UD fashion design and product innovation students Isa Kennedy, Mackenzie Smaldon, Sydney Jasser and Monica Grace (left to right) work on Delaware’s panel for an exhibit called America’s Tapestry which is part of the country’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Stitching First State history

Article by Hilary Douwes Photos by Evan Krape March 11, 2026

UD students collaborate on state tapestry for America’s 250th celebration

One stitch at a time, students in the University of Delaware’s Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies made history by contributing to a project that is part of state, and national, history.

Nearly 30 students volunteered their time and talent to work on the Delaware panel for the America’s Tapestry exhibit, part of the country’s 250th anniversary. The display will include panels from each of the original 13 colonies, with each piece illustrating lesser-known stories of individual contributions to the Revolutionary War and that colony’s fight for independence.

The panel’s design (left) tells the story of Major Henry Fisher of Lewes, who helped the colonists during the Revolutionary War. The project’s state co-director Becky Gutin and students Sophia Gupmon and Monica Grace are in the background.

Delaware’s tapestry tells the story of Major Henry Fisher, a naval pilot in Lewes, who played a critical role in safeguarding the Delaware River from British raids. Fisher, the local “eyes and ears” of the Continental Congress, tracked British activity in the lower river and reported it to the authorities.

The design shows Fisher firing a signal gun to alert Patriot forces about the approach of a British ship near Delaware Bay. The Cape Henlopen lighthouse is across the water from Fisher.

The students took turns stitching sections of the sky and water. Many had never heard of Fisher before, including Diego Hernandez, a senior fashion design and product innovation major from Bethany Beach.

Katya Roelse (second from right), associate instructor, gives Ellie Aaron an overview of the project. Roelse worked with the project’s state directors to bring the tapestry to UD.

“Being a part of history is cool,” he said. “It makes me proud to be a Delawarean.”

The historical aspect of the project intrigued senior Yohanna Murawiec, a fashion design major from Washington, D.C.

“I thought it'd be really cool to learn a little bit more about Delaware history, because I don't know much about it,” she said. “It’s also really beautiful.”

The tapestry has been a true community project with hundreds of people contributing to it. State co-director Amy Gilley, left, helps YouDee add a stitch to the panel.

A personal reason motivated junior fashion design and product innovation major Monica Grace to volunteer. Although Grace is from Wilmington, she spent a lot of time with her grandparents in Lewes, not far from Fisher’s home.

“No one knows who this guy is, but I think he’s a big part of why Lewes is like it is today,” Grace said. “There’s a lot of stuff in history that gets left out, but I’m really glad to be part of something that shares it and gets it out there to more people.”

Thanks to Amy Gilley and Becky Gutin, members of the Delaware chapter of the Embroidery Guild of America and the project’s co-directors, hundreds of Delawareans have learned about Fisher. The pair realized early on they needed help to complete the tapestry in time, so they turned it into a community project. They’ve hosted volunteer events at libraries and museums all over the state, and even took the tapestry to the state fair.

Ellie Aaron works on a section of the sky.

More than 400 volunteers — including Gov. Matt Meyer, Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay and UD’s own mascot YouDee — have added at least one stitch to the piece. That number is expected to grow to 700 by the time the tapestry is completed at the end of April.

Katya Roelse, associate instructor, worked with Gilley and Gutin to bring the project to UD. The collaborative aspect of the project appealed to her.

YouDee gives fashion design and product innovation student Diego Hernandez some tips.

“I love to have students understand creativity outside of fashion and appreciate all kinds of creative expression and craftsmanship,” Roelse said. “We don’t teach this, so we have to rely on these exciting and interesting things that happen outside of our classrooms to help round out their education.”

In May, the tapestry will go to a professional finisher to be completed. The collection will be on display at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in June. The exhibit will travel to all 13 colonies during the next two years, and the organizers estimate it will be in Delaware sometime in 2028.