June 2020 | Volume 1 Issue 3
e m o c Wel
Good golly, it’s been a heck of a time since our last magazine, hasn’t it. In the U.S., we are nearing the end of an insane political season so we thought we’d devote some of our content this month on the politics of stitching. But that’s not all that we’ve been focusing on since August. In the last 60 days or so, we’ve launched our FlossTube channel and are happy to report that we’ve created a cool set up for our StitchLife Happy Hour. We hope you like it and will subscribe to our YouTube channel (all links below!). We’ll release a new episode every weekend. In addition to the Happy Hour, we have our Daily Dish each weekday as a fun jumpstart to your day. All VIPs are welcome (that’s you!) to join or check it out after we post on Patreon or YouTube.
s s U U h t h i t i w w t c t e c e n n n n o o C C
We’ve also launched a line of merchandise so you can be loud and proud in your love for stitching (and StitchLife!). Our collection includes logo’d items as well as stitching-related goodies. You should have no problem finding something that floats your boat. Our blog has kicked off so be sure to check our website for a new post each week. Some of the posts will be stitching-related, others will be life-related. You can share your comments and ideas on each post. We love to hear from you! We’ve also revamped our Free Fabric Fridays so you, our VIPs, have more chances to win each month. Oh, and we can’t tell you all the details but be on the lookout for a super-cool announcement in the next few weeks. We want 2021 to be everything we had hoped 2020 would be!
We are always looking for new contributors— or just ideas for future features. Contact us! We’re all over the place!
Email TeamStitchLife@StitchLifeMag.com Web StitchLifeMag.com Facebook facebook.com/groups/StitchLife Instagram @StitchLifeMag Patreon patreon.com/StitchLifeMag YouTube bit.ly/SLFlossTube
s t n e t n o C 2 9
WELCOME
4
NOTORIOUSLY POLITICAL: NOTORIOUS NEEDLE FREE PATTERNS FROM NOTORIOUS NEEDLE
10 14 16 20 23
CELEBRATING KICK-ASS WOMEN: KAMALA HARRIS
STITCHPIRATION: FREE KAMALA HARRIS PATTERN
15
FEATURED STITCHALONG: CATERPILLAR CROSS STITCH
HOW STITCHERS GET THEIR GROOVE BACK
18
LNS: YE OLDE CROSS STITCHERY
CRAFTIVISM: STITCHING IN HISTORY AND POLITICS
22
FLOSSTUBE DIRECTORY
WHAT’S GOING ON?
Notoriously Po
M
written by Dana Costa; photos courtesy of Sarah Vargas
4
StitchLife Magazine
olitical
Notorious Needle’s Sarah Vargas Shares Why She’s Political Now... and What’s Next
M
ost of us, at least those living in the United States, have been living in a constant stream of political ads and politically focused news for the last year or so. Some people turn to stitching to escape the news of the world. Some people turn to stitching to express their frustrations.
step through tackling a new process (gridding) or a new method (stitch a pumpkin lately?). But she’s also an educator in the sense that she informs people about social issues and encourages them to explore the topics and think for themselves. StitchLife featured Sarah’s political collection when she launched it earlier this year and commissioned her to create a voting pattern, released in September.
Sarah Vargas puts herself in the second group.
Notorious Needle patterns are not shy in their political leanings, nor is their creator. “I come from a long line of ornery women,” Sarah admitted.
“I am utterly enraged at what is happening in American politics these days and I’m not alone,” Sarah said. “I am trying to use my patterns to spark the hard conversations. And to stay sane.” Sarah is the creator behind Notorious Needle, a popular pattern designer and FlossTube personality. Started in 2018 as a tutorial blog, Notorious Needle has emerged as not only a great teacher, but a great educator. While that may sound like the same thing, the nuances between them exist, although somewhat subtle. Sarah teaches cross-stitch techniques via her YouTube channel, taking stitchers step-by-
ministration.
