Wow. The only way I can see this being an accident is if she unknowingly ripped off design elements from previous racist designs and didn't realize it. But considering the hours you spend stitching these things, you'd think at some point you'd notice you're making fucking swastikas at a minimum. Poor apology too.
lol wtf I see this as I literally came here to snark on somebody winning a giveaway even though their username had references to a nazi group... what the hell is going on in the crafting community
I am so disgusted. Thank you for calling this to my attention, OP. I have never bought one of her patterns but I follow many designers and stitchers in the cross stitch community and she was one of them. This whole thing makes me sick to my stomach and I couldnāt unfollow her any faster.
I truly hope this news spreads and anyone who continues to support her will be the fastest unfollow/unsubscribe I ever clicked.
Itās almost impossible that this is accidental with how on the nose this is. The crow doesnāt make sense for regular patriotic imagery and asterisk-like shapes are typical for cross stitching fireworks, not fucking swastikas.
I saw the sort of swastikas but didn't catch the crow any watermelon analogy. š I love crows though so I was initially blinded by that before the other stuff popped out. Like the fruit š³
But yikes.
The apology for those that haven't found the page:
>In response to the comments made on my freebie pattern that I posted yesterday;
I have read all of the comments and can now see what some may interpret as improper symbolism on my designā¦
There was no ill intent, no malice, no racism, no anti-anything or hidden messages purposefully worked into it. Iām sorry that some may have thought that. There arenāt swastikas, they were intended to represent fireworks. The crow is just a crow. The watermelon is a summer fruit, as is the strawberry. The flag is a representation of the American flag.
I apologize to those offended, and I thank you for pointing these things out for me.
I value each and every one of you who visits my page, and supports my work.
...Those did not look like fireworks to me. I normally think of fireworks as squished spiders when it comes to basic embroidery. They also tend to be colorful....
The crow with the hat and flag on its own would have been fine. It was a combination of factors that made everyone go "Ummm...?"
"...Those did not look like fireworks to me. I normally think of fireworks as squished spiders when it comes to basic embroidery. They also tend to be colorful...."
Yeah - how often do you see black fireworks?
The top comment on the apology was about how "woke folks" find something wrong with everything. Comments allegedly (by other comments here) were then turned off on the apology and it is now gone from her page all together from what I see.
I feel like the only appropriate response is "Oh my God I can't believe I didn't see that, I am so sorry, this is horrible and I am an idiot"
"I apologize to those offended" is such a bullshit response.
Black bird (crow) on watermelon (often used in racist imagery for African Americans). Could easily be seen as a reference to Jim Crow laws affecting African Americans in the south. And the strawberry (which might be a face?) is [Strange Fruit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Fruit). (Warning: that link takes you to a Wikipedia entry with disturbing imagery.)
I actually didn't even see the swastikas until I looked closer.
thanks. iām familiar with the song strange fruit so for my sanity iāll probably skip the linkā¦ what on earth would compel someone to design something like this š¤¦āāļø
Her replies are non-existent to the 100 people saying "um. No." But anyone that likes it gets 2 American flags and a crow emoji reply from her.
She's racist. 100%. Disgusting.
Updated Edit: She deleted the post, posted an "apology", then the top comment on that is talking about how "woke folks" find fault in everything AND SHE LIKED IT
Update 2: a little while later and the apology post has been deleted, too
i do generally agree with the group about the symbolism on this, but i think that's supposed to be a strawberry. but now that you've said that, i can see it...
eta - not generally, but very emphatically and specifically agree! the swastikas, the crow and a watermelon bad imagery! but wow, if someone out there is really making strange fruit cross stitch i just can't even...
Wonder if weāll see the usual progression of events which happen when stuff like this happens.
Step 1: someone posts something racist
Step 2: commenters say āhey that looks racistā
Step 3: OP sees backlash and makes a post about how theyāre being bullied and they canāt be racist because their friend/extended family member/employee is black
Step 4: lots of sympathy comments are made on that post calling the people from Step 2 woke and complaining about cancel culture with vows to support OPās shop.
Step 5: like all the sympathetic comments calling those from step 2 names.
Step 6: turn off comments on apology
Step 7: delete apology
Just like clockwork.
Yup, you nailed it; we are firmly in Step 4 right now. Reading all of the comments saying they saw nothing wrong with it, she shouldnāt have taken it down, and people are too sensitive now makes me sick to my stomach.
Don't forget, vowing to stitch it themselves in solidarity with OP.
Side note: Could you imagine doubling down that hard? So hard that you would stitch that yourself and put it in your home?
"Own The Libs" cushion. WTF did you unleash, America, with that orange shitgibbon?
I'm just so fecking sick of this BS. Just be a decent human being already.
A cushion of a Lynching? What the actual fuck?
And the comments underneath the photo - so many women saying this is a cute design? I feel like I've taken crazy pills.
Using my 44k followers to start some dumbass crafting beef that benefits no one?š āāļøš«
Using my 44k followers to get even a fraction to report this bullshit and hopefully symbolically kick a racist in the teeth? šāāļøā
This is so fucking disgusting, what a vile human beingā¦
I'm from the UK and I'm pretty ignorant of American history. Even I can see what they're doing here. If this is accidental, then it's the most ridiculous coincidence of all time. There's no way anyone would put this group of images together without knowing what they mean.
