B is for Buffalove

On Saturday, Lee Tetkowski and I went to Buffalo to visit the Stitch Buffalo fundraiser and to spend time with Lee's daughter, Diane. Lee is a retired art teacher and a weaver, so she has an interest in  supporting and encouraging the textile arts.

The fundraiser was held at the Resurgence Brewing Company at 1250 Niagara Street. The Resurgence Brewing Company brews such beers as "R&D Six," "Lovechild," and "Rich's Irish Red." 

The fundraiser was very well attended. It featured delicious foods, as well as a sale of handmade textiles. These textiles included tunics, hair clips, and embroidered hearts. All of the hearts were embroidered with the words "Buffalove."

Buffalove can be defined as a love of everything that has to do with Buffalo, which is called the "city of good neighbors." It's about the sports teams, even when they lose; the food (chicken wings and beef on weck??), the snow (there are two seasons in Buffalo: winter and the Fourth of July); the architecture (that's awesome and not advertised enough); Lake Erie; and so much more. 

Stitch Buffalo is an organization that supports refugee women, from such countries as Bhutan, Burma, Angola, and Nepal. The refugee women's workshops give the women a chance to work in textiles and to earn an income from the sale of the products. It was founded in 2014, with just one refugee woman. Three years later, more than 55 women participate in Stitch Buffalo.

Stitch Buffalo is raising money to create a textile arts studio on the west side of Buffalo. The facility would include a small retail space, and there would be opportunities for interested people to take community classes. 

For more information about Stitch Buffalo, check out this website: link to the "Stitch Buffalo" website.