But it’s not just one thing that motivates Sarah to express her views through her patterns. She feels that that there are so many challenges with the current U.S. ad-
“It boggles the mind!” she proclaimed. “I can understand how one flawed man could be so infatuated with his own self-interest that he would let the rest of the world rot (I used to be married to one of those, so it’s personal). What I can’t understand is how an entire political party is ok with that, so long as they stay in power. They can’t all October 2020
5
be sociopaths, can they? What is happening right now is not a mere difference of opinion. It’s a difference of morals.” Her designs not only reflect her outrage, including her Traitor Trump set, but also her moral stance, such as the Rainbow Pride Heart set. To Sarah, politics are personal. “While my mission is to empower people through self-expression with cross stitch, I don’t want it to end there. It can’t be enough to stab-stabstab and let that get out all the feels and then … nothing,” she said. Though this craftivism—using your art to express social, political, or moral stances—is not new, it has become even more obvious in recent years. But, she admits, just stitching your views is not enough. “The cross stitch is the fun part,” she said. There’s still a lot of work to do. We’ve got to march! We’ve got to vote!” The big personalities in U.S. politics right now make craftivism a little easier and somewhat more universal.
6
StitchLife Magazine
“Let’s face it,” Sarah said, “big characters are easy to exploit. And they serve as a source of commonality between creators and their audience—most of us are familiar with those characters.” Her patterns do like to poke fun at a person or a political stance, but they certainly are not meant to minimize the human condition. “While I do have several patterns in my shop right now that poke fun,” Sarah admitted, “I definitely prefer to laugh at the basic human condition. Humans are funny and weird, and we’re all alike in a lot of ways.” She says that she hopes to focus more on this commonality in future patterns and collections…and focus on some less political topics. “Don’t tell, but I’m more than halfway done with the next Notorious Needle collection and it’s not political at all!” Sarah teased. In fact, at the end of October, Sarah will retire her Political Therapy collection to make way for this mysterious new collection. “After the [U.S.] election [on November 3, 2020], I plan to revert back to more univer-
patterns from the Notorious Needle’s Quarantine and Political Therapy collections
sally snarky stuff like silly quotes about how you’d rather be stitching than doing the dishes,” she shared. And good news for people who are outside the U.S. or don’t consider themselves political: She said she’d like to be less American-centric in future collections in order to speak to stitchers from London to Auckland… and everywhere in between. “One of my customers on Etsy suggested some amazing British insults that her husband created,” Sarah said, “that I just have to get into a pattern!” As for her other favorites, she admitted that her all-time favorite pattern, Fabulous Fred, the 3-D cross-stitch unicorn. “He doesn’t seem to be anyone else’s favorite,” she chuckled. Even so, she loves his gorgeous variegated mane and tail and “magical” twinkle in his eye. She even has been considering making Fabulous Fred some playmates.
“Not sure yet.” But the magical world of Fabulous Fred may have to wait because Sarah said she has other ideas up her sleeve right now. One thing we hope doesn’t take a back burner is Sarah’s outreach to stitchers via her socials, especially FlossTube. She said that she loves helping people discover all that cross stitch can bring to someone: relaxation, creativity, and community. She’s noticed more and more video stitch sessions, and even joins in. “I joined the StitchLife Stitch & Bitch for the first time and really enjoyed it—and recommend it to others!”
meet Fabulous Fred on the next page
“Maybe a mermaid or a dragon,” she mused.
October 2020
7
here he is !
This growth in the number of stitchers and the surge in them connecting online has been a necessity in the new socially distanced society in which we live.
Find Sarah and Notorious Needle on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook . You can also shop Notorious Needle patterns on Etsy and her website.
“It makes sense as we seek connections with each other from a distance,” Sarah said. “I hope the newbies stick with it!” Sarah has graciously offered 15% of your purchase on either her website or her Etsy shop. Use StitchLife15 at checkout. Discount expires on November 15, 2020.
Want to join in the StitchLife Stitch & Bitch? Join us on Thursdays at 7pm ET/4pm PT using the link on Facebook.
amazing free patterns from Notorious Needle 8
StitchLife Magazine
Sarah made this special pattern for us in September. It comes with a full alphabet to personalize it with a word other than women! Download here!