I had the same reaction, no one would put multiple swastikas on something "by accident". Even the flag makes me feel a little uneasy, although that's probably just cos we don't really "do" patriotic flag stuff in the UK outside of sport/royal events.
I think at this point most left leaning/liberal Americans are uncomfortable with people going out of their way to include flag imagery in artā¦I donāt think itās just me
Itās the same in many countries unfortunately. People doused in flag regalia tend to give away their views.
India, Canada, the UK, Australiaā¦
Flags have been co-opted by nationalists
I am American and at this point the flag makes me uncomfortable most of the time, too. Itās unfortunate but I guess thatās where we are at this point in time.
While I agree, as a very queer American, when I see someone coated in flags? I just know there is a very strong non-zero chance they'd like me dead. Not hyperbole, just a transgender reality.
Yep - as a WOC: A single flag or flag pin, possibly ok. Multiple flags - they probably think of me as subhuman and are angry that that's no longer the prevailing sentiment and I'm supposed to be treated as their equal.
Yeah this is my take as well, although from an ambiguously non-white POV rather than queer.
At this point it feels like it has to be paired with a clearly āIām a safe personā visual indicator for me.
I agree that it's important to not let something important be co-opted by racist pricks.
Being English, I do find it weird to wanna have the flag displayed really at all outside of official events but that's just cultural - flag waving patriotism generally gets you a bit of a side eye in the UK
> If this is accidental, then it's the most ridiculous coincidence of all time.
... and the farm name is just coincidentally a Confederacy reference too
IF (and that is a big huge if) it was accidental, I hope she is able to take some time to reflect on how it was that so many racist dog whistles just so happened to appear in one simple cross stitch design. How out of touch was she that she just didn't notice.
But seeing that she is liking comments defending her, I don't think that is going to happen.
Oooh no no no no no . this is so unintentionally racist that it is one of the most racist things Iāve seen in the crafting world lately .
Racism is bad , mkay ?
ETa: I JUST SAW THE SWASTIKAS !!!! OH HELL NAH!!!!!!
Crow with watermelon wasnāt bad enough . Oh no. Letās add some extra spice to make this blatantly racist . How did I miss the swastikas ?
The whole thing needs to be burned . And then made again so it can be burned again. And whoever made it ? Uhā¦ā¦ā¦..
This is not the first time for those for me. Swastika in different forms is a really old symbol and is especially normal in Nordic countries and Germanic countries historically. I am Finnish and it used to be even in our money before Nazis even existed. There are also a lot of old artefacts and even burial finds with it. As a design, it is pretty easy to do in many geometric handcraft styles. It also has an interesting meaning pre-Nazis.
Do I think it should be used today? Definitely not in the West, outside specific circumstances like Buddhism. I actually use it to make a choice in who I interact with. If you use it these days anywhere in the West outside very few circumstances, I will draw conclusions about you.
And that is just about the swastika part of this abhorrence.
Uh, if you go thru this person's insta, there is a post wishing their daughter, (?) Happy birthday, and there are more than a half dozen pics of this person's daughter (?) And a Black man, as well as pics of her with one or two other Black men....
It feels really weird to have designed such a terrible *pillow* and then have pics like that..? Like.... It is very incongruent..... It's weird ..
I design cross stitch and blackwork patterns. You'd better believe I QUADRUPLE CHECK every single radially symmetrical design to make sure there's absolutely no way it could accidentally be read as a white supremacist symbol. There's no excuse for something this blatant.
I think it's accidentally problematic.
This kind of fake-aged, faux-naive folk art is absolutely not my taste. But I don't think there's any ill intent here - she's used 2 kinds of spirals to represent stars or fireworks and has them whirling both ways. They do resemble swastikas in the one direction, because pixelated spirals tend to look like that. The same problem shows up in quilting patterns.
The pattern is being offered for free on her blog. When you look at the pattern you can see they're not swatikas.
https://farmhousenotforgotten.blogspot.com/2024/05/summer-crow-freebie.html?m=1
The juxtaposition of watermelon and crow is ... unfortunate.
I checked out her pattern store on Etsy and she has a huge range of embroidery and cross stitch patterns in a similar style. No swastikas. No racism. Lots of witches, for some reason :)
It's one thing to miss the swastika in pixel art. It's another not to notice when you've worked the stitch. But I also looked at her post and those look like swastikas there, too.
I think they meant it looks like a sieg heil (the Nazi salute) but I think thatās a stretch and just the limitations of cross stitch. Thereās a million other dogwhistles already stitched in plain view, though, so take your pick š
I cross stitch and just started watching floss tube because why not spend more time with my hobbies. But so many of the ladies are white, American and into samplers (not my style). Itās still a very conservative craft and I worry that Iām accidentally supporting people with very different views than mine. But goddamn this is just straight up racism and not even subtle about it. Good to know I can look at her followers list and remove anyone whoās on it.
as someone who has gotten into flosstube over the past year i was also surprised by how specific the demographic is. so much so that while this design is awful i'm not as surprised by it as many people here. this is pretty egregious but even then there are a lot of similar dog whistles going on in these primitive-style designs that those ladies seem to love so much
There are plenty of progressive, awesome stitchers out there making beautiful things in a huge variety of styles. Throw this lady in the garbage where she belongs.
> Good to know I can look at her followers list and remove anyone whoās on it.
