Let’s Talk About Dressember!

@TheSkeiniac wearing the Blythe Dress designed by @namaste_and_crochet, named in recognition of the founder of the amazing @dressember foundation, Blythe Hill.

The designer and other testers rocking their Blythe dresses below! (@namaste_and_crochet, @KnittingTipsy, @Cosmic_Crochet_Creations, @thecajuncrafter, and @primeknots)

Last month, Dominique of @namaste_and_crochet, asked me to test her new pattern - the Blythe Dress. She told me that this dress pattern was going to be part of her efforts to raise awareness for a campaign known as @dressember, a foundation dedicated to raising awareness about and combatting human trafficking. Truth be told, I would have tested the pattern for her no matter what…but for a good cause too?! Sign me up!

I admittedly am not an expert on this issue. It’s one of those issues I knew a little bit about, knew it was a problem, but had not done my research or really dug into it. I am incredibly grateful Dominique brought me onto her team. Through @Dressember, I am learning more and more about the realities of human trafficking and using my maker platform to help educate and raise awareness for myself and others, as well.

So, what is Dressember?

Dressember is described by the organization as, “a community of international advocates utilizing fashion + creativity to help end human trafficking.” In 2013, the organization created a challenge to help raise awareness and funds to assist in the fight against human trafficking. The challenge? Wear a dress (or tie) every day for the month of December! The dress is the conversation starter! Join in on the challenge as a way to kick start educating your community about human trafficking. There are also fundraisers associated with Dressember. There are teams with certain fundraising goals, and members of the team can set individualized goals, as well. Those funds go directly to Dressember’s efforts toward prevention, intervention, and protection. Check out the Dressember website to learn more!

What are you doing for Dressember?

I joined @namaste_and_crochet,’s team for Dressember! Check out her blog post here and her team page here. Dominique has a goal to raise $11,000. Fun fact for makers who are thinking about joining in — Dominique tweaked the Dressember rules a little bit to make it more maker friendly. In addition to wearing a dress or a tie, you can also wear something sustainably sourced or handmade!

I am participating in Dressember on my Instagram page and set my own fundraising goal of $500. Each morning I post a picture of me in my stories with the dress and/or handmade item I am wearing that day, along with a new fact about human trafficking. All of those posts are saved to a highlight on my profile page.

I will be putting together a few sets of holiday stitch markers/progress keepers in the next week or two that will go out as gifts to a set number of individuals who donate at least $20 toward my Dressember fundraiser. I am still working out the details of this, so follow along on my Instagram page to find out more about that later!

I am also planning to watch all five of the documentaries listed in this blog post by Dressember, to further my goal of educating myself on these issues.

What are other makers doing for Dressember?

There are many other amazing makers doing stuff for Dressember too!

• Obviously, there is Dominique of @namaste_and_crochet, who spearheaded this for all of us makers! Check out her posts and page, and purchase the Blythe Dress pattern, as 33% of the proceeds will be donated to Dressember!

• Chelsea of @KnittingTipsy is participating and raising funds too! She is hosting a virtual bourbon tasting class, with tickets purchased through donations to Dressember. Check out this post and the link in her bio on her Instagram page for more information, if there are still spots available. Chelsea is also raising funds by participating in hilarious challenges launched by her followers — crazy things to do in a dress! Make sure you’re following her on Instagram for all of this fun.

• Nkese of @Cosmic_Crochet_Creations is participating and raising funds! Follow along with her on Instagram to see her dress styling tips paired with facts about human trafficking. Also be sure to check out her stories, as she often communicates genuinely with her followers in her stories about tough topics, such as these.

• Kaelyn of @iiirdwind is also raising funds and awareness! She talks about her commitment to shop thrifted and handmade as much as possible, helping to raise awareness about fast fashion and its connection to the human trafficking industry.

• Others who are participating and raising awareness, who you will definitely want to follow along with too:

  • Laura of @murphymadecrochet (she has a fun photoshoot planned if she reaches her fundraising goal!)

  • Denise of @thecajuncrafter

  • Diandra of @primeknots

  • Sarah of @nohooksgiven

  • & many more! Check out the hashtags #dressember and #namasteinadress

What can I do for Dressember?

Donate! Participate! Educate! Follow along! There are varying levels of ways to get involved and any amount of participation is welcomed and appreciated! It’s not too late to join in!

My own fundraising page as part of Dominique’s team can be found here. Donate there, donate to Dominque, or donate to anyone else on Dominique’s team… or just donate to Dressember! Anywhere you donate is very much appreciated.

I’m a yarny maker, and I’d like to knit or crochet some dresses too! What are some good patterns?

YAY! I have personally made three crochet dresses so far, and I absolutely love them all!

These crochet dress patterns are:

(note: pattern links go to the Ravelry pattern page or another place to buy the pattern; Instagram links go to the designer’s Instagram page)

• The Once Upon a Dream Dress by @by.stephanie.erin

• The Dove Dress by @madebyhaileybailey

• The Blythe Dress by @namaste_and_crochet (33% of the proceeds go to Dressember!)

I asked my community on Instagram for their favorite dress patterns, and here are some patterns that were suggested:

• The Lattice Lace Dress by @by.stephanie.erin (CROCHET)

• The Seaside Scallop Dress by @knitatude (KNIT)

• The Easy Eyelet Yoke Dress by @knitatude (KNIT)

• The Potato Sack Dress by @knitatude (KNIT)

• The Sheer Elegance dress by @girlyknits (KNIT)

• The Better Lace Than Never set (skirt & top) by @girlyknits (KNIT)

• The Fall Colors Dress by @bykaterinadesigns (CROCHET)

• The Black Out Dress by @knitsnknotswpg (CROCHET)

• The Stardust Dress by @coffeeandcrocheting (CROCHET)

• The Parisian Dress by @desertblossomcrafts (CROCHET)

• The Rose Cloud Dress by @coffeeandcrocheting (CROCHET)

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I encourage you all to check out the Dressember website. They provide a ton of information and resources there. If you don’t know where to begin, like me, start with learning! Read some articles and statistics. Watch some documentaries. The first step in advocacy and awareness is learning more about the issues for yourself. Only then can you begin to educate others.

I hope this blog post was helpful and I hope to see you joining in on Dressember!