One dress. One girl. Endless possibilities. Grab your fabric stash and your cape — it's time to sew love into every stitch.
Project Dress a Girl is an annual sewing charity event founded by Mari de Jesus of Mari Sews, running throughout September. Our mission is simple: give new, handmade dresses to girls living in extreme poverty around the world. In 2025, sewists came together to donate an incredible 7,349 dresses — bringing joy and dignity to girls who may never have owned a new garment before.
For 2026, there's no fixed goal — just love. Let's see what we can do together. Search YouTube for #ProjectDressAGirl2026 to find inspiring videos from sewists sharing their dresses, tips, and tricks.
- Sew a dress following the requirements below.
- Take photos of your creation.
- Share on Instagram using #ProjectDressAGirl2026 and tag @marisews_inspirestitches.
- Not on Instagram? Email photos of your finished dresses to ProjectDressAGirl@gmail.com.
You'll have the entire month of September 2026 to sew. Mail your finished dresses to your regional ambassador (or Mari) during the first week of October, by October 3, 2026.
- Slip-on style, at least knee-length
- Natural fiber fabrics (cotton, linen, or blends) that aren't sheer
- At least one pocket
- No fastenings except fabric ties
- Visible label sewn to the front
- Sizes range from infant to 12
- Woven skirt with knit bodice, and elastic allowed
When choosing fabric for your dress, please avoid the following:
- Patriotic fabrics (flags, camo, etc.)
- Obvious holiday fabrics (Christmas, Halloween, Fourth of July, etc.)
- Sheer fabrics
- Cartoon or Disney-themed fabrics
- Fabrics with words on them
This year we're spotlighting the Amanda Girl's Top & Dress pattern by Sirena Patterns — an easy, beginner-friendly dress pattern sized 2T to 14, perfect for Project Dress a Girl sewing.
Size 10 is free! Grab the free size 10 pattern here: Amanda Girl's Top & Dress PDF Pattern. Want all the sizes (2T to 14)? The full pattern is available on Etsy.
- Project Dress a Girl labels: Inspired Stitches by Mari Sews
- Dress A Girl Around the World: dressagirlaroundtheworld.com
We'll kick off on September 1, 2026 with a launch video on Mari Sews and continue throughout the month with tutorials, sew-alongs, and live unboxings. Subscribe to the Mari Sews channel and turn on notifications so you don't miss a thing.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sept 1 | Kick-off launch video |
| Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays | Mari Sews Live @ 7 pm ET |
| Sept 30 | Last day to sew + submit dress photos |
| Oct 3 | Last day to mail dresses |
| Oct 5 | Finale video & dress photo slideshow |
Here's the full lineup of creators making Project Dress a Girl videos all September long! Creator names link straight to their YouTube channels — click through to watch and subscribe. Scroll the calendar sideways on mobile to see everything.
Monday, October 5 — Mari Sews Wrap-Up Video: Recap and Dress Slideshow.
Head over to Mari Sews on YouTube all September long for event details, live unboxings, sew-alongs, and more — plus a chance to win a prize! Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss a thing.
1. In person at Capital Quilts
Capital Quilts
15926 Luanne Dr
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
capitalquilts.com
2. Mail to Mari Sews for a chance to be featured in a live unboxing:
Mari de Jesus
P.O. Box 404
Gaithersburg, MD 20884
3. Donate to a regional ambassador — reach out to the ambassador nearest you and coordinate mailing your dresses directly. See the ambassador list below.
Reach out to the ambassador nearest you to coordinate donating your finished dresses.
- Carol — Arizona (Tucson): dressagirltucson@gmail.com
- Julie — Australia: julie.dodds60@hotmail.com
- Susie — British Columbia: susie.braun.wilson@gmail.com
- Pamela — California (Central Coast): dressagirlagca@gmail.com
- Barbara — California (Santa Cruz): santacruzdressagirl@gmail.com
- Diana — California (South Bay): sewgenerosity@gmail.com
- Shari — Canada: shari.dressagirl@gmail.com (accepts cold-weather dresses)
- Valerie — Colorado: mishekconcerts@gmail.com
- Chris — Florida (Lake Nona): christine.kraus21@gmail.com
- Marissa — Maryland: dagmd@yahoo.com
- Kitty — Minnesota: dagminnesota@gmail.com
- Sue — Missouri (Southwest): suecavness@gmail.com
- Cam & Terri — New Mexico: dressagirl.sjc@gmail.com
- Connie — North Carolina: dressagirlnc@gmail.com
- Judy — Ohio (Cincinnati / Appalachia): judysjumpers@gmail.com (accepts cold-weather dresses)
- Pearl — Oregon/Washington: dressagirlpearl@gmail.com
- Tommie — Puerto Rico: info@sirenapatterns.com
- Valencia — Tennessee (Nashville): DAGnashville@gmail.com
- Jacqui — United Kingdom: jacqui-dressagirl@outlook.com
Help us empower girls through sewing — and inspire your audience to make a difference. Make a video about Project Dress a Girl and your experience, encourage your followers to sew and donate, and get featured!
Every creator who participates gets added to our Creator Spotlight Calendar, shared publicly to help grow your channel. Your voice, your channel, your impact — together we can sew a brighter future.
