In her award-winning children’s book, Sew Sister: The Untold Story of Jean Wright and NASA’s Seamstresses, Elise Matich ’06 weaves a narrative that celebrates the unsung craftswomen who handmade thermal insulation blankets for the space shuttles out of materials like heat-resistant plastic, Dacron mesh and a quilted silica fabric.
Written and illustrated over the course of a year in close collaboration with Wright, Matich’s book brings young readers into the inspiring world of NASA’s “Sew Sisters” to show how dreams can be stitched together by skill and dedication, emphasizing the impact of often-overlooked contributions to space exploration — particularly for girls.
What inspired you to tell Jean’s story?
My in-laws took us as a family to Florida for a vacation a few years ago. I made sure we went to see the Kennedy Space Center because my son Thomas really loved all things space and NASA.
There was this docent by the space shuttle Atlantis exhibit with her little cart. I was chasing around a toddler, and I wasn’t really paying attention, but my husband snagged me and told me I had to listen to this woman — Jean — talk. So, I went over, and she told her story of how she created the thermal blanket for the shuttle. I was just blown away.
The next day, we were all talking about what we had seen, and we were all floored by listening to Jean speak. That was such a highlight for everybody. I decided this would make a great book. My background is in special education, so I immediately thought, “Picture book!”
I contacted Jean, and she was thrilled to do a children’s book. She’d been approached about doing an adult-level book but just hadn’t had the interest. However, she was passionate about education and inspiring young people to get involved in the space program and to use their gifts — whatever they may be — to achieve their goals and pursue their interests. We worked together from there, and it was wonderful. She was a joyful, supportive and energetic person.
Was there a particular moment from Jean’s life that shaped how you wrote about her?
The moment after watching the spacewalk on TV, when Jean promises herself that she would be part of this space program — that hopefulness and that idea of vocation, that she was called to do this thing but she didn’t really know how, and she was open to new experiences and opportunities — is something I wanted to convey.
How did your understanding of Jean’s journey change?
It has become a lot more personal. Hearing the story of her childhood, I allude to [her] having some sadness in her home and looking for something to hold on to that would keep her joyful and hopeful. I wrote about how she could fix things with her hands, even though there was this brokenness in her home that she couldn’t fix.
Everyone’s got brokenness in some aspect of their life. And to have the story of someone using her gifts and interests to combat and heal that, I think, is something I certainly value a great deal in her story.
Tell me about your illustration process.
In the submission process, I created a dummy illustration for the editors to get a sense of what the finished book would look like. But it wasn’t until I actually sold the book and started working with the editor that we decided on the final plan for illustrations, which was very intense but just super exciting and invigorating. I explored NASA’s photo galleries to try to find the right images to help me as I did the illustrations.
Previously, I’d created mostly with graphite, pen and ink — I hadn’t done a whole lot with color. So, I got an iPad and a subscription to Adobe Fresco, and I ended up changing courses a little bit. For the final art, I drew it in all digital graphite, and I was really happy with that. Digital was a new format for me, but it’s a very similar process to do it on the iPad with an Apple pencil.
What other adjustments did you make to suit a children’s book?
I’ve always gravitated toward realism. With the people, especially, I had to back off from that a bit to achieve the look I wanted. I focused a little more on line drawings and less on shading. I pulled together a lot of different practices artistically to achieve the end result. I would say the more technical images were the most difficult to draw.
What does this story say to girls in particular?
Jean and I both had young girls in mind when telling this story because sewing is a traditionally feminine art — and one that’s actually very important to so many different levels of industry and exploration.
I created a teacher’s guide to use with the book, and I highlighted the different areas in which sewing has been used in exploring. We wouldn’t be able to explore the oceans without sails, which need sewing. People who climb Mount Everest need tents, and they need the right kind of clothing. Sewing is this unsung handiwork that we take for granted, and it seems so simple, but to do it at a high level is quite an art form.
Jean and I both really wanted to bring that to the forefront and help people appreciate the small things that make grander things possible. And for girls and women who practice this skill, to have pride in what they’re doing and in its history.
What message do you hope readers will take away?
The importance of human beings using our minds and working with our hands. It’s easy to lump people into categories — here are the thinkers and professors, and there are the people who do manual labor or the craftspeople. But to be human is to have both of those things in concert.
I love how Jean’s story highlights that because so often when we think about STEM and the space program, we see the engineers and the rocket scientists, and it’s all about brain power. But no, this book is all about the very intricate and intense handiwork that goes into creating. There’s just such a humanness in this story that I hope shines through.
Interview by Michelle Cuneo, an associate editor of this magazine.