Check out this political snark! Made especially for this issue, Sarah shows us her sense of humor...and creative talent. Download here!
made just for StitchLife ! October 2020
9
INSPIRATION
Kamala + Momala = VP?
photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
People who know her best, admit there are two sides to Kamala Harris, the first African-American, Asian-American woman to be nominated as vice president for a major political party. The first side of Kamala Harris is the one that many people already know: the hard-driving lawyer, Senator from California, and former California Attorney General. Then there’s the other side that we’re learning so much about as she campaigns with Joe Biden: Momala, the auntie, stepmother, sister, wife, and friend who collects Chuck Taylors and loves to laugh. Since 2020 feels like it’s lasted for years and years, it can be surprising to be reminded that Ms. Harris has only been in the Senate since 2016. She’s been incredibly high-profile during 10
StitchLife Magazine
written by Dana L Costa
that time: including her questioning of former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2017 and then-SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. Then, in 2019, she announced her own bid for the Democratic nomination for President. The date of her announcement that year—January 28—was not chosen at random; it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and was an obvious nod to the civil rights movement. The path to Ms. Harris’ glass ceiling shattering VP nomination has celebrated her bi-racial heritage. Born in Oakland, CA in 1964 to a Jamaican father, Donald Harris, and Indian mother, Shyamala Gopalan, Ms. Harris grew up in a lower-middle-class, predominantly black neighborhood. For Ms. Harris, it was a normal childhood despite her parents’ divorce when she was 7 years old. She and her younger sis-
ter, Maya, were part of the school integration bussing program, and traveled each school day from her neighborhood to a school in a “prosperous white district.” Regardless of the elementary school she attended, Ms. Harris didn’t shed her heritage. As a child, she went to a Baptist church and a Hindu temple as a way to understand both parts of her background, and even visited her grandparents in India (both of her maternal grandparents were involved in politics and women’s rights in India). When her mother got a job teaching at McGill University in Montreal, Shyamala relocated her girls to Canada, where they attended middle and high school. In her autobiography, Ms. Harris wrote, “My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into
confident, proud black women.” Continuing her mother’s mission to embrace her black roots, Ms. Harris attended the prestigious Howard University in Washington, D.C. where she studied political science and economics, and joined the elite Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She returned to California after college to attend law school at the University of California, living with her younger sister and helping potty train her niece. Recalling the time, Ms. Harris said, “I’m dealing with this brutal stuff, dog-eat-dog in school, and then I would come home and we would all stand by the toilet and wave bye to a piece of shit.” Kamala has said that the time helping Maya with her daughter put some of the challenges of politics in perspective. And also gives a little insight on her ability to compartmentalize the different sides of her life. The Kamala vs. the Momala. In 1990, after passing the California bar, Ms. Harris surprised her family by announcing she wanted to become a prosecutor, rather than pursuing a more lucrative specialty. Her reasoning: she wanted to fix the system from the inside.
“ You may be the first , but make sure you’re not the last .” - Shyamala Gopalan, late mother of Kamala Harris photo: joebiden.com October 2020
11
INSPIRATION
As an assistant district attorney for Alameda County (CA), Ms. Harris focused on the sex crimes unit and when she shifted to the San Francisco DA’s office, Ms. Harris was instrumental in reforming teenage prostitution laws, working with law enforcement to treat them as victims rather than criminal sex workers.
port of police unions when she ran for office in the future. But she did have the support of many others during her 2010 bid for the California attorney general seat…just barely. On election night, her opponent, Steve Cooley, was declared the winner by the San Francisco Chronicle—and he even made a victory speech. It wasn’t until three weeks after election day that Ms. Harris’ victory was sealed—by less than 1 percentage point.
