Diversity in Stitching

Discover a brilliant new resource that celebrates and promotes diversity in cross stitch

In 2021, stitcher Sarah Gilbert was inspired by an Instagram post to dream up the idea of a directory to help stitchers diversify the designers they support, the patterns they stitch, and the businesses they purchase from. A week later, Christine Ray posted about her intent to do a similar project. Sarah tells us how they began Diversity in Stitching...

How did it all begin?

In early 2022, we reached out to people who had shown interest in helping out with the project. Christine and I knew both Ana and Alexis, from Ana's beautiful designs on Instagram and Alexis's wonderful FlossTube channel. They agreed to join and brought much appreciated perspective and energy! Christine built the website from scratch and was really the driving force to finally get it launched. We had a very constructive Zoom call with about eight stitchy friends to look over the site and then officially launched on 14 May, 2022.

Can you tell us a bit about the directory?

The directory is completely opt-in; each participant has an individual page on the website with information, links, and images provided by them - as little or as much as they want to share. Website users can view all participants or sort by the categories of Accessory Makers, Designers, Fibre Dyers, FlossTubers, and Shop Owners. We have a Resources page with links to skin tone conversions, Pride Flag colours, International alphabet and sampler patterns, and more. There is also a blog where we plan to add more content and conversations beyond the existing directory.

Who can register and be added to the directory?

We encourage anyone who holds a marginalised identity, or combination of identities, to participate. This includes historically marginalised races or ethnicities, religions, LGBTQIA2S+, neurodivergence, and disabilities. Check out the FAQ page on the website for more information.