Sue Woods has found a creative way to create new memories out of old ones.
Woods, a retired home economics teacher from Jacksonville, is using men’s shirts to make dresses for little girls in orphanages in Honduras.
When Woods’ husband passed away in 2021, she couldn’t bring herself to clean out his closet. He died in March of that year, and May came — then June — and the clothes still remained. “I was so lonely and needed someone to minister to,” recalled Woods. “It was like the Lord spoke to me and said, ‘You can make little girls’ dresses from his shirts.’”
“Since 2021, a group of six women from my Sunday School class at First Baptist Church Jacksonville and I have made 50 dresses from my husband’s shirts. He had so many — some still had the tags on and [had] never been worn.”
Some of the women don’t sew, but they cut out the dresses. They begin by removing the collar and cutting the shirts apart at the seams. One man’s shirt makes one dress. Buttons and buttonholes remain in place, with some dresses opening in front and others in the back. Garments are made in girls sizes 2, 4 and 6.
To create interest in the project, Woods took one finished dress to her Sunday School class. “They couldn’t believe the dress was made from a shirt!” she laughs. “We have so much fun decorating the garments.” Finding rickrack and eyelet lace on a website, she bought enough to decorate many dresses.
As her late husband was a pharmacist, most of the shirts had black marks where he would return his felt-tip pen to the pocket. First, Woods tried to remove the stitching from the pocket, but she realized it was double-stitched. Now the women embroider over the black marks, which adds a decorative touch and makes each dress unique.
Learning process
The group meets at Woods’ home where she organizes everything needed for the dresses in plastic boxes. She says being organized saves time and makes everything run better.
Woods admits this ministry was a learning process. She and her friends could sew and make the dresses, but they didn’t know how they would ship the finished products to the orphanages.
“The Lord had a plan, but I didn’t know it at first,” says Woods. “I attended a family dinner and was seated next to someone who knew a missionary. Woods found out she could deliver the boxes of dresses to the missionary in Fairhope.
“This missionary was on furlough, and she could send them, which would take care of shipping,” Woods said. “You can’t mail clothing directly to an orphanage.”
As FBC Jacksonville had been involved in missions work in Honduras, others at the church wanted to help too. Those going on the missions trips had to ride six hours on a bus to get to the village where they ministered. Woods recalled pictures of children wearing worn-out hand-me-downs and shoes that didn’t quite fit.
So when Woods received a photo of a little girl wearing one of the dresses she and her friends had made, it brought great joy.
“[The little girl] had the biggest smile. She was so happy.”
Someone had written on the back of the picture, “Today is my birthday, and I’m so happy that I have a new dress.”
“It’s good to know I made a little girl happy for one day!” Woods said.
Easy to replicate
Thinking back to how the Lord works in mysterious ways, Woods recalled her retirement from teaching in 2001. “I got an extra paycheck and spent the entire check on fabric, trims and sewing needs. Now I know why!”
FBC Jacksonville has been very supportive of the ministry. Since the initial effort, the sewing group has stopped taking shirts and now uses new fabric. People have bought sacks of new fabric and decorative trim. Friendships have developed as the women share their love of Christ and work together on a common project.
The ministry could be easily replicated in other churches. “You just have to be able to cut or sew and be willing to work,” says Woods.
The retired teacher says she found a new purpose in sewing the dresses.
“This ministry has changed my life,” she said. “This is my mission. I was so lonely. I prayed about going back to work, but I didn’t really want to do that. When you’re sewing, you are not alone. And as long as I’m able, I will make these dresses!”
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