Ms. Harris’ rise from assistant DA to California’s Attorney General was not an easy path. She was criticized for dating the much-older Willie Brown, who was an influential Ms. Harris was politician in Cala two-term atifornia and was torney general elected mayor of and is probably San Francisco in best known out1995. While the side the state as two split soon the person who after his election, helped pursue critics still, to this predatory mortday, question gage lenders to Ms. Harris’ mohelp the millions tives and political of Americans ambition, and who lost their whether she uses homes during personal relationthe housing crisis ships to progress in 2008. To many, professionally. A Ms. Harris rolled photo: Kelsey Kremer/Des Moines Register common problem the dice when with smart, successful women who have she rejected the $4 billion settlement for their sights set on leadership positions. California homeowners…only to negotiate a $20 billion settlement several months later. Ms. Harris’ personal connections did not start While she was applauded for her shrewd or stop with Willie Brown—and she’s mainnegotiating skills, she was also criticized for tained strong professional relationships with declining to prosecute OneWest Bank or its other political figures, including former Pres- then-CEO Steve Mnuchin for “widespread ident Barack Obama and California Governor misconduct” when foreclosing homes. If that Gavin Newsome. name sounds familiar, it should. Mr. Mnuchin is currently Secretary of the Treasury. Not everyone was enamored with Ms. Harris during her pre-senatorial time in California Ms. Harris’ qualifications for the role of vice politics. She has been criticized for her shiftpresident go beyond her legal expertise and ing stances on healthcare and the death her time as senator, though as a senator she penalty and was publicly lambasted for her has had a seat on many influential commitdecision not to seek the death penalty in the tees, including the Intelligence Committee, fatal shooting of a San Francisco police offiwhere she has flexed her intellect and never cer in 2004. In fact, for at least a decade after shied from a heated discussion. that decision, Ms. Harris didn’t have the sup-
12
StitchLife Magazine
During her year campaigning for the presidency, Ms. Harris showed her two sides to primary voters. While in Iowa before the caucuses there, Ms. Harris proudly wore her Chucks while sitting casually with constituents, but she also put on her obligatory pantsuit and sensible pumps at official campaign speeches and debates. But even today, literally, as I write this, Ms. Harris is fighting for her seat in the room; Peggy Noonan, a glass ceiling shatter-er herself, published an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal claimed Ms. Harris was not taking the election seriously because she was dancing at a campaign event in Florida. That Ms. Harris is too ambitious to be “just” the vice president. That wearing Chuck Taylors or Timberland boots isn’t appropriate. That she laughs too much or sits wrong or, or, or. Regardless of her bona fides, Ms. Harris will always be held to a dif-
Learn more about Kamala Harris
ferent standard because she is not an old, white man in politics. But her family, her sister, brother-in-law, and niece, as well as her husband of six years, Doug Emhoff, and his two children, are her biggest cheerleaders and Ms. Harris calls them her “endless source of love and pure joy.” Ms. Harris also has a strong online following, known as the KHive, a nod to Beyonce’s BeyHive, and doesn’t publicly let the haters rattle her. She continues to be herself, which is someone who has proved to fight for the rule of law, U.S. homeowners, people of color, the right of safe, affordable healthcare, and so much more. And those Chuck Taylors! Sources: Wikipedia.org; The Next In Line; RollingStone. com; WashingtonPost.com; senate.gov, refinery29.com; DesMoinesRegister.com: Politico.com
The Next in Line podcast hosted by Joy Reid (2020) Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice by Nikki Grimes & Laura Freeman (2020) Kamala Harris: A Biography by University Press (2020) The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris (2020) What are we learning about Kamala Harris? Rolling Stone (January 29, 2019)
October 2020
13
Stitchpiration : Kamala Harris The Snarky Crafter created this awesome needle minder in response to the vice presidential debate. Shade level: expert!