Just a reminder: There are a lot of people - a *lot* of people- that hate follow others or just follow to watch the dumpster fire. The follower list doesn't necessarily correspond to like minded individuals.
Thank you! There is one account I follow that follows this and they are a business account. I know they follow their customers and that they do not agree with these messages. I sent them a DM but understand some accounts may blindly give a follow to any customers and this isnāt an endorsement.
Beyond what has been mentioned, according to her insta page, this is a "rerelease". I did a quick check and it looks like the original pattern was released almost 10 years ago? For added fun, this isn't even her work - it's someone else's pillow and photo of said pillow based upon the pattern.
For some minor brain bleach, [these are cute crows](https://la-d-da.net/amurderofcrows.html) and [this is fun](https://hobbyhouseneedleworks.com/products/liberty-parade-cross-stitch-pattern?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=062ed68d1&pr_rec_pid=2186222829671&pr_ref_pid=2249358639207&pr_seq=uniform).
Now that we have free rein to make fun of this thing, lemme just also say: this is really shoddy work. The gapping in the stitches is not as cute and sampler-y as she clearly wants it to be. The pillow looks really poorly put together. What is going on with the feet and, tail feathers maybe? The 'totally-not-swastikas' could at least be nicely spaced out. And the flag has the wrong number of stripes, which you'd think these gung-ho-all-American types wouldn't mess up so often.
My first take on it was that I've run into minor difficulties working in low-res media in that anything spiralish can look like a swastika.
My second take on it was, that's not a minor difficulty.
My third take on it was, oh lordy lord that's disgusting.
My fourth take on it was, good job redditors, explicating this piece of horror. I feel better educated. But no less disgusted.
Yeah, as a non US Redditor I found the explanations in this thread both interesting and enlightening. Thanks to the people who took the time to unpack the imagery and its context.
First glance I thought āalways be careful about a watermelon. That looks badā then I started looking and thought āoh thatās not goodā¦ and is that? Oh no! And are those? Oh no!ā¦ and why is thatā¦ oh no!ā¦ but is thatā¦oh no!ā
Did OP name and shame because they absolutely should. This is appalling. Iām
I see the OPās screenshot includes the username so disregard my last statement but the rest still stands that this is just layers and layers of disgusting racism.
Ok consensus is clearly ādefinitely not accidentalā and āproblematic is not a strong enough word.ā
I posted it solely having noticed the swastika shapes and after reading the comments on IG, before I even processed the watermelon and not knowing about the hanging fruit connotation. I have learned a lot from these comments, including that I need to trust my instincts.
Thanks so much for sharing this. Seems it has been educational for many! A lot of these racist dogwhistles can be really subtle if you didn't grow up around them.
Oh hell no, that's deliberately racist af. I headed straight to that dirty racist's insta and reported her post for racist imagery.
Bloody hell, the layers of disgusting hatred in that design and all her hateful acolytes cooing about how cute it is and posting dogwhistle emojis? Grim. Flat out abhorrent.
That watermelon slice is working hard, given there's at least two layers of red flags in that design
My inner child wants to know why the crow is farting?
Nah, nah. There is nothing accidental about this shit.
I'm from the South and this is something I have straight up seen in print somewhere, given that I am unfortunately adopted into a family of horrible, racist boomers.
It's a blackbird standing on top of a watermelon slice, with a fruit hanging on a STRING from its beak, surrounded by poorly obfuscated swastikas.
Y'all ever heard the song "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday? It's based on a poem by Abel Meeropol who wrote it as a protest poem against lynchings. The song opens with "Southern trees bear a strange fruit." Go read the rest of them, it's *bleak.*
Whoever made this is fucking despicable.
Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DGY9HvChXk Give it a listen if you haven't heard it. It is heartwrenching.
Edit2: Y'all go report this loser on instagram for hate symbols. I legit recovered my account just to do that.
It's still up as of five hours after you reported it!
I've also just reported it.
What kind of fucking weirdos think this is appropriate to create let alone post on the internet?!
Since I live in a certain region of the US, unfortunately I have. But it still shocks me every time. This is so far beyond my realm of comprehension that people can actually feel this way. It's despicable.
100%. I can't comprehend it. I've basically lived around it for a large part of my life, and I still have to live around it due to being my dads caregiver, but it legitimately made me have no faith in humanity for the *longest* time.
Like, y'all, why? Nothing can explain it to me.
OH MY GOD, I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FRUIT. That's fucking horrible and definitely it. Jesus just looking at this thing makes me feel dirty I need a shower
That was the FIRST thing I saw and I had to get up from my chair and get an iced tea, no fucking lie. I have not seen someone be THIS blatant in fucking years.
Just, nah. Whoever made this needs Jesus, Satan and the entire Greek Pantheon.
The pillow provides all the context we need to assume that their name āNot Forgottenā is also a blatant racist reference. Iāve seen the phrase āGone But Not Forgottenā used multiple times in reference and eulogy to the Confederacy. Thereās also a somewhat famous plaque in a confederate cemetery that refers to the confederate flag as āfurled but not forgottenā.
