Lillian Weber may be 99 years old, but she isn’t letting her age stop her from helping others by using her hobby of sewing as her guide.
This grandmother, who is turning 100 in May, has sewn more than 840 dresses for little girls over the last two years. Her goal is to have sewn at least 1000 by her birthday!
Each dress is not for her own pleasure or to give away locally. Lillian is a volunteer with the Christian non-profit organization called Little Dresses for Africa and her dresses are passed out to little girls in schools, churches and orphanages in Africa wherever children need clothing.
Founded as a 501c3 Christian organization in 2008 by Rachel O’Neill, Little Dresses for Africa takes donation dresses, as well as boy britches/pants, made of pillowcases and other materials from volunteers around the world. Little Dresses for Africa also provides community care services, including educational studies that offer lessons about sanitation, clean water, nutrition, family skills, health and the Bible.
Lillian makes one dress a day in her Illinois farm house by starting in the morning, taking a midday break and then finishing in the evening. She believes that the work is good for her as it keeps her busy. She uses a pattern to make the dresses and then adds individual details to make each dress unique.
When Lillian reaches her 1000 dress goal, she has already informed the media that she has no intention of stopping her work!