If you are looking for sun and fun, St. Petersburg, FL should be your destination. Holding the record for the most consecutive days of sunshine at 768 days, St. Petersburg is host to great shopping, restaurants, museums and cultural attractions. Don’t miss Grillin N Chillin St. Pete and The Hyppo for some local flavor before heading to the Salvador Dali Museum or the Ringling Museum of Art. And if you are there on the weekend, you have to visit Saturday Morning Market, the largest farmers market in the southeastern United States. Among these great attractions, St. Petersburg is also home to the Sew Powerful Chapter, Purses With Verses.

With a heart for helping girls in Zambia stay in school, the members of Purses With Verses have found friendship, fun and fellowship in their community. Meeting several times each month, the Chapter often begins with a devotional thought, prayer, or Sew Powerful ministry update. Sharing snacks or lunch seasoned with great conversation just adds to the fun. At a typical meeting, you will find some members cutting fabric while others sew, and others create note cards with messages of hope and encouragement. The Chapter welcomes all skill levels, and this caring chapter encourages each person to do what they do best to add to the group effort. Members from St. Pete, Clearwater, and Pinellas Point bring their unique backgrounds and experiences together for a common cause. New members are always welcome!

The purses you make will be gifted to schoolgirls in the African country of Zambia. The purses will be filled with reusable feminine hygiene supplies, soap, and underwear so the girl can attend school all month. Sew Powerful hires adults in Zambia living in extreme poverty. They are trained and paid a living wage to make the contents of the purses. The result is a triple benefit:

• Schoolgirls have a chance to excel in their studies and complete their education.
• Adults earn wages to feed, clothe, and house their families, giving them dignity and hope.
• Volunteers use their talents to make purses bringing them immeasurable joy knowing their efforts have changed lives.

Sew Powerful exhibits in many Quilting and Sewing expos throughout the United States and internationally. We would love to meet you in person at one of these events!

Until then, follow the links below to get started right away.

• Get the FREE Sew Powerful Purse Patterns HERE
• Join our Sew Powerful Purse Project Facebook group HERE
• Stay up to date on on-line and in person events HERE.