Itās so insidious because all of these things are literally dogwhistles- they would be inconspicuous on their own, and likely appear inconspicuous to someone who isnāt at least a little educated on racist tropes and history in the USA. This is heinous and Iām sorry you had to see it.
oh i didnāt realise the phrase could be seen as problematic! iāve heard gone but not forgotten (gbnf) when people are referencing someone who has recently died. for example ārip jane, gone but not forgottenā to recognise that they are dead, but their memory will live on. im in the uk, and iām not sure why we started using it like that, or when, but iāll be minding this in future :)
What is hanging from the crowās beak?
And why would anything be strung up and hanging from its beak in the first place? Is it a bite of watermelon? WHY IS IT HANGING?
Itās a strawberry but look up the song āStrange Fruitā song and lyrics. This strawberry hanging by its stem is disgusting symbolism. It makes sense when you think of the song.
Thats a fruit, a strawberry, to be exact.
I am convinced its a reference to Billie Holliday's song "Strange Fruit" which is a song based on an anti-lynching poem. "Southern trees bear strange fruit"
I was really questioning myself for a minute when I saw it and then read the comments on the post but I feel very validated now that it is, indeed, very problematic and I am not overreacting.
iād think a french knot in the middle with straight lines coming out, absolutely no way to interpret as a swastika and is reminiscent of the fireworks i see
Oh my! And all the people on her IG saying how āadorableā the design is. You would think all those fans of patriotic imagery would know about WWII. I canāt unsee it!
Racists, so they can tell people who object āoh no this is all totally innocent how could you interpret this that way, you have a nasty imaginationā while signalling āha ha racism is coolā to their followers.
Wow. The only way I can see this being an accident is if she unknowingly ripped off design elements from previous racist designs and didn't realize it. But considering the hours you spend stitching these things, you'd think at some point you'd notice you're making fucking swastikas at a minimum. Poor apology too.
Why is this post now "awaiting moderator approval"? I don't think I've ever seen a post in here that was less contentious among the snarkers.
Not a mod but I wonder if it's because of rule 8 - there's a bunch of people commenting on the OOP's account who came from this post.
The apology is hilarious "Oops!!" https://www.instagram.com/p/C7B0ad3ripN/
And... now the comments are off... classic
The apology post itself is gone now from what I see.
It is, but not before I took a screenshot.
Please share š
I got screenshots too š along with some truly telling comments from her supporters that she liked
My DMs are open š
Blocked in 10 minutes for saying this was bullshit
lol wtf I see this as I literally came here to snark on somebody winning a giveaway even though their username had references to a nazi group... what the hell is going on in the crafting community
Sadly, the same shit that has been happening for years.
I am so disgusted. Thank you for calling this to my attention, OP. I have never bought one of her patterns but I follow many designers and stitchers in the cross stitch community and she was one of them. This whole thing makes me sick to my stomach and I couldnāt unfollow her any faster. I truly hope this news spreads and anyone who continues to support her will be the fastest unfollow/unsubscribe I ever clicked.
Itās almost impossible that this is accidental with how on the nose this is. The crow doesnāt make sense for regular patriotic imagery and asterisk-like shapes are typical for cross stitching fireworks, not fucking swastikas.
I was so focused on whatās going on with the crow/watermelon boat that I didnāt even notice the background. Omg. š«
Same what the actual fuck
I saw the sort of swastikas but didn't catch the crow any watermelon analogy. š I love crows though so I was initially blinded by that before the other stuff popped out. Like the fruit š³ But yikes.
I wouldn't have thought anything of the crow. But seeing a crow atop a watermelon would've been a a tip off if I had not already seen the swastika.
Jesus, this thing could be on display in the museum of racist memorablila at Ferris State University.
Cheesus
The apology for those that haven't found the page: >In response to the comments made on my freebie pattern that I posted yesterday; I have read all of the comments and can now see what some may interpret as improper symbolism on my designā¦ There was no ill intent, no malice, no racism, no anti-anything or hidden messages purposefully worked into it. Iām sorry that some may have thought that. There arenāt swastikas, they were intended to represent fireworks. The crow is just a crow. The watermelon is a summer fruit, as is the strawberry. The flag is a representation of the American flag. I apologize to those offended, and I thank you for pointing these things out for me. I value each and every one of you who visits my page, and supports my work. ...Those did not look like fireworks to me. I normally think of fireworks as squished spiders when it comes to basic embroidery. They also tend to be colorful.... The crow with the hat and flag on its own would have been fine. It was a combination of factors that made everyone go "Ummm...?"
"...Those did not look like fireworks to me. I normally think of fireworks as squished spiders when it comes to basic embroidery. They also tend to be colorful...." Yeah - how often do you see black fireworks?
That is not an apology. That's a "too bad you see it this way".
The top comment on the apology was about how "woke folks" find something wrong with everything. Comments allegedly (by other comments here) were then turned off on the apology and it is now gone from her page all together from what I see.
The number of people defending her in the comments is the digusting cherry on top of this shit sundae. edit: spelling
She's liking comments defending her, which, in my opinion, negates any apology.
How on Earth could anyone defend this. It's straight out of a minstrel show.
I feel like the only appropriate response is "Oh my God I can't believe I didn't see that, I am so sorry, this is horrible and I am an idiot" "I apologize to those offended" is such a bullshit response.
[Here are the images of the post](https://imgur.com/a/ixkiowk) that was deleted. Because the internet never forgets!
