Gerda Leeffers

Gerda Leeffers is the creative force behind Stitchamos and the visionary who brought XL community stitching projects to life together with her team. With a deep passion for people, stories, and handmade art, she believes in the power of creativity to connect communities in meaningful ways.

Gerda holds academic degrees in both modern Social and Cultural Anthropology and Marketing. A combination that perfectly reflects her fascination with how people live, interact, and connect. Her professional journey began in international consulting, where she spent over a decade leading change management projects for global companies and NGOs. From Asia to the Americas and across Europe, she facilitated workshops and guided organizations through complex transitions. Each assignment required her to immerse in a new world, observing stakeholders, understanding systems and finding patterns. Skills that still shape her work today.

Throughout her travels, one thing always stayed close: her love for textiles and craftsmanship. Her suitcase was never without fabrics, laces or handmade treasures. This personal passion led her to found Studio Koekoek, a successful creative brand offering DIY kits and materials to inspire makers around the world.

With Stitchamos, Gerda brings everything together: her creative heart, her global consulting experience and her anthropological lens. Her XL community projects start with on-the-ground research, where she listens closely to the stories of a place. From there, she designs large-scale stitchable artworks that reflect the identity of the community. Pieces created together by many hands and gifted back as lasting symbols of connection.

Gerda’s mission is simple but powerful: to create space for people to slow down, come together and co-create something beautiful. One stitch at a time.