Sewing With Nancy

Several years ago I featured the Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners Project. Women from my state donate their time and talent to teach others sewing in their partner Central American country with a goal of providing a skill and income. Please welcome Dixie Thoyre who is one of the volunteers of this good will project. Thank you, Nancy. Thanks for being here and updating us. Not everyone watched that initial interview. What we need to explain is what the Wisconsin Nicaragua Project works with with the women in Nicaragua. Well, volunteers go down and they teach the ladies sewing skills. Lynda Pracht had taught them how to make these lovely dolls' dresses. Then we have found them a market here in the States that they will fit the 18" doll. We go to craft shows throughout the state of Wisconsin and Minnesota as well as our online services in order to sell the dresses for the ladies in Nicaragua. Now what I think is so fascinating is that these dresses are made, many times, on treadle sewing machines. Yes, correct. They do all of this embroidery work on a treadle sewing machine. They take the fabric and they put it into a hoop. And then they take the presser foot off of the treadle sewing machine and they actually stitch back and forth on a treadle sewing machine to do all of this work that they do. And these are called Chica Nica. Chica Nica doll dresses. Thanks for pronouncing it correctly. It's phenomenal what they can-- The workmanship, the artistry on these dresses! Yes, it is. And to think that they you know, they don't have a computerized embroidery machine. They do it all on the treadle sewing machines. They draw a little design on the fabric and then they just go and move it back and forth in the embroidery hoop and do each stitch individually on a treadle sewing machine. True artisans. Yes. And this provides them, as we mentioned, an income. They've done, I remember from the last time a lady was able to add on to her home. Yes. Provide for her children. What a wonderful service. Yes, yes. It is wonderful that we can continue Nancy's work. We have volunteers in our Stevens Point office that work with and coordinate with the ladies in Nicaragua. They will tell them what orders we need. Like, if we need so many first communion dresses or Irish dresses, or whatever we need. Then they communicate that to the ladies in Nicaragua. Then they let the ladies know. Each particular lady is well known for a specific dress. Oh, sure. They communicate that to them, they make the dresses and then they send them back to us. And how we do a lot of this is there's always a Partners volunteer group that's going to some area in Nicaragua and so what we do is then we can take the materials down and they can make the dresses. Then the dresses will come back in somebody else's suitcase for us. Then they also communicate to us what supplies they need, because they don't have this beautiful white fabric that we have or all of the trims and garnishes that we have here. So they will relay to the home office in Stevens Point what supplies they need and then they communicate that to me and I'm the professional shopper as well as-- That's a great job. Yes. As well as attending craft shows to, you know, display their products. And you also go to Nicaragua. Yes, I've been to Nicaragua twice. I plan to continue to go as long as my health-- I don't think I'll make 39 times as Lynda did but I do hope to continue every year. Now what I find fascinating to add to the story of the Chica Nica dresses is that now women are paying it forward. Yes. Two of the ladies, Patronilia and Sandra who make these dresses are now giving back to their communities because they have started-- There's a burn center that is operating out of our Managua office. These ladies are actually making dressings for burn victims. Custom fit. Yes, custom fit. They come in and they measure them and they take the measurements and they sew the garments. Then they come back and they measure-- Of course, this is all under the supervision of Dr. Leandro. And they can help these patients because these patients have no funds to be able to purchase them. Again, the Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners and these seamstresses are providing great service to the community. It never fails to amaze me how the art of sewing can be so helpful, can help so many in a variety of countries. Just knowing how to put needle and thread together is an amazing feat. Yes. Well, Dixie, I thank you for sharing the story with me. Good luck on your next trip to Nicaragua. And thank you so much for having us, Nancy. You're certainly welcome. I hope you've enjoyed this two-part series with Victoria Findlay Wolfe on working with the double wedding ring quilt. It was fun to work with her. If you'd like to re-watch this program hear this interview again with Dixie you can go to nancyzieman.com and click on videos. Watch any of the Sewing With Nancy programs. Thanks for joining me. Bye for now.