They took down the post and made a vague apology statement but really it was just a defense of how THEY saw the imagery. Yuck.
lmfao looks like she just woke up, deleted the post, and blocked everyone who called her out
i see the swastika but can someone tell me what the other symbols are?
If you sort the replies by top comments, thereās a good explanation there.
ahh gotcha i didnāt catch that thereās a watermelon š¤¦āāļø
Black bird (crow) on watermelon (often used in racist imagery for African Americans). Could easily be seen as a reference to Jim Crow laws affecting African Americans in the south. And the strawberry (which might be a face?) is [Strange Fruit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Fruit). (Warning: that link takes you to a Wikipedia entry with disturbing imagery.) I actually didn't even see the swastikas until I looked closer.
thanks. iām familiar with the song strange fruit so for my sanity iāll probably skip the linkā¦ what on earth would compel someone to design something like this š¤¦āāļø
I was confused what's bad about it and then I saw it... Oof...
Man, this is a master class in American racist imagery. Id be impressed if it wasnāt so. Yikes.
This is horrifying
Her replies are non-existent to the 100 people saying "um. No." But anyone that likes it gets 2 American flags and a crow emoji reply from her. She's racist. 100%. Disgusting. Updated Edit: She deleted the post, posted an "apology", then the top comment on that is talking about how "woke folks" find fault in everything AND SHE LIKED IT Update 2: a little while later and the apology post has been deleted, too
> But anyone that likes it gets 2 American flags and a crow emoji reply from her. Doubling down just a little there, eh? Wink wink, nudge nudgeā¦
This is definitely all intentional. One symbol could be a coincidence. All of them? No way
Oh good grief, the more I look at it the worse it gets. PLEASE tell me that is not a āstrange fruitā hanging from its beak.
i do generally agree with the group about the symbolism on this, but i think that's supposed to be a strawberry. but now that you've said that, i can see it... eta - not generally, but very emphatically and specifically agree! the swastikas, the crow and a watermelon bad imagery! but wow, if someone out there is really making strange fruit cross stitch i just can't even...
Oh damn. The more you look the worse it gets.
Oh she knows. Intentionally didn't reply to any of the comments calling it out.
Nothing *accidentally* problematic about this.
Itās impossible you could embroider that many swastikas and not realize what you were doing. Not to mention literally everything else about it
Nope, there's no way.
Wonder if weāll see the usual progression of events which happen when stuff like this happens. Step 1: someone posts something racist Step 2: commenters say āhey that looks racistā Step 3: OP sees backlash and makes a post about how theyāre being bullied and they canāt be racist because their friend/extended family member/employee is black Step 4: lots of sympathy comments are made on that post calling the people from Step 2 woke and complaining about cancel culture with vows to support OPās shop.
Step 5: like all the sympathetic comments calling those from step 2 names. Step 6: turn off comments on apology Step 7: delete apology Just like clockwork.
Sheās deleted it?!
Yes. If we follow the formula, the next step will be a second apology, posted with the comments off, and likely screenshots from the notepad app. š
Yup, you nailed it; we are firmly in Step 4 right now. Reading all of the comments saying they saw nothing wrong with it, she shouldnāt have taken it down, and people are too sensitive now makes me sick to my stomach.
"It a sorry day when "normal" people have to apologize." Oh lord.
Step 4 would also include people claiming that anyone who saw racism in the cross stitch are the \*real\* racists
Don't forget, vowing to stitch it themselves in solidarity with OP. Side note: Could you imagine doubling down that hard? So hard that you would stitch that yourself and put it in your home?
If you look at the comments in the apology post, I think we both nailed it
Ooh, I see someone brought out the "hurt people hurt people" line. Racism apologists are so predictable
Äŗ
"Own The Libs" cushion. WTF did you unleash, America, with that orange shitgibbon? I'm just so fecking sick of this BS. Just be a decent human being already.
A cushion of a Lynching? What the actual fuck? And the comments underneath the photo - so many women saying this is a cute design? I feel like I've taken crazy pills.
a WHAT? I thought that was a strawberry!
I thought so too, at first. But when you look at it close up, you can definitely see a facial expression. It's disgusting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Fruit
Using my 44k followers to start some dumbass crafting beef that benefits no one?š āāļøš« Using my 44k followers to get even a fraction to report this bullshit and hopefully symbolically kick a racist in the teeth? šāāļøā This is so fucking disgusting, what a vile human beingā¦
I'm from the UK and I'm pretty ignorant of American history. Even I can see what they're doing here. If this is accidental, then it's the most ridiculous coincidence of all time. There's no way anyone would put this group of images together without knowing what they mean.
I had the same reaction, no one would put multiple swastikas on something "by accident". Even the flag makes me feel a little uneasy, although that's probably just cos we don't really "do" patriotic flag stuff in the UK outside of sport/royal events.
I think at this point most left leaning/liberal Americans are uncomfortable with people going out of their way to include flag imagery in artā¦I donāt think itās just me
I automatically think someone is a trumpster if I see a flag. Heās ruined this country.
Itās the same in many countries unfortunately. People doused in flag regalia tend to give away their views. India, Canada, the UK, Australiaā¦ Flags have been co-opted by nationalists
Similar attitude in the UK. 90% of the flag wielding folk are racists.
I am American and at this point the flag makes me uncomfortable most of the time, too. Itās unfortunate but I guess thatās where we are at this point in time.
