some of the dresses made up.”

The dressmakers are now working on a batch of dresses for Africa. They plan to send them out the end of September in hopes that they make it to the orphanages by Christmas. The women are also planning on learning the technique for making simple boys’ shorts for the boys in need of clothes.

“The African boys have been wearing the girls’ dresses while their trousers are drying,” says Davis, “so we’re starting to make some boys clothes.

After the dresses are sent to Africa, the ladies will begin work on more pillowcase dresses to be sent to Brazil. The dressmakers are always in need of supplies, as well as other seamstresses to take on the project. If you are interested in donating, or joining the First Baptist Church’s effort, contact Amanda Davis at 990-6748 or Barbara Sanders at 928-2059. For more information on the Little Dresses for Africa organization, visit www.littledressesforafrica.org.