Stitch Buffalo is True Representation of Good Neighbors
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| Founder Dawne Hueg, finance director Linda Crist and the seamstresses of Stitch Buffalo. |
By: Adrianna Miller What started in the basement of a church flourished into the far reaching organization it is today. Stitch Buffalo, located at 284 Plymouth Ave., is on a mission to provide Buffalo’s immigrant and refugee community with a dedicated space to create, teach and hone their skills.
“A non-profit organization on a mission to stitch communities together, using textile arts as that thread,” said Linda Crist, the business and finance director of the organization. From the basement of a church on Lafayette Avenue, the founder of Stitch Buffalo Dawne Hueg started a gathering where women from the community could come together to embroider and build a community. Realizing they needed a way to create some profit for the women, they started selling intricate embroidered “Buffalove” pins that became very popular at pop-up events. The success allowed them to grow into the much larger organization they are today. They now continue to sell the original “Buffalove” pins along with many other embroidered designs, and have expanded to selling purses, ornaments, clothes, tablecloths and runners, pillows, and jewelry.
Stitch Buffalo operates on three different programs, the first one being their refugee women's workshop. This provides a space for women all over Buffalo who have immigrated from various countries to design and create products that are then sold in the Stitch Buffalo retail space and throughout the community. The program has about 200 women working in it with about 40 to 60 women being paid every two weeks, some earning over $1,000 for their work. As the organization grew, it naturally evolved into a manufacturing center as well, requiring them to hire on some of the women from the program. “It is the true representation of a good neighborhood," said Munawara Sultana, a participant of the program turned hired seamstress and class instructor.
The second program focuses on community outreach and education. Offering many classes hosted in their Plymouth Avenue address and offsite as well, teaching classes in Buffalo public schools, D’youville campus and anyone looking to use textile arts for meditation and mental wellness. The list of classes offered includes sewing, embroidering, crochet, knitting, leather working and even holiday themed classes such as a witch hat making class. Stitch Buffalo also works closely with the students in the Fashion and Textile Arts program at Buffalo State, providing them with cheap and recycled materials, sometimes even creating specific materials they need for their projects. Jane Cameron, a sewing instructor at Stitch Buffalo, reflects on how her work affects the community, stating that it develops greater interest and keeps people sewing. This aspect of the organization makes Stitch Buffalo a great "third space" for the city of Buffalo, helping to create a stronger community. To see what classes are being offered and when, visit Stitch Buffalo’s Calendar.
Their third program "Second Stitch" focuses on sustainability. By accepting donations from the community from fabrics to knitting needles they are able to expand their work. Collecting useful items for the seamstresses and women in the refugee workshop program to use in their art work, while also providing shoppable items for their retail section of the organization. “Community fabric” is one of those very projects that came out of the "Second Stitch" aspect of the organization. Using cut up donated denim they create a large patchwork like fabric that is then sent out into the community where the people can paint anything they want. That fabric is then used to create jean jackets, bags and clutches for the retail section of the organization. To donate to the organization you can visit Stitch Buffalo’s website. Hear from the business and finance director Linda Crist how the organization got started. |