Saturday, June 28, 2014

Sewing To Make A Difference, Elaine's Story Of A Call To Help!

As many of you know our on line dolly world is made up of more then just talented doll lovers who create items and sell them on Etsy for more then just profit. Many of the motivation's behind what Etsy shop owners I have worked with and interviewed have felt a "Call to Duty" and create items for dolls to benefit charities and what I like to call "Doll Ministries" one of these people who has heard the "Call" is Elaine of My Grandma Sews Etsy shop.
Elaine shared with me her reason for creating for 18 inch dolls...

"I used to be a high school English teacher, so I really enjoy writing.  That's the main reason why I also blog about other non-sewing stuff at http://www.mygrandmaknows.com
 Thanks to a junior high home economics class and my mother, I learned to sew when I was a young teenager.  My mom sewed to save money, and she often combined leftover fabrics to make play clothes for my nieces and me.  I credit my mom for instilling in my a love for mixing prints together on the same garment."
 

"It wasn't until December 2013 that I got interested in sewing for 18" dolls.  My sister asked me to make something for her granddaughter for Christmas.  I enjoyed that project so much that I immediately began my pattern collection.  I've sold some doll clothes locally and in my Etsy shop."
 
"Recently, I was thinking about a way to use my passion for doll sewing for a greater good.  One morning as I was reading my Bible and praying, I had the idea to sell my doll clothes and donate the money to an organization called Forward Edge International and their ministry, the Villa Esperanza, in Managua, Nicaragua.  I'm familiar with this mission and their work in Nicaragua because one of my former students serves there as a field worker.  The Villa Esperanza means Village of Hope, and their mission is to rescue girls who live in a nearby dump and are vulnerable to drug abuse and sex trafficking.  I thought it would great to use my passion for sewing and girls' passion for doll clothes to help girls in another part of the world."
"For the next three months, I will be donating all of the money from my doll clothes sales to the Villa Esperanza to be used to help the girls buy Christmas gifts for their families who still live in La Chureca, the village in the garbage dump."
More then just an Etsy shop owner Elaine is has a wonderful blog and website.
Her blog My Grandma Knows is a delightful read!  A great way to see what wonderful things Elaine is up to!
Check out her sewing site at   http://elainesearer.com/ to see all the wonderful items she is creating and sharing!
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

  

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MyGrandmaSews

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for a lovely write up, Karen! I love it!

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  2. Elaine is a dear friend and wonderful role model for living her faith in God before others in tangible ways. She teaches an adult women's Sunday school class at our church and an is involved in other ministries close to her heart. Thank you for sharing Elaine's story with your blog readers!

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  3. Elaine is not far from me (approximately 3 hours)! That's really neat to "meet" such skilled and caring people in my own backyard (so to speak).

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