Fashion Students Make Dresses for Haitian Women

With a mom who has a knack for sewing and is an interior designer, freshman Shannon McTernan picked up some sewing skills.

"I enjoy being able to make my own things," said McTernan, adding that she likes showing her creativity through sewing.

But the project she and her classmates started working on yesterday in their fashion class wasn't just about creativity. The students aimed to sew 16 pillowcase dresses for women in Haiti.

"I think it's great the school's doing something to help," said McTernan.

The project — which students expected to compete today — was coordinated by student teacher Lauren Engelhardt, a student at Illinois State University. She got the idea from a university supervisor who attends a local church. The supervisor not only provided directions on how to create the dresses but also offered to send them to Haiti, said Engelhardt.

A local Girl Scout troop tie-dyed and donated the pillowcases. The 16 students in the Lake Zurich High School fashion class aimed to sew one dress apiece.

"It's a good project because it's not too complicated, but they're learning new skills like making casings and using bias tape," said Engelhardt. She added that it is also a great service project. "They're learning how they can help the world in need outside of their community."

Sophomore Elisa Thode said the project is simple, but it is for a good cause.

"It's so simple that anybody could really do it," said Thode, who started sewing when she was just 8 years old. "You can really help someone by making a simple dress like this."

Junior Carla Nuñez agreed.

"I never would have thought of it," Nuñez said, referring to creating pillowcase dresses. "I think it's fun helping other people."

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