BUFFALO, N.Y. — A local artist with the non-profit Stitch Buffalo has her work featured in singer John Legend's holiday Etsy store this year.
The John Legend Holiday Creator Collab is highlighting the work of underrepresented sellers, including a refugee artist living in Western New York.
"I cut this one. This piece I cut. These wings, those are the wings, yeah," said Palawasha Basir on Monday as she showed off her work.
Each dove ornament featured in John Legend's holiday Etsy shop takes Basir about four hours to make. She was selected to be part of his latest Etsy Creator Collab.
"I told for my daughters, so you know the John Legend, so support my Etsy like my bird, she said why John Legend, so I said just you search for it on YouTube and Google, so she searched, oh mom, he's a very good singer," said Palawasha Basir.
The dove ornaments are so popular, that they're sold out. Basir is busy making more. She's worked at Stitch Buffalo for about four years after moving here from Afghanistan as a refugee.
"A lot of friends here. Cheri, Dawne, like other people, Minera, Pakistani," said Palawasha Basir.
Dawne Hoeg is the Founder and Executive Director of Stitch Buffalo. It's a non-profit where refugee women artists make and sell their creations. Hoeg says John Legend works with Nest, an organization similar to Stitch Buffalo.
"They reached out to Stitch Buffalo and said do you have any women from Afghanistan that would like to become part of our Uplift Makers program? And that was the opportunity to, for them to launch their own businesses on Etsy," said Hoeg. "Not only do they build their business skills, they build their confidence and it's another source of income for them to be able to share what they make."
While Basir's dove is sold out for now, she has many other items on her Etsy page.