Meet Lin Ennis. She is a volunteer for a fabulous project called DAG Sedona. It is a chapter of Dress a Girl Around the World; a worldwide organization that, as of early 2020, has delivered 2,000,000 dresses to girls in need, mainly in third world countries, but also on Indian reservations and other poverty pockets in the United States. One of the central purposes of Dress a Girl Around the World is to reduce human trafficking. They prominently label dresses with a distinctive tag right on the front of the garment.
Q: What inspired you or led you to your current career?
A: The project is called “Dress A Girl Around the World.” It was just crazy how I got into this. I was clearing out my closet and transitioning from having too much stuff. I decided to get rid of everything I didn’t love or that didn’t fit, and I had almost nothing left. With the few things I did have, I made some alterations. I had this ancient sewing machine that I bought and used in the 70’s so I decided to sell it and get something modern instead.
Q: How did this project evolve for you?
A: I enjoy sewing, but I didn’t want to make clothes. It isn’t easy. One of my friends mentioned an online charity for sewing. So I Googled it and found “Dress A Girl Around the World.” I noticed simple sundresses on their website, and I said, “Oh! Maybe I could do that!” I bought fabric to make three dresses then discovered how hard it is to sew a straight line. I sent the picture of the dresses to the Ambassador of Phoenix, who said the dresses were too sheer and that they couldn’t use it.
I gave the dress to a friend’s granddaughter, who loved it. That got me thinking about getting others involved and how much fun it could be to have a group. I went down to Phoenix and sewed with the Phoenix group for the 10th anniversary of “Dress A Girl Around the World.” I learned more about the organization. They have distributed about two million dresses worldwide to girls in third world countries as well as some of the Indian reservations.
Q: What intrigued you about this project from the start?
A: What intrigued me about the project from a spiritual perspective was how it raised the dignity of each girl by giving her a new dress made with love. When you see pictures of children in Africa, Columbia, or other countries, they are wearing American or European hand-me-downs, and to have a new dress made with love increases their dignity and respect.
Each dress has a label “Dress a Girl Around the World” right in front, which alerts others that she is cared for by an organization. Hopefully, that will cut down on human trafficking.
Q: How did you get people to know about this organization?
A: I started sewing up a storm and let people know what I was doing by posting pictures on Facebook. People began donating fabric. I have material for 200-300 dresses at my house right now.
Q: It seems like it’s a lot of work.
A: What I love about this is there are lots of non-profit organizations in Sedona and Verde Valley area. I hear from retired people all the time, “Be careful, don’t over volunteer.” I’m busier than I used to be. I did get involved with a couple of organizations, and the meetings were frequent, but with “Dress Around the World,” there are no meetings. You sit and sew.
Q: What do you love about sewing?
A: The creative part is matching the pocket fabric to the dress fabric, and the meditative part is just sewing straight lines. It’s very hypnotic to sew straight lines listening to the hum of the machine.
I had our first play shop in the activities room at the Nazarene Church. We brought all of our sewing machines and made little kits where everything had already been cut and measured. We made dresses in a couple of hours and shared tips between the new sewers and the experienced professional sewers. I love teaching; it’s fun to share some of the things that I have learned with others.
From the Interview With Jonelle Klein
