Regina girl tie-dyeing to raise money for research into little sister's rare disease

This is a feature in the Good News Saskatchewan series. You can see all the stories at cbc.ca/lovesk.

A craft done in quarantine has led to a Regina girl learning how to run a business. 

Callie Tomilin, 10, got a simple tie-dye kit from her grandparents. She was hooked immediately and discovered she had a passion for combining colours. 

"It's really fun," Callie said. "I tie-dyed in my room on FaceTime with my friend for the first time because I didn't know how to do it."

Now Callie has been showing other people how to tie-dye and is offering to tie-dye clothes for others at $10 each. 

"My favourite colours to use … are usually light colours like pink, blue, purple, yellow, because they're super bright and pretty," she said. 

Callie's mother, Danielle Tomilin, said tie-dyeing has been a great creative outlet.

"Callie is extremely crafty. She loves to paint — like this kid has a craft on the go all the time," she said.

At first, Tomilin was concerned about dye getting everywhere, but she made it clear Callie had to go outside or in the playroom. However, Danielle said she couldn't believe the talent her daughter had and suggested Danielle should share her creativity. 

Callie's grandparents and aunt gave her funds to get her business started. The entire project has been a learning experience, Tomilin said, and taught her daughter money management. 

"Because two dollars goes to supplies, two dollars goes to her, six dollars goes to the charity," Tomilin said. "I fully intend on making her do the bookkeeping on that."

Callie's two-year-old sister, Mila, has Joubert syndrome. The majority of Callie's profits is donated toward Joubert research. 

"I'm raising money to give it to the charity so that scientists can research more about [it] because it's super rare and it's genetic," Callie said. 

Tomilin said not much is known about Mila's specific Joubert syndrome. She said the condition was discovered around 1970, but Mila's affected gene, ARMC9, was only discovered in 2017. Children can experience delays in gross motor milestones, a lack of muscle control, abnormal breathing patterns, and abnormal eye and tongue movements. 

It's been a whirlwind since Mila's diagnosis, Tomilin said. She hopes to work to make sure Mila has the best possible life. Danielle said she was proud of Callie donating money and hopes more people do little acts of good themselves. 

Callie said she loves her little sister and tie-dyeing for her is the best. 

"My favourite thing to tie-dye is my little sister's clothes," she said. "Then she gets to wear them."

Callie said people have been supportive in placing orders since she first posted about her project. 

"It feels really good. You just feel, like, comforted and happy that everybody supports you," Callie said. "I hope I'm tie-dyeing forever."

Anyone interested in custom tie-dye pieces can contact Danielle at Tomilinsocialmedia@gmail.com.