BLACKSTITCH
Celebrating mid-century Black creators through embroidered textiles
Rose White
Designer
Rose White
Rose White is an interior architect and designer. After earning a BFA cum laude in Interior Architecture & Design from Columbus College of Art & Design, she worked on commercial and institutional projects as a Junior Interior Designer at The Columbus Architectural Studio and as a Project Coordinator at Moody Nolan. In the MFA program in Design at UT Austin, her work has focused on uncovering and amplifying the histories of Black designers.
Take a Glance
About the Project
Project Overview
Blackstitch is a collection of embroidered textile patterns inspired by the works of mid-century Black creators. Black designers have contributed profoundly to American visual culture, yet their names and works have not been acknowledged in standard narratives of mainstream design history. As a Black designer myself, I craved role models: examples of Black designers who had been successful in the past. Finding the names of Black designers of the past—and locating images of their works—requires active, intentional effort. But it is worth it, not only to honor their contributions to design, but also to offer contemporary designers such as myself new sources of inspiration. The Blackstitch collection highlights how representation shapes contemporary design, showing that the presence of Black role models influences both who enters the field and the aesthetics of design itself.
Goal
Recognition & Canon Expansion
Identify, recover, and reinsert the stories of Black mid-century designers whose contributions to visual culture have been overlooked. This project challenges erasure by making their names and legacies visible again.
Historical Reinterpretation
Create work inspired by Black designers rather than the usual white canon. Riff on the aesthetics and values of overlooked Black mid-century modern creators.
Material & Cultural Preservation
Emphasize prints and patterns as carriers of meaning, culture, and resistance—especially against dominant modernist aesthetics.
Creative Inquiry & Confidence
Reignite personal creative confidence through research-driven design. Use historical Black design as a foundation for experimentation.
Engagement & Conversation
Interrogate design history, cultural erasure, and the storytelling power of pattern. Let the work provoke reflection and dialogue.
Outcome
A Collection of Embroidered Patterns
A series of textile-based designs inspired by the work of overlooked Black mid-century designers, created through generative reinterpretation.
A Visual Archive & Tribute
A body of work that not only preserves but also recontextualizes Black design contributions within Mid-Century Modernism.
A Critical Design Intervention
A project that challenges the exclusionary nature of design history by inserting Black designers into contemporary discourse.
An Exhibition or Presentation
Possibly displayed as part of Lattice or another design-focused space, showcasing the patterns and their historical references.
Accompanying Research or Writing
Contextual documentation, either through a book, article, or digital format, explaining the historical references and generative process behind the patterns.
External Resources
Featured Items
Rualdih!
Reviving a Traditional Chin Game
A design for the traditional Chin game Rualdih!, with Chin-language instructions and a carrying case featuring Chin forms and ornament, to promote language retention and intergenerational interaction.
Proposal for a Chin National Flag
Creating A Symbol of Unity and Identity
To address the lack of a clear, unifying symbol of the Chin people, I am proposing a new national flag design that incorporates symbols, colors, and motifs that all Chin people can unite behind.
Chin Planner-Notebook
Integrating Language, Culture, and Faith into Daily Life
A Chin planner-notebook that integrates Chin language, traditional wisdom, faith, and aesthetics into the daily routines of Chin-Americans.
Chin Patterns in Print
Bringing Chin Patterns into Everyday Use
Handmade woven Chin textiles are too expensive for daily use, so I designed printed patterns that echo the look of woven textiles but are less expensive.
Chin Coasters
Starting Conversations with Housewares
My coaster designs celebrate Chin language and faith in one of the most important everyday activities in any Chin household: shared meal times.
Prototype
01. Boogie Boogie
Prototype
01. Boogie Boogie
02. Blocked Out
03. You Are the Sunshine
04. Separate
05. Jumping Rhythm
01. Blocked Out
02. You Are the Sunshine
03. Separate
04. Jumping Rhythm
01. Blocked Out
Machine Embroidered Textile 002, Members Of Chicago's South Side Black Community Line A Portion Of Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Drive To Watch The Annual Bud Billiken Day Parade, 08/1973
02. You Are the Sunshine
Machine Embroidered Textile 001, Inspired by the original image, John H. White, Documerica, Members Of Chicago's South Side Black Community Line, A Portion Of Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Drive To Watch The Annual Bud Billiken Day Parade, 08/1973
03. Separate
Machine Embroidered Textile 006, Inspired by Gordon Parks, Department Store, 1956, photograph
04. Jumping Rhythm
Machine Embroidered Textile 004 Inspired by John H. White, Bud Billiken Day Parade As It Travels Chicago's South Side On Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Drive, 08/1973
What Took Me Here
Process
Background Research
I am a Chin-American myself, and I am active in Chin church and community groups, so I regularly interact with Chin-Americans of different villages and dialects. When we visit other congregations, I have paid attention to what those spaces look like, what is on the walls, what teaching materials they have for Sunday School, and how they set their tables for meals. What I’ve noticed is that despite how hard Chin-Americans work to sustain their cultural identity in the USA, they lack the kinds of instructional materials and everyday items that would make it easier for them to pass on their language and culture to younger generations. I started making some of the things I wish I had, and posted images on social media, and many other Chin-Americans who have seen those posts have asked me if I could make things for them. It became clear to me that there was a desire, even a longing, for everyday items that reflected our language, our holidays, our national symbols, and our aesthetics.
BBC Sunday School classroom with handwritten English Bible-quote posters on the wall, Dallas, TX, 2024.
ICBC Sunday School classroom wall with Bible-quote posters in English, Indianapolis, IN, 2024. Photo by Angela Par.
Making
I began by designing patterns inspired by mid-century Black creators, then digitized them and used a machine embroidery process to bring them to life. After training on the embroidery machine, I experimented with stitch types, refined my files, and tested how well my hand-drawn patterns translated to thread. Some pieces took up to eight hours, requiring significant trial and error. I completed seven embroidered designs, then explored applying them to sewn prototypes. While material and time limitations paused full production, the process revealed how care, craft, and tactility can honor Black creators and expand the possibilities of textile design.
Introducing and playtesting Rualdih! with the mixed-nationality English-speaking MFA in Design graduate students, Austin, TX, 2024, picture by Edward McFarland-Catalan.
Introducing and playtesting Rualdih! with the mixed-nationality English-speaking MFA in Studio Art cohort, Austin, TX, 2024.
What's Next
Conclusion
The works presented in this thesis reflect a deep commitment to preserving and promoting Chin culture, language, and faith within the diaspora. Through the creation of a Chin national flag, a traditional game, Chin-language planners and calendars, printed Chin cultural-inspired fabric, and everyday items like plate designs and coasters, I aim to bridge the gap between cultural heritage and contemporary life for Chin-Americans. These designs go beyond being decorative or functional; they are tools for cultural reinforcement, encouraging daily engagement with Chin language, faith, values, and traditions.
Next Steps
Moving forward, my goal is to increase access to my designs. In particular, I would like to distribute the Rualdih! game to Chin communities across the U.S. To further expand its influence, I plan to host workshops and organize Rualdih! competitions in more Chin communities, organizations, and churches.
I also aim to introduce the new Chin flag design to Chin communities in the U.S. and eventually to Chin people worldwide. I plan to accomplish this by making the flag available on my website and promoting it through social media, particularly Facebook, where many Chin people connect globally.