Bonus pattern created by StitchLife just for you! Download here! 14
StitchLife Magazine
SAL OF THE MONTH
photo courtesy of Dana L. Costa (fabric: 16 ct white Aida; floss: DMC; needleminder: Caterpillar Cross Stitch
Featured Stitchalong C aterpillar C r os s St it ch H ell o Deer ! FREQUENCY: BI-WEEKLY START DATE: SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 COST: GBP$15.50 (PATTERN ONLY)
WWW.CATERPILLARCROSSSTITCH.COM
INSTAGRAM: @CATERPILLARCROSSSTITCH
MOTIVATION
H ow Stitchers Ge Let’s face it, we all get to a point where we lose interest in our stitching. Maybe it’s a project that you are just not enjoying, or life is getting in the way. Maybe you are even paralyzed by the number of WIPs or wanna-be WIPs in the picture. I spent some time talking to other stitchers about whether they have faced this problem—and why—to get other perspectives. Whatever the reason for not wanting to pick up that needle, here are some tips for trying to get your groove back.
Switch Projects If it’s just that you hate the project you’re working on—or you’ve been working on the same pattern for ever—pick up another project. I like to do a quickie small as a palette cleanser—it’s like a stitching sorbet. Recently, I was working on a large test stitch project that I was just over. I didn’t want to be an asshole and skip out on my promise to finish the test pattern, but I needed a break. So, I picked up another test stitch—this one a Prudence Kitsch, Persistent Bitch pattern. If you are familiar with Pru, you know that first they are hilarious, but they are also fun—and fast—to stitch. It was just the cleanse I needed to power through the other project. Groove restored.
16
StitchLife Magazine
et their Groove Back by Dana L Costa
Find a Buddy Maybe the reason you’ve lost your mojo is that you are lonely. Ok that sounds counterintuitive because lots of us like the sit-in-acomfy-chair-with-tea-and-my-stitching vibeand it’s time to recharge from a hectic day. But maybe you just need a little time with a fellow stitcher—someone who speaks your stitching love language. In this time of Covid-19 (aka The Great Unpleasantness), these buddies don’t have to be (nor should they be) sitting next to you at a coffee shop or in your living room. For example, StitchLife started a daily video session that quickly transformed into an interactive video chat for 15-20 minutes each morning. Most of the folks who join in work from home, so we don’t have office/workplace interactions let alone access to other local stitchers. I can’t speak for the regulars on that Zoom session, but it is a great boost for me each day. And usually we all have a good laugh or an inappropriate conversation that personally gives me the human interaction to get through the solitude of isolation.
Give Yourself a Break One of the people I spoke with about how to get she gets groove back said plainly, “I walk away!”
Hells yeah, stitchahs! Give yourself a break and do something else completely. Maybe it’s a sport or other physical activity. At the start of the pandemic, I picked up tennis to get myself out of the house but still remain socially distant. Maybe it’s another craft—crochet, painting, whatever. Maybe it’s reading. The point is to give yourself permission to lose your groove and not beat yourself up about it. Sometimes it happens. For example, when I was a kid my mother said that I went through a phase when all I would eat was grape jelly on white bread. Not toast. Bread. Not strawberry jam. Grape jelly. I’m sure I was a massive pain in the ass. As quickly as I found it, I lost my grape jelly mojo. I had too much of it and needed new flavors in my life. I eventually came back to grape jelly but, at the time, embraced being over it with no apologies. Maybe stitching is your grape jelly and you need to add some flavors to your life for a time. That’s cool. Don’t lose any sleep over it. When you are ready, you will come back.
