I have been doing some Spring cleaning and organizing, and I found a stash of gingham fabric that I have had for years. At one time I was using it to make dolls, and admittedly, I am gaga for gingham, but I decided to de-accession it to a good cause.
These are some of my gingham dolls.
My friend, Mary Adams, dressmaker extraordinaire, and author of The Party Dress Book, teaches sewing at The Lower East Side Girls Club. I gave her a holler and she said that she would like to have the gingham. So last week, Richard and I went to the Girls Club, and Mary gave us a tour.
A corner of Mary's studio at the Girls Club.
The Lower East Side Girls Club was founded in 1996.
It provides programs and services for girls and young women
ages 8 to 23.
At the Club they learn, have fun and develop confidence.
Mary Adams and Richard outside
the Girls Club on 8th Street near Avenue D
New York City
Girls gather in the Club's lobby after school.
The Club's mission is to break the cycle of poverty
and to train the next generation of ethical,
entreprenurial and environmental leaders.
The Girls Club is housed
in a beautiful, 30,000 square foot building.
This is a sculpture by Kiki Smith in a courtyard.
The Bake Shop at the Club makes
goodies for their shop at the Essex Market.
Mary, Richard and I in the Club's cafe.
The bathrooms have all been done up in
fantastic mosaic designs.
This is the digital and audio arts studio.
The Club has its own radio station, WGRL.
Amy Sedaris, author, actress and
craftmaker, often
works with the girls to make
wonderful things.
Dolls made in Mary's sewing class.
Fancy eye masks made by Mary's students.
The Girls Club received a donation of denim,
and the girls made wonderfully inventive
garments with it.
An apron with a girl's drawing.
Mary's eye is evident in this dress.
The sunlit sewing room has the
best karma.
Aren't these little fellows adorable?
Sewing room still life.
Scraps will be put to good use.
The Girls Club has a photography studio,
a Maker Shop and a 64-seat planetarium
with a 30-foot digital dome.
These works were made by the
younger girls using pencil shaving.
Richard shows off a doll made for the Art on Paper Fair,
one of a group called Paper Doll Couture
made in Mary Adams' class.
À Bientôt!
Love your gingham dolls and the inspiring girls club!
ReplyDeleteSuch an inspiring post! I love everything, starting with your dolls, all the way through the creations at the Girls club. It's such a great space and concept. XOXO
ReplyDeleteterrific post about a wonderful cause. Those gingham dolls rock!
ReplyDeleteJ & V