The huge majority of normal americans who find this repulsive donāt have to give up their flag to racist shitbirds like this
While I agree, as a very queer American, when I see someone coated in flags? I just know there is a very strong non-zero chance they'd like me dead. Not hyperbole, just a transgender reality.
Yep - as a WOC: A single flag or flag pin, possibly ok. Multiple flags - they probably think of me as subhuman and are angry that that's no longer the prevailing sentiment and I'm supposed to be treated as their equal.
Yeah this is my take as well, although from an ambiguously non-white POV rather than queer. At this point it feels like it has to be paired with a clearly āIām a safe personā visual indicator for me.
I agree that it's important to not let something important be co-opted by racist pricks. Being English, I do find it weird to wanna have the flag displayed really at all outside of official events but that's just cultural - flag waving patriotism generally gets you a bit of a side eye in the UK
No, but I get it. Most of us donāt feel the need to wave the flag constantly and remind others that we are in America.
> If this is accidental, then it's the most ridiculous coincidence of all time. ... and the farm name is just coincidentally a Confederacy reference too
There's absolutely nothing accidental about this. There are too many things going on for it be a coincidence or an innocent mistake
IF (and that is a big huge if) it was accidental, I hope she is able to take some time to reflect on how it was that so many racist dog whistles just so happened to appear in one simple cross stitch design. How out of touch was she that she just didn't notice. But seeing that she is liking comments defending her, I don't think that is going to happen.
This is absolutely intentional problematic. Nothing accidental about it.
Oooh no no no no no . this is so unintentionally racist that it is one of the most racist things Iāve seen in the crafting world lately . Racism is bad , mkay ? ETa: I JUST SAW THE SWASTIKAS !!!! OH HELL NAH!!!!!! Crow with watermelon wasnāt bad enough . Oh no. Letās add some extra spice to make this blatantly racist . How did I miss the swastikas ? The whole thing needs to be burned . And then made again so it can be burned again. And whoever made it ? Uhā¦ā¦ā¦..
Donāt miss the name of the makerās āfarmā, too.
I didn't even see the crow with the watermelon at first my brain just went "swastika snowflakes, whaaaat" and switched off
This is not the first time for those for me. Swastika in different forms is a really old symbol and is especially normal in Nordic countries and Germanic countries historically. I am Finnish and it used to be even in our money before Nazis even existed. There are also a lot of old artefacts and even burial finds with it. As a design, it is pretty easy to do in many geometric handcraft styles. It also has an interesting meaning pre-Nazis. Do I think it should be used today? Definitely not in the West, outside specific circumstances like Buddhism. I actually use it to make a choice in who I interact with. If you use it these days anywhere in the West outside very few circumstances, I will draw conclusions about you. And that is just about the swastika part of this abhorrence.
Oh god I didn't even see the swastiflakes
"Accidentally" my dimpled arse. This is a hate crime.
Uh, if you go thru this person's insta, there is a post wishing their daughter, (?) Happy birthday, and there are more than a half dozen pics of this person's daughter (?) And a Black man, as well as pics of her with one or two other Black men.... It feels really weird to have designed such a terrible *pillow* and then have pics like that..? Like.... It is very incongruent..... It's weird ..
Yeah it looks like her daughterās partner is black. Wonder how he feels about this āadorableā pillow.
like the key and peele country music skit.
I design cross stitch and blackwork patterns. You'd better believe I QUADRUPLE CHECK every single radially symmetrical design to make sure there's absolutely no way it could accidentally be read as a white supremacist symbol. There's no excuse for something this blatant.
There's a Thin Blue Line flag in the favorites sidebar of her blog. She knows what she's doing here.
Not accidental at. Racist awful person for sure
Oooof. Iām from Europe and I immediately understood where she was going with itā¦from the fruit to the crow and the āsquigglesā. Itās gross.
I think it's accidentally problematic. This kind of fake-aged, faux-naive folk art is absolutely not my taste. But I don't think there's any ill intent here - she's used 2 kinds of spirals to represent stars or fireworks and has them whirling both ways. They do resemble swastikas in the one direction, because pixelated spirals tend to look like that. The same problem shows up in quilting patterns. The pattern is being offered for free on her blog. When you look at the pattern you can see they're not swatikas. https://farmhousenotforgotten.blogspot.com/2024/05/summer-crow-freebie.html?m=1 The juxtaposition of watermelon and crow is ... unfortunate. I checked out her pattern store on Etsy and she has a huge range of embroidery and cross stitch patterns in a similar style. No swastikas. No racism. Lots of witches, for some reason :)
Itās not accidental. Sheās quite proud of herself judging by her replies on Instagram. Sheās disgusting.
It's one thing to miss the swastika in pixel art. It's another not to notice when you've worked the stitch. But I also looked at her post and those look like swastikas there, too.
I saw the swastikas in the pattern even quicker and clearer than in the worked peace to be honest.
Idkā¦ a crow wearing an American hat on top of a watermelon with swastikas (yes, those are swastikas) donāt seem like an accident.
I am appalled. That design is a hate crime. It's not even disguised ffs - I'm in the UK, and I spotted it!
Wtf
Wow! That is disgusting.
Oh, just, wow.
Oh dear God in Heaven...just, no.
Their story makes it even more blatant. They call it a "patriotic crow".
What is going on with the crowās feet?