October 2020
17
LNS SPOTLIGHT
A few hours east of my hometown is a quaint little town in Bucks County, PA, called Bristol. Bristol is about 25 northwest of Philadelphia but might as well be a million miles away in terms of the vibe it exudes. An area connected to the Revolutionary War, Bucks County is known for its covered bridges, amazing fall foliage, and quaint, historic towns. And Bristol, sometimes known as Bristol Borough, is one of those quaint towns, with an adorable main street, in this case Market Street and the same town motto since 1824: Welcome Friend. Ye Olde Cross Stitchery, in downtown Bristol, may not be as old as the town’s motto, but it has been serving stitchers since 1984, almost 40 years. Near the intersection of Market Street and Pond Street, in the town’s main business district, Ye Olde Cross Stitchery has a non-descript entrance that doesn’t reflect 18
StitchLife Magazine
the amazing complexity of its products and people. The owners, Mary & Rich Murphy, have a long history in the area, and take great pride in their stitching shop, packed with stitched models completed by staff or local volunteers. Their knowledge of the patterns and kits in their shop makes them uniquely prepared to answer any questions that shoppers may have about cross stitching, stitching techniques, or the hundreds of products they carry in store. Well, hundreds is a bit of an understatement. Their website, www.yeoldcs.com, states they carry more than 4,500 different book titles. Browsing their website, I’m not surprised. The depth of products on their website is incredible. In addition to the thousands of books and printed patterns, Ye Olde Cross Stitchery carries all the floss and fabric brands that you know and love—standard
photos courtesy of Ye Olde Cross Stitchery; written by Dana L. Costa
and hand- and over-dyed—and a small selection of in-store kits (but they also will order kits for you, just ask!). The Models section of the website features 330+ stitched patterns, completed by The Murphys or shop volunteer test stitchers. It’s truly an incredible selection of FFOs— frames and all. You can see the fully array of pattern styles they carry and designers they feature. You can get everything you need for any project at Ye Olde Cross Stitchery, including embellishments and frames for the perfect finish, and the accessories to make stitching—or organizing your stash—easier.
Just like many other stitching retailers, Ye Olde Cross Stitchery has faced challenges during the pandemic, including the ability to get products for their website and store because of supplier delays in Europe and beyond. But after months of online-only sales, Ye Old Cross Stitchery, re-opened for in-store sales (check their website for hours), however their in-person classes are still on hold.
Sign up for Ye Olde Cross Stitchery’s free newsletter on their website, or follow them on Facebook.
October 2020
19
STITCHING HISTORY
Craftivism :
Stitched in History & Politics
You can’t browse through cross-stitch patterns on Etsy or see pictures of WIPs on social media without seeing someone expressing their political views using their stitching.
by Dana L Costa
leader has silenced a population.
One of the most incredible stories that Ms. Hunter shared was of a group of Argentinian women who began stitching the names and For the people who say, “I’m only here for the birthdates of their children on white scarves, stitching”: You know that your meant to look like ancestors likely used their diapers (or nappies stitching to share their social for those outside the messages and political leanU.S.) and gathering ings, right? every Thursday in a public square in BueStitching isn’t just pretty pilnos Aires. You see, in lows, massive tapestries, and 1973 the Dirty War besamplers. It’s true. Craftivism, tween right- and leftusing arts and crafts as a way wing factions started to share social and/or political after Juan Perón was messages, has been around elected president. for centuries. Perón’s political opponents—along with Clare Hunter, author of their families, includThreads of Life, explains that ing children—were even today needlework of all abducted, never to be Mary, Queen of Scots: The Prison Embroideries; kinds, including cross stitchseen again. A small image courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum ing, is “still a tool for promptgroup of women ing change.” came to the square demanding news of their missing children. Week by week, the whiteIn her book, she cites several examples of scarved group grew. While the 30,000 kidhow needlework has been used to communi- napped people were never found alive, and cate political stances or, in some cases, have 9,000 remain unaccounted for to this day, a voice when a government or dictatorial this women’s movement did help reunite
20
StitchLife Magazine
more than 100 children who were illegally adopted from detention camps or prisons with their biological families. Their last march: 2006, more than 30 years after gathering with their embroidered white scarves.
Since stitching was seen as a rite of passage for a girl to learn the skills necessary to become a good wife, it was often overlooked as being more than ornamental “women’s work.” Rozika Parker, author of The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of Feminism, wrote, “…embroidery has been the means of educating women into the feminine…it has also provided a weapon of resistance to the constraints of femininity.”
