When I was selecting people to sew the doll dresses for the dolls I give to children in Family Promise, I had sent out an email to the final 20 people asking if they lived in the United States. Postage outside of the United States is significantly more, so it was going to impact my decision.

I was very amused when one of the responses came back, "Lisa, this is Dede Johnson, your children's fifth grade teacher. I live a few blocks away."

Dede's talents extend beyond teaching. She's a skilled and creative seamstress. The dresses she sent back are adorable!

I love how she used the tutorials from my blog, too. I also enjoyed learning about her sewing background.

"I began sewing as a member of a local 4-H club, competing at the old Essex Aggie and at Topsfield Fair. The sewing projects that were judged there ranged from aprons to square dance skirts and holiday dresses. My mother was an excellent, patient teacher. She made all of my prom dresses and many of my dress-up clothes."

"I sewed my simple, flower-child style wedding dress and finished the trim just 30 minutes before the wedding in 1972. Since then I’ve made Easter dresses for my own girls, Halloween costumes for all the kids, and done some quilting, nothing fancy.

"I love the peaceful feeling I get while sewing, even when there’s a challenge, like turning the reversible dress right-side out." I so know that feeling...

"This project was so much fun and taught me many skills and methods. I designed the dresses on paper first, so that I’d be sure I had enough fabric. My favorite is the one with a green bodice and a white Peter Pan collar because it looks like my first day of school dress in 1957."

I love Dede's use of trim and decorative buttons on all of her dresses.