Do you like to make a difference? Do you like knowing that you’re contributing to the greater good of this world? – I knew that I liked you. 🙂 I really love making things for all my loved ones but I also like what I like to call “sewing for good”.
Sewing for good is: Sewing to spread the warmth of a handmade gift to someone in need.
There are so many different organizations that will gladly accept your handmade quits and sewing projects.
One of my more popular posts is about where to donate quilts. It warms my heart to know that there are so many other quilters out there searching for organizations to donate their beautiful handmade quilts to.
I also shared pictures of this quilt that I donated in 2018 in another post. (I’ll be releasing the pattern for it in my shop this month!)
As a family, we sponsor two children in Aftrica through World Vision. Soloman is a little boy in Mali and Cendrine is a little girl in Burundi. My children love our “far away family members” and we write to them and send them little trinkets often. *fun fact – Each of our sponsored family members have the same exact birthday as my children.*
I first met the company that I am going to share with you today at the International Quilt Festival last year and they have a great need for seamstresses!
I was drawn to this happy colorful booth full of these beautiful handmade purses! And I immediately thought of Cendrine and how perfect one of these purses would be for her! I hoped to purchase a pattern or something.
What I found in talking to the woman who was working the booth was a company that had a heart for girls and a mission for serious compassion.
They want to help Lusaka Zamia, one of the world’s worst striken areas of poverty, in a big way… by giving the children a chance. You can read their entire mission statement here.
Sew Poweful has a mission to combat extreme poverty.
Sew Powerful trains and equips adults in Lusaka Zambia with good paying jobs. They learn to create school uniforms, reusable feminine hygiene products and soap. Each of these products is designed to keep kids in school and enable academic achievement. Success and greater potential to break out of the poverty cycle is actually attainable with the right system in place.
How amazing is that?
…And all the purses? They are the perfect size package for the reusable feminine hygiene supplies that are distributed to the girls in health classes!
I was immediately in love with SewPowerful. I knew I had to make these bags, for Cendrine and for other girls too.
The pattern for these bags is FREE on their website!
You can Download the Pattern for FREE here
If you’re one of my beloved quilters that is a little skeptical about sewing a purse, you can worry not. They have a video tutorial that goes right along with the pattern to show you exactly how to do everything!
I mean how happy do these purses look? Who doesn’t know a little girl who wouldn’t be over the moon to receive one of these?
I started my purse this weekend and though I fumbled just a little bit (silly mistakes because my brain is not as used to purses as it is to quilts). I found the pattern to be really easy an super easy to follow!
There is an address on your pattern download for you to mail your completed purse(s) to and they will distribute them to the girls in need.
Pictures of my Purse for Cendrine
I thought I would share a few pictures of my purse process so you can see a little bit of the in-between steps. 🙂
It was my daughter’s idea to embroider the front pocket flap. She wanted to make sure Cendrine knew that this was her special purse 🙂
A girl has to have pockets, right? We’re going to fill up Cendrine’s purse with more colored pencils and notebooks because she is quite the little artist.
This is a fantastic use of scrap fabric! If you’ve been looking for a new project to take to your guild or a fun project to teach young sewists… please give this one a shot.
Click here to download the FREE pattern!
I love how this bag turned out and I can’t wait for Cendrine to receive hers!
My daughter and I want to get a little more creative with the fabric choices on the next bags that we sew together… I can’t wait to sew more!
They also carry these mini purses that are doll size. *Squee!* Yes! I know! Is that not the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen?
LOVE this!!! What a great way to share the love and help others! SEW Powerful! ?
Thank you! I can’t wait to sew more of these bags to send in!
Hi- it was the little charm that brought me to your post. Where did you buy the charm? Love that you did this!
Thanks
LeAnn
Hi LeAnn! I actually got the charm from a sweet friend of mine. She is an amazing artist and made the charms custom for me, but I’m sure she would do it again for you too! She has an etsy shop. https://www.etsy.com/shop/CoopCrafts Go check her out and tell her you saw the ones she made for Christen!