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Yesterday was the anniversary of TWELVE YEARS of W

Yesterday was the anniversary of TWELVE YEARS of Whipstitch. I wrote my very first Whipstitch blog post that day, where I announced my intention to launch a sewing lounge in Atlanta. It was part wild hope and part fervent desire to manifest the future, and even as I published the words I couldn’t have dreamed where it would take me. Not only did I open that sewing lounge, a retail shop that won Best of Atlanta every year it was open, but since then I published two best-selling books, taught more than two dozen online classes, hosted close to 6000 unique members in the @murdermysteryquilt, and made some dear friends through the @leagueofdressmakers. I know it’s what athletes say after every big win, but I am humbled and proud to look back and see where Whipstitch has taken me, and I feel honored and grateful for meeting so many of you along the way. I sort of figured, based on my previous work history, that I would sew for 5-7 years before getting bored with it and moving on to something else? But I haven’t gotten bored yet, and the eight five-subject notebooks I have that are stuffed with ideas makes me think I won’t any time soon. You guys. I’m just so thankful I get to do this for a living. MAYBE WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING SPECIAL??? Comments open for fun ideas of how to celebrate. Thank you, thank you, thank you, all of you. ❤️❤️❤️ 🎂 🎂 🎂1️⃣2️⃣🙌 MAJOR shout-out to @dadcation for his constant support and unwavering faith in me. Building a business that lasts this long takes having someone in your corner, and I’m lucky he’s in mine. #twelve years #anniversary #businessbirthday

I for real wear this #TovaTop with near constancy.

Ann Lowe was born in 1898 in a tiny town in Alabam

Ann Lowe was born in 1898 in a tiny town in Alabama. She became the first Black designer to have a shop on Madison Avenue. She designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding gown. And she was nearly forgotten—until a viral tweet last year led to an exhibition of her work through the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, which is currently showcasing six of her creations. Her work with fabric flowers alone deserves 100x the recognition she has received. I’m writing about her on my blog today as a Great Woman of Sewing. @nmaahc #greatwomeninsewing #linkinprofile #ontheblog

One step closer with this monster. Measures roughl

One step closer with this monster. Measures roughly 80” x 95” or so. I can’t even begin to think where I’ll baste it, but the back is already pieced and this project has been nearly TEN YEARS in a plastic bag so I’m just thrilled we are inching toward the finish line. #nauticalquilt #quiltersofinstagram #ilovestripes

I made a video for my staff last week prior to wri

I made a video for my staff last week prior to writing a public post about Whipstitch’s company stance on racial injustice. The post is live now, on my blog. Highlights: Black lives matter; the 13th Amendment is insanity; racism is not history, it’s the underpinning of more than most white people care to see, and is most invisible to those who most benefit from the system; organizations like @eji_org and @splcenter are doing amazing work, so I’m donating money there + Whipstitch is matching it; Whipstitch is also matching employee donations to organizations dedicated to working for racial justice, up to $500 per employee; I’ll be featuring Black makers in the next four+ installments of my #GreatWomenInSewing series to highlight the contributions of Black designers that have often been overlooked or outright hijacked. I’ve been shutting up for a long time, and I’m sorry for it. I want to humbly work with eyes open toward justice, in hope for a better future. (The comment I included in this video clip is referencing the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, AL which we visited when we saw the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. It is profound, and it is heart-breaking. @legacymuseum @mempeacejustice )

My husband retired yesterday after 23 years of mil

My husband retired yesterday after 23 years of military service. To say that the ceremony and celebration looked different than we had anticipated is beyond understatement. Between COVID and demonstrations taking place throughout our city, the whole event felt just a little surreal. He spent his entire military career as part of the medical service corps, arranging care and transport of wounded soldiers to bring them home and ensure their healing. He personally loaded Jessica Lynch on the cargo plane that returned her to the US. He deployed three times, twice to Iraq, including in 2003 when he was on the ground before most of us even knew there was a war.
He never calls attention to his efforts. He doesn’t ask for praise or accolades. He has always demonstrated through his commitment and actions that he sees the mission of serving others, protecting those who are vulnerable, healing those who are hurting, and speaking up for those without a voice, as a sacred one that we all share. So I found myself yesterday thinking of the ways in which his time in the military reflects the messages we are hearing so clearly right now, from the quiet willingness to wear a mask to keep others safe to the loud protests that call attention to injustice and anguish in our neighbors, that all of us belong to each other and that love is something we offer as a gift, in acts of sacrifice large and small.
Today is his birthday. I am honored and grateful to be married to a man who spent half his life serving in uniform, and who moves into the second half serving as a civilian, and who gives the gifts of kindness and dignity to every person he meets.
Happy retirement & happy birthday, Colonel. Thank you for your service.

Growing up, I was taught to avoid conflict, to "se

Growing up, I was taught to avoid conflict, to "seek peace." Conflict was something scary, something to avoid. Something to fear. I've spent the last couple of years digging deep into the things that scare me, learning to look them in the face and ask WHY they make me afraid.

Here's what I've learned about conflict: when we clash with someone else, that's how we know where it HURTS. Conflict is an indicator, like anger, that shows us where our deepest pain lies, and where we most need healing. I think that's true for individuals & it's true for nations.

I read a story recently of a man who worked in a nursing home where the residents routinely became violent and caused injury to the staff. His secret weapon when he felt emotions rise and begin to spiral was to look the person in the eyes and ask, "Where does it hurt?" He wrote that his question could invariably defuse the situation, because all of us want someone to NOTICE WE ARE HURTING.

My counselor told me she was stopped in her tracks when she read in a graduate school textbook, "Most people so closely equate feeling heard with feeling loved that they CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE." The destruction in Atlanta this week has brought me repeatedly to tears, but I don't want to get caught in the trap of believing, conveniently, that people who have been voiceless should stay that way because their anger has boiled over. Under that anger is bitterness, hopelessness, outrage, betrayal, and hurt. FOR GOOD REASON.

I feel angry and infuriated to wake up in a city I love & read people on social media, from the comfort of their homes, dismiss the protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd because they "don't condone violence." It's way more comfortable (and self-righteous) than acknowledging that WE ALREADY KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND DID NOTHING. Love IS the answer, peace IS the answer, but not a peace from ignoring or looking away. A peace built on HEARING.

I don't know what to do with my heartbreak today. But I know I don't want to forget the pain of seeing people who have been frightened and ignored and unheard for so long ask to be heard.

I want to know that I stood up and asked: WHERE DOES IT HURT?

THIS IS THE BIGGEST QUILT I HAVE EVER MADE.
That’s it. That’s the whole post.
#handmadeeveryday #quiltersofinstagram

By far one of my favorite details about the #moder

By far one of my favorite details about the #modernbabydolldress is the back neckline, where it swoops down into a V. Finished with bias tape, naturally. And yes, before I pressed the seam allowances on that quilt, I pressed the hem of my dress WHILE WEARING IT. You’re welcome. #memademay #thrillseeker #wildwoman

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all content copyright 2008-2020 Deborah Moebes/Whipstitch Industries LLC