How did Black Women Stitch come to be? What sparked the idea?
In the summer of 2017, white supremacist, Nazis and Confederates, who were angry that their Civil War Participation Trophies were being moved, marched regularly in my community. Their monthly marches culminated in the largest white nationalist rally on US soil. As part of standing up and resisting white supremacy, I was at the deadly downtown intersection when a white supremacist drove his car into the crowd, killing one person and injuring dozens. I did an interview with NPR about this.

A month later, I went to a quilt retreat that I had been attending for the last 15 years. When I arrived, a few people who knew that I survived that terror attack, asked how I was. I answered their questions. Later, I was told that “Charlottesville was not to be discussed.” After that event, I was uninvited to the upcoming quilt retreat to be held the following year.

This was heartbreaking and embarrassing. But it made me realize that I would never again audition my humanity in exchange for doing something I loved. I realized that what I needed was a creative environment like the one I had grown up with as a girl, as a Black girl in a Black family in a Black community with Black people who loved Black people. Black Women Stitch (BWS) emerged at a time when many social media sewing craft groups were homogenous and anti-black. Essentially, I built Black Women Stitch because it was something that I needed. As the years have gone on, I have discovered that other people need it too.

What was the first brainstorm session like when you started to dream up Stitch Please?
I hosted a sewing retreat in 2019. It was beautiful. There was joy and music and laughter and overall support. It reminded me of the environment that I grew up in, warm and familiar.  We were having conversations that were about our lives and experiences as Black women, which felt affirming. And we spent a lot of time discussing the nitty gritty of sewing, the kind of things that people who don’t sew would think boring, but we find it endlessly interesting. We chatted about patterns and which ones yielded the best outcomes or had crappy directions. We also had different types of expertise and sewing interests. This was wonderful because if I was stuck on something, there was a person who knew information or a technique that I didn’t know. I wanted that vibrant exchange of knowledge to continue, the feeling of creativity bubbling over, and the ability to nerd out about sewing with people who loved it too.

In addition, I research their socials and website to learn more about their overall approach. Some people request additional information such as questions that I may ask ahead of time. I create a list based on their profile and share the questions with the caveat that these might not all be covered. I also let people know that this is designed to amplify and document their sewing story. They already know all the right answers. I also try to actively listen so that I can respond to what they’ve said with detail and care.

What are some of the creative risks you take to inspire Stitch Please‘s followers?
I hope I am inspiring in two distinct ways. Risk is a part of both of them. First, I believe that anyone can make anything. Everything that you are wearing right now was made by someone, why not you? The risk there is that some are afraid to bet on themselves, to believe that they have the capacity and can develop the talent and skill necessary to make amazing things. The second way I take risks to inspire is that I believe Black people should be loved out loud. Black Women Stitch chooses to center and celebrate Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing because we deserve it and are worth the fuss. This is risky because we live in a country where racism and bigotry are not just figments of the distant past. Today, corrective measures designed to close massive gaps caused by racism have been crushed. Principles like “equity” or “equality” have been dismantled by government partisanship. I hope that my show can continue to be an example for people to be inspired to create and to recognize the diversity of creative talents among Black women.

Black Women Stitch is currently completing a major fundraiser. Help them finish strong by donating to their Act Blue site here. Donations are tax-deductible.

Are you empowering your audience with impactful stories like Lisa? The Extended Entry Deadline for The 31st Annual Communicator Awards is March 14th. Submit your best projects to join the ranks of winners like Black Women Stitch.