Meet Monica Tetteh, the Creative Force Using Sewing to Spark a Movement

Growing up as a little girl in the Bronx, Ghanaian American Monica Tetteh understood the power and potential that a change of clothing could have. One of the 43-year-old Dallas event planner's fondest memories occurred every time the artist and her family would travel back to their home country of Ghana. Mid-journey, usually right before a connection flight from Amsterdam to Accra, the entire group would change into showstopping outfits.

It was the 1980s and Madonna's style was in vogue. In the bathroom of the airport, Tetteh and her sister donned the hot pink tulle skirts, matching gloves, and white collared tops that were all the rage. "We looked like we were going to a concert," she says with a laugh. She always remembered how those outfit changes made her feel.

The magician behind her family's transformation was her mother, Vivian Monyo. She was the thread that bound together many of Tetteh's memories. Her mother was always making something for somebody—wedding dresses, Halloween costumes, or special occasion clothing for people in the neighborhood. As talented as she was, she was determined that her children would never learn how to sew.

Courtesy of Monica Tetteh

When Tetteh would see her mom at her sewing machine, she would join her, trimming patterns and cutting out cloth, but her mother did not want her to learn the art of working with fabric. "It was always 'Go to school. You're going to be a nurse or this or that and not take up fashion.' In their minds working in fashion is not a career—it's a trade," she says.

As the eldest child, she felt the need to follow her parents' instructions and set a good example. Still, Tetteh's K-12 art instructors encouraged her to continue studying art, and the budding artist continued creating fashion illustrations in her sketchbook. She never lost her passion for designing clothing. She sought solace in extracurriculars like student government, where she learned she had the talent for bringing together people from all walks of life to work towards a common goal. After college graduation, Tetteh took what she knew about working with students and nurturing a community and searched for ways to apply her drive for inclusion. When she got married and relocated to Plano, Texas, not far from Dallas, Tetteh tried to find ways to connect with the community there.

Tetteh understood that there was a space that couldn't be filled by camaraderie—she missed her mother. Monyo passed in 2003, from brain cancer when Tetteh was 25 years old. "The day she passed away was the day I found out I was pregnant with my daughter," she says. Searching for a way to feel connected to Monyo, she decided to take up sewing. She took beginner classes through the Plano American Sewing Guild. The first project was a pillowcase. Next, a clutch. The final project for the class was to make one piece of custom clothing. Still drawn to tulle, she decided to make another skirt. Tetteh's Madonna days were long behind her, so she made the new skirt in the style of Carrie Bradshaw's from Sex and the City.

What she was unable to learn from classes, she taught herself through watching hours of YouTube. Once she had the basics down, she wanted to make friends interested in the same hobby. She insists there's more to the Dallas fashion scene than the cowboy boots, 10-gallon hats, and pageant dresses the region is known for. Tetteh's YouTube show That's Sew Monica highlights some of the fabric shops and fashion personalities around town. With the help of her sewing guild and the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department, she started Project Sew—a monthly free sewing group where people could connect and learn from one another. Locals could bring the projects they were working on and talk about them with others.

Courtesy of Monica Tetteh

Tetteh helps those who find themselves searching for something—whether that is education, camaraderie, or fellowship. "I'm really about community and bringing people together," she says. She also hosts #SewYourView, an online community where the group picks a pattern and each maker interprets the design differently, by choosing different fabrics and embellishments. Together with three other co-founders, she's launched Sewrority, an apparel company that sells clothing meant to strengthen the bond between sewers interested in pushing the boundaries. Many of Tetteh's friends think that sewing is for old ladies, and this group wants to make sure younger generations feel included, and welcome.

"We just wanted to showcase the love that we have for sewing and to share that bond," she says. "I always said, 'Sewing is the thread that brings us together. No matter what race, religion, or sexuality. We come together with that common thread. So, let's bond with that. We're making sure we're inclusive, so we'll be launching the men's collection very soon as well."

—Monica tetteh

Tetteh and her co-founders believe that the maker industry could be more welcoming—particularly to Black creators. Over the last year the country's become more aware of the systemic racism that impacts many facets of life for Black artists, but few of the brands that she patronized took a stance on the matter of equality. Tetteh and her friends noticed the lack of support from many of their chosen sewing and craft brands on #blackouttuesday in response to Black Lives Matter protests.

"With the death of Mr. Floyd last year… I, along with several other makers and crafters, was struck by the deafening silence of the brands that we work with. These are brands that we're ambassadors for and none of them said anything," Tetteh said. "We were taken aback. Like, you have Black makers. You've made money off of us. Are you going to say anything—that you support us as a community and our calls for justice?"

To galvanize the momentum of the moment, Tetteh, along with several of her peers, gathered on Zoom—to grieve, to vent, and then to figure out how to make meaningful change. The outcome of that three-hour meeting was the Black Makers Matter platform, which uses the handle @blkmakersmatter on Instagram. Within the week they had 10k followers, and now the handle has more than 39k people interested in learning more about the contributions of Black makers—including fiber artists, crafters, designers, and yarn dyers, past and present. In addition to featuring Black crafters, businesses, and institutions, the account highlights artists who have passed on, like Annie Lee, a well-known painter who received acclaim for her depictions of Black life.

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Tetteh insists that there's more to the movement than just posting on social media: "It was great to have those honest and difficult conversations. Now it's about holding people accountable and making sure it wasn't a performance. People see us posting on Mondays and Thursdays, and they don't see the work we're doing behind the scenes. We're educating people on inclusion and equity. We're meeting with brands and working to change the landscape for Black creators," she says. The Black crafters noticed the lack of diversity in print and social media marketing campaigns and now the group regularly consults with craft companies to discuss how they can better implement inclusion into their brand content.

As the group celebrates its one-year anniversary, Black Makers Matter continues to spotlight creators on their Instagram account, and right now Tetteh and her co-organizers are focused on the organization's future. There are plans for a Black makers camp for youth, and they're working to implement a scholarship program for that age range, too. Tetteh realizes that the group has work to do to make sure that the knowledge they have gets passed down to the next generation.

Down in Plano, Texas, the sewer is doing her part: after receiving several mommy-and-me pajama outfits and a custom-made skirt, Monica Tetteh's 16-year-old daughter wants to learn how to sew. Intentional about making sure her mother Vivian Monyo's memory is part of the family story, Tetteh intends to teach her daughter, nurturing the interests of a new generation of Black makers and continuing her family's sewing legacy.