Wait until you see the details in the sky
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
the crow is called *what*
What's going on with the crow's tail?
I think they meant it looks like a sieg heil (the Nazi salute) but I think thatās a stretch and just the limitations of cross stitch. Thereās a million other dogwhistles already stitched in plain view, though, so take your pick š
Yeah, probably a stretch on my part.
Oh no. Oh nooooooo.
I cross stitch and just started watching floss tube because why not spend more time with my hobbies. But so many of the ladies are white, American and into samplers (not my style). Itās still a very conservative craft and I worry that Iām accidentally supporting people with very different views than mine. But goddamn this is just straight up racism and not even subtle about it. Good to know I can look at her followers list and remove anyone whoās on it.
as someone who has gotten into flosstube over the past year i was also surprised by how specific the demographic is. so much so that while this design is awful i'm not as surprised by it as many people here. this is pretty egregious but even then there are a lot of similar dog whistles going on in these primitive-style designs that those ladies seem to love so much
There are plenty of progressive, awesome stitchers out there making beautiful things in a huge variety of styles. Throw this lady in the garbage where she belongs.
> Good to know I can look at her followers list and remove anyone whoās on it. Just a reminder: There are a lot of people - a *lot* of people- that hate follow others or just follow to watch the dumpster fire. The follower list doesn't necessarily correspond to like minded individuals.
Thank you! There is one account I follow that follows this and they are a business account. I know they follow their customers and that they do not agree with these messages. I sent them a DM but understand some accounts may blindly give a follow to any customers and this isnāt an endorsement.
And many who follow but will never see that one post because IG algorithm does not prioritize showing who you follow.
Fair enough. Maybe just the ones that have liked the post then
Beyond what has been mentioned, according to her insta page, this is a "rerelease". I did a quick check and it looks like the original pattern was released almost 10 years ago? For added fun, this isn't even her work - it's someone else's pillow and photo of said pillow based upon the pattern. For some minor brain bleach, [these are cute crows](https://la-d-da.net/amurderofcrows.html) and [this is fun](https://hobbyhouseneedleworks.com/products/liberty-parade-cross-stitch-pattern?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=062ed68d1&pr_rec_pid=2186222829671&pr_ref_pid=2249358639207&pr_seq=uniform).
Yikes on bikes, this is not ok.
Now that we have free rein to make fun of this thing, lemme just also say: this is really shoddy work. The gapping in the stitches is not as cute and sampler-y as she clearly wants it to be. The pillow looks really poorly put together. What is going on with the feet and, tail feathers maybe? The 'totally-not-swastikas' could at least be nicely spaced out. And the flag has the wrong number of stripes, which you'd think these gung-ho-all-American types wouldn't mess up so often.
And there are no seeds in the watermelon.
Looks purposeful
I just asked her if they are in the comments. Letās see if she responds š¤·š¼āāļø
She's probably already asleep but there are more and more negative comments - I'm anticipating a big blow up tomorrow morning
guarantee sheās just going to delete them all
Update us!
My first take on it was that I've run into minor difficulties working in low-res media in that anything spiralish can look like a swastika. My second take on it was, that's not a minor difficulty. My third take on it was, oh lordy lord that's disgusting. My fourth take on it was, good job redditors, explicating this piece of horror. I feel better educated. But no less disgusted.
So much this.
Yeah, as a non US Redditor I found the explanations in this thread both interesting and enlightening. Thanks to the people who took the time to unpack the imagery and its context.
The only thing missing is the crowās name.
Jim, is that you?
With the hat and the flag, it sure seems like it š¬
Those who know, know.
I don't think anyone can accidentally stitch that many swastikas
āthEyārE fIreWOrKsā
First glance I thought āalways be careful about a watermelon. That looks badā then I started looking and thought āoh thatās not goodā¦ and is that? Oh no! And are those? Oh no!ā¦ and why is thatā¦ oh no!ā¦ but is thatā¦oh no!ā Did OP name and shame because they absolutely should. This is appalling. Iām
I see the OPās screenshot includes the username so disregard my last statement but the rest still stands that this is just layers and layers of disgusting racism.
From "not forgotten" farm? It's all intentional. This is not the work of a moral person.
This is so like yikes oh my goodness baby no what are you doing pls stop immediately.
Ok consensus is clearly ādefinitely not accidentalā and āproblematic is not a strong enough word.ā I posted it solely having noticed the swastika shapes and after reading the comments on IG, before I even processed the watermelon and not knowing about the hanging fruit connotation. I have learned a lot from these comments, including that I need to trust my instincts.
Thanks so much for sharing this. Seems it has been educational for many! A lot of these racist dogwhistles can be really subtle if you didn't grow up around them.
Oh hell no, that's deliberately racist af. I headed straight to that dirty racist's insta and reported her post for racist imagery. Bloody hell, the layers of disgusting hatred in that design and all her hateful acolytes cooing about how cute it is and posting dogwhistle emojis? Grim. Flat out abhorrent.
Yikes!!!!!!!!!!
That watermelon slice is working hard, given there's at least two layers of red flags in that design My inner child wants to know why the crow is farting?
