Local 4-H members turn community project into full-time cause

This summer, 13-year-old Beula Lee earned a red ribbon at the Iowa State Fair for her 4-H community service project. Lee’s project was turning used pillowcases into unique fashions for the Little Dresses for Africa nonprofit organization.

Lee first heard about the cause from a service at her church, St. Luke Methodist Church in Newton, and thought it would be a great project for 4-H.

“I searched for the website, and I looked up the pattern,” Lee said.

Since then, the member of the Jolly Workers 4-H club has donated more than 500 dresses to the organization.

“We’ve been making them since about January, said Marie Hoffman, Lee’s grandmother.

Lee is often assisted on her projects by Hoffman, who taught her how to sew when she was around 9 or 10 years old.

“I do a lot of the cutting for her since she’s left handed,” Hoffman said. “She takes all the lace, all the ric rac, all the bias tape and she runs all the elastic through. I pin things on for her and she sews.”

The back room of the house on the family’s farm in northeast Newton has become more like a workshop as grandmother and granddaughter team up for a good cause. Rather than just following the pattern and turning blah pillowcases into dresses, Lee likes to spice them up.

She makes each dress unique and uses lace, ric-rac, elastic and old jeans — all donated — to add style and flair. Although pillowcase are her base material, it doesn’t mean the dresses should reflect that, Lee said.

“It’s usually whatever looks good with the pillowcase,” Lee said on how she designs.

Lee spent most of her spare time this summer making the dresses, and cut back a bit since the school year started. However, whenever the Grinnell Middle School student doesn’t have homework or another activity, Lee’s in the backroom with her grandmother making her white Singer brand sewing machine hum.

To keep her going, Lee is completely reliant upon donations. She’s asking that if anyone has additional sewing materials — such as thread, bias tape, elastic, ric racs, lace etc. — and larger pillowcases, they consider donating them to her.

You can contact her mother, Brenda, to make arrangements at (641) 521-0090 or horsecaregiverof3@gmail.com

Little Dress for Africa was founded in 2008, and has grown to have volunteers in every U.S. state. Lee plans on again submitting her project for next year’s state fair. While ribbons are nice, she does this deed for other reasons and Lee has no intention to stop making dresses for this cause anytime soon.

“(Knowing) that some little girl will have something to wear,” Lee said about what she enjoys most about this cause.

Contact Senior Staff Writer Ty Rushing at (641) 792-3121 ext. 6532 or at trushing@newtondailynews.com.