ChicagoansofNote Emma McKee (Stitchgawd) : “I really enjoy speaking truth to power. If I’m doing all this fun stuff for brands . . . I also have to be doing something that’s for the good of the people.” | ✍️ juggaloreporter
In 2012, Emma McKee taught herself to cross-stitch to make a Christmas present for her mother. Shortly after taking her talent public, she began making elaborate cross-stitched jackets for local hip-hop artists. Her first commission was for Chance the Rapper in 2014, but since then she’s worked with the likes of Lil Yachty and Saba. Most people know McKee as Stitch Gawd, a name she reluctantly adopted after, used it as a joke.
It was great, because I didn’t know anybody. I met a ton of people and became super enamored with the scene because I was getting credentials to go to venues and write about DJ sets. I remember seeing Kids These Days, which was’s first group. They had an album that was produced by Jeff Tweedy with a bunch of other folks on it who went on to do big things. But I remember seeing them and being like, “Well, if this is Chicago talent, I’m in the right place. This is gonna be big.
Cross-stitching calms my brain and helps me channel a lot of emotion. At first I was really self-conscious, though. I was making pieces about what I loved, which was rap music, but I kept it a secret. It just seemed like a really weird thing to be into. I still don’t totally realize how far this little thing has taken me. It feels unreal. I was just doing what felt natural to me: expressing my deep love and appreciation of these artists and musicians.
Before “Stitch Gawd,” people would always be like, “Oh, you’re the girl with the jacket.” But even then, I wasn’t trying to be the girl with the jacket. I made one piece, and it kind of spiraled out of control. My first, second, and third [commissioned] pieces were on magazine covers. Celebrities were wearing this stuff. And that was really early on!
I have discovered I have this influence through this art form. People are interested in talking to me. “Well, if I have this attention, then I need to use it for something bigger than me.” My first large cross-stitch was a nine-foot portrait of Chairman Fred Hampton. This was way before that movie came out, and people weren’t as aware of Fred Hampton because of the nature of his work and the state’s involvement in his death.
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