There are so many other stories through the generations, including that of Mary, Queen of Scots, stitching while imprisoned in Lochleven Castle in Scotland. Her letters to family and other supporters were While a sampler could be a censored but she would record of a woman’s life, famsend individual embroiily, and children, it was likely deries to communicate the only place that a woman with her son, James (later could safely voice subversive crowned King James VI of statements and anti-patriarfrom Hillary for America Scotland), Queen Elizabeth, chal views. And many of these and the Duke of Norfolk. works of art were the only She spoke in metaphors to get her message written accounts of a woman’s life, since they through censors, using the heraldry of vareither didn’t have written works or they were ious royal houses and images of imprisonlong-since destroyed as unimportant to hisment, like caged or netted animals. tory. Mary, Queen of Scots’ use of embroidery as a communication tool is not unique. During the American Revolution, women would gather to stitch—whether embroidery, cross stitch, or quilting—and discuss the politics of the day. Despite what you may have learned in Hamilton, most women were not included in political discussions nor were they given a voice to discuss their opinions of the decisions that would impact women and their families (like the Schuyler Sisters). They would also use their stitching, sometimes the simple-looking samplers that many people believe cross stitching is, to convey news of the war activities near their homes and, by sending it on to other resisters, to prepare for what may be moving toward other towns.
Fast-forward about 200 years, and you have less subtle messages delivered through needlework. Many of you are familiar with Riot Grrrl, which reclaimed “iconically old-fashioned domestic work” such as knitting and stitching as edgy and political, and Julie Jackson’s Subversive Cross Stitch brand, that launched thousands of similar efforts. Hillary Clinton launched free cross stitch patterns during her 2016 bid for the U.S. presidency; Elizabeth Warren did the same during her campaign for the 2020 democratic nomination for U.S. president. These women—and those who ran their political campaigns— knew the power of the stitcher coalitions and their history of activism. But what the resurgence after all these
October 2020
21
years? Clare Hunter has thoughts on that: “I think the digital age has left people yearning for something that feels individual and comes from the heart, and needlework and other crafts are coming back into fashion.” She describes needlework as a tactile expression of thoughts and emotions. I would take it a step further. People realize that clicktivism and slactivism is not enough. Plus, it’s the perfect, quiet activism for the covid-age and introverts everywhere. It’s also a solution to those who cannot afford to donate money for a cause they believe in, so they donate art instead. Even Julie Jackson admits that in-person protests are not her vibe. “I’m not comfortable in crowds, so I do my protesting online,” she said. “I’m the one throwing rocks from behind the curtain.” Many people I spoke to, including Sarah Vargas of Notorious Needle (see the article
about her on page 4 of this issue!), feel that the 2016 election in the United States, and the events that have followed, kickstarted the switch from stitching a few snarky quotes and some pop culture references, to pointed, political commentaries. Shannon Downey, the creator behind Badass Cross-Stitch, said in 2017 that her patterns “took a political turn and now it’s from Bendy Stitchy sort of exclusively politics, feminism, and social justice because that’s really all that’s on my mind.” Same for The Craftivism Collective, launched in 2008. It brings together like-minded crafters, including those who focus on needle arts, to make an impact in a creative yet forceful way. Whatever the message, stitchers are showing that the pen may be mightier than the sword, but the needle may be mightier than both.
References Stitch in time: How needlework has created huge political and social impact across the world. Murray Scougall. The Sunday Post. February 4, 2019. 7 Fun Facts About the History of Cross-Stitching. Cross Stitch Academy. History of Cross Stitch. Julie’s X Stitch. Feminist Icon Cross Stitch. Anna Fleiss and Lauren Mancuso (2017) Feminist Cross-Stitch. Stephanie Rohr (2019) How Feminist Cross Stitching Became a Tool of the Resistance. Kase Wickman. Bustle. September 26, 2017. Hillary’s Stitchery. The girl-power movement has taken back embroidery—and Clinton’s 2016 campaign is capitalizing on it. Ruth Graham. The Atlantic. November 21, 2015. Embroidery as Record and Resistance. Krista McCracken. Contingent Magazine. November 19, 2019. Wikipedia.org Craftivist-collective.com 22
StitchLife Magazine
October 2020
23
24
StitchLife Magazine