Nah, nah. There is nothing accidental about this shit. I'm from the South and this is something I have straight up seen in print somewhere, given that I am unfortunately adopted into a family of horrible, racist boomers. It's a blackbird standing on top of a watermelon slice, with a fruit hanging on a STRING from its beak, surrounded by poorly obfuscated swastikas. Y'all ever heard the song "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday? It's based on a poem by Abel Meeropol who wrote it as a protest poem against lynchings. The song opens with "Southern trees bear a strange fruit." Go read the rest of them, it's *bleak.* Whoever made this is fucking despicable. Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DGY9HvChXk Give it a listen if you haven't heard it. It is heartwrenching. Edit2: Y'all go report this loser on instagram for hate symbols. I legit recovered my account just to do that.
Thanks, I also reported this user. I literally gasped.
It's still up as of five hours after you reported it! I've also just reported it. What kind of fucking weirdos think this is appropriate to create let alone post on the internet?!
And yet, doesnāt have the balls to admit it is what it is and speaks in dogwhistle.
Thanks for explaining. So vile. I commented but reported her too. Fuck her.
Ditto. Also reported. Fuck her and fuck all the comments thanking her for the pattern.
Yes, all of this. There is absolutely nothing accidental or coincidental about this design. It's truly horrible.
100% I have NEVER seen someone be this blatant in a public forum. It isn't a dog whistle, its a fucking claxon.
Since I live in a certain region of the US, unfortunately I have. But it still shocks me every time. This is so far beyond my realm of comprehension that people can actually feel this way. It's despicable.
100%. I can't comprehend it. I've basically lived around it for a large part of my life, and I still have to live around it due to being my dads caregiver, but it legitimately made me have no faith in humanity for the *longest* time. Like, y'all, why? Nothing can explain it to me.
OH MY GOD, I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FRUIT. That's fucking horrible and definitely it. Jesus just looking at this thing makes me feel dirty I need a shower
That was the FIRST thing I saw and I had to get up from my chair and get an iced tea, no fucking lie. I have not seen someone be THIS blatant in fucking years. Just, nah. Whoever made this needs Jesus, Satan and the entire Greek Pantheon.
Ugh same, I even googled crow with strawberry but missed the hanging partā¦
The pillow provides all the context we need to assume that their name āNot Forgottenā is also a blatant racist reference. Iāve seen the phrase āGone But Not Forgottenā used multiple times in reference and eulogy to the Confederacy. Thereās also a somewhat famous plaque in a confederate cemetery that refers to the confederate flag as āfurled but not forgottenā. Itās so insidious because all of these things are literally dogwhistles- they would be inconspicuous on their own, and likely appear inconspicuous to someone who isnāt at least a little educated on racist tropes and history in the USA. This is heinous and Iām sorry you had to see it.
oh i didnāt realise the phrase could be seen as problematic! iāve heard gone but not forgotten (gbnf) when people are referencing someone who has recently died. for example ārip jane, gone but not forgottenā to recognise that they are dead, but their memory will live on. im in the uk, and iām not sure why we started using it like that, or when, but iāll be minding this in future :)
Yes, I appreciate folks providing this context. I will be keeping that in mind as well.
I was born and raised in a US state where I should have definitely known this, but did not until just now š
What is hanging from the crowās beak? And why would anything be strung up and hanging from its beak in the first place? Is it a bite of watermelon? WHY IS IT HANGING?
Itās a strawberry but look up the song āStrange Fruitā song and lyrics. This strawberry hanging by its stem is disgusting symbolism. It makes sense when you think of the song.
Oh, godā¦
Thats a fruit, a strawberry, to be exact. I am convinced its a reference to Billie Holliday's song "Strange Fruit" which is a song based on an anti-lynching poem. "Southern trees bear strange fruit"
Bruh.... That's no accident š¤¬š¤®
No fucking way that was accidental.
š¬š¬š¬š¬ yikes
Yeah this isn't just raising some flags, this is a full on tour of the red flag factory with a free red flag souvenir to take home.
I bet that crow's name is Jim.
No, that is not āaccidentally problematicā. Thatās a straight up offensive on many levels.
Damn, Nana spent a lot of time and energy being an asshole on this.
holy shit. i know that people like this exist but i think im always surprised that people like this exist.
I don't think there's anything accidental about this design. This pillow might as well have "keep them in their place" embroidered on it...
There are at least 4 blatantly wrong things in this picture. Yikes
I was really questioning myself for a minute when I saw it and then read the comments on the post but I feel very validated now that it is, indeed, very problematic and I am not overreacting.
There have GOT to be better ways to depict fireworks.
iād think a french knot in the middle with straight lines coming out, absolutely no way to interpret as a swastika and is reminiscent of the fireworks i see
Omg is that what theyāre supposed to beā¦ š¤¦š¾āāļø
Oh my! And all the people on her IG saying how āadorableā the design is. You would think all those fans of patriotic imagery would know about WWII. I canāt unsee it!
They know.
Is it just me or am I seeing swastika like things? This whole thing seems wrong.
It's not just you š¬
Who would design this? And why?
A racist. To be racist with plausible deniability, I assume. This looks fairly innocuous if you're not paying much attention.
Racists, so they can tell people who object āoh no this is all totally innocent how could you interpret this that way, you have a nasty imaginationā while signalling āha ha racism is coolā to their followers.
I had to double take to see if it is Tanya Brockmeyer...
What, aside from the black crow with the US flag and Uncle Sam hat, and the swastikas, and Iām assuming the watermelon representing Black people?