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'She's sewn to the savior': Maine women sew hundreds of dresses for kids in need

The latest shipment of needlework by the Dorcas Sewing Sisters will bring more than 400 dresses to little girls in Haiti

WESTON (NEWS CENTER Maine) – Inside her small home in rural Washington County, Lydia Preston works day in and day out at her sewing machine.

"I enjoy it. I really do," Preston said.

Over the last year she has sewn more than 125 dresses—a number that is growing by the day—all for kids in need.

"It's a project,” Preston said. "Anything we can do, makes a difference."

The project is part of an effort led by a local church group called the Dorcas Sewing Sisters in Danforth. Together local women have sewn hundreds and hundreds of dresses to be shipped to orphans in Haiti.

"We all sew, but she's sewn to the savior,” Jeanette Cronkite said.

Cronkite, a member of the sewing group, said Preston has really become the driving force behind their effort.

Not only does Preston make the dresses, she also uses all the leftover material to make little dolls and purses to match.

“How could you do too much for a little one that don't have anything?” Preston said.

Some of the dresses made by the group have gone to refugees in parts of Maine, but Cronkite said most of their work is through a mission that serves children in impoverished countries like Haiti.

"When you have these wonderful women working together in a unit, it's got to be a success,” Cronkite said.

She said the latest shipment to the island nation will bring more than 400 dresses to little girls there.

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