Sew Their Names at the Wallace Center Workshop # 2
The Mt. Willing quilters from the Sew Their Names Project, the Wallace Center, and the Harpersville community came together for a beautiful day of connection, remembrance, and creativity to celebrate the lives of people who were enslaved on Wallace land.
Sew Their Names began as an act of reconciliation and remembrance in Lowndes County, Alabama. In 2021, the quilters gathered at the Snow Hill Christian Church pavilion to stitch the names of enslaved people found in Hopewell Baptist Church records onto small fabric blocks. Since then, the quilters have helped communities across Alabama honor the legacy of enslaved people through quilting.
On Saturday, September 13, 2025, the quilters joined with the Wallace and Harpersville community at Klein Baptist Church—a space the Wallace Center recently acquired—to honor the names of ancestors enslaved on the Wallace plantation. Together, participants sewed names onto fabric patches that will form a quilt. This quilt will honor the lives of people who lived on Wallace land and will also be part of an exhibition opening in October atthe Shelby County Arts Council, alongside works from celebrated quilters including Wini McQueen.
During the workshop, the quilters shared stories of people who had been enslaved and endured so that their descendants live today. The gathering was filled with strength, artistry, and inspiration through the healing work of embroidery.
Many thanks to the Alabama State Council on the Arts for funding this event.
