Friday, May 27, 2005

25 Questions With a Prize at the End.

*sigh* You know, I'd like to stitch a cat pattern someday...but why are all the kitties in the designs I find so happy & lovable? No, I want an "irritating cat" design, possibly with some stink emanating from a litter box and a mangled shoelace hanging from Kitty's teeth.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


1. How old were you when you started cross stitching?
I think I was in jr. high...so 12/13ish. I picked it up again in college, and REALLY got obsessive about it when I finished grad school and moved out on my own. I couldn't afford cable and I was living in a new town alone, so stitching kept me out of trouble!!

2. Who taught you to cross stitch?
My mom TRIED. She did some embroidery back then, but not cross stitch. She knew that you had to make x's, and she explained backstitching adequately...however, she hated French knots (which probably explains my long-time aversion to them).

3. What inspired you to begin cross stitching?
I was a craft-store junkie, and one day I picked up one of those little "stitch 'n frame" kits for $1. It was a farm couple holding hands...totally not my style now! When I started working here at the library, I found that a couple of my coworkers stitched on their lunch break. That was what really got me motivated/inspired again.

4. What has been your most difficult cross stitch piece?
Hmmmmm. The "Marsh Marigolds on Logan's Creek" pattern that I did for my parents wasn't really big, but it was ALL confetti stitching....so that got frustrating.

5. Do you have friends that stitch?
IRL, not really. There are my coworkers, who are nice enough, but not really people that I'd get together with to stitch for an afternoon. I do, however, LOVE the connections I've made online with other stitchers who are close to my age and/or share my stitching interests!

6. What is your favorite stitched piece?
Oh geez. At one point or another, ALL of my pieces have been favorites... :grin: Quite honestly, I love my little Moss Creek Celtic ornament. It was the first time I stitched an entire design over 1, and it is so delicate and intricate.

7. What is your favorite fabric?
I love 'em all......well, anything but Aida. Lugana and jobelan - 28 ct. - are at the top of my list.

8. What is your favorite fiber?
Hand-dyed cottons. Weeks, GAST, Dinky Dyes - all yummy! Easy to work with and relatively affordable, too.

9. What is your favorite needle?
Any one that I don't "accidentally" find on the floor or stuck in the sofa arm.

10. Do you prefer black & white or colored charts?
Black and white please.

11. How many Works In Progress do you have at this time?
5 - Once Upon a Time by Dragon Fire Designs, Once Upon a Time (not the same one!) by Butternut Road, Stitching the Standard by Solaria, my Dragon Virtues afghan, and a magazine design I started for my sister but have put on hold indefinitely (it was a love poem that *could* have been an engagement or wedding gift...but she and the BF of 2 years broke up a few weeks ago).

12. How many UFO's do you have at this time?
1 - a design of Shakespeare's home that I started for DH. I started it on Aida, and it was designed for evenweave, so I may scrap that and just start over. (2 UFOs if you count the poem for my sister.)

13. How many cross stitch charts/kits/mags do you own?
Oh dear. About 100 patterns (some booklets with more than one design in them).....40 magazines.....maybe a dozen kits.....and 6-10 books. Gack.

14. How much fabric do you have in stock at this time?
A lot, most of it various colored pieces I got on ebay.

15. Where is your favorite place to stitch?
In my living room, on the loveseat under my Daylight.

16. What is your favorite time of day to stitch?
Any time of day as long as I'm stitching is a good time of day!

17. How many pieces have you stitched in your lifetime?
Counting all the small stuff and ornaments....at least 50.

18. Do you give your stitched pieces away?
Sometimes, especially small things. One year I stitched clothespin angel ornaments for my hubby's family AND my coworkers....I think his family appreciated them, but my coworkers -eh. Let's just say that I won't do that again. My parents have a couple of my finished pieces, too. I know my mom loves them!

19. How many different fibers do you have in stock at this time?
I'm a "buy 'em when I need 'em" kind of gal. I've got a pretty extensive DMC collection, although I'm sure it isn't the full set, plus some Weeks, GAST, Silk 'N Colors, and Kreinik braids.

20. How many pairs of scissors do you own?
I haven't become a scissor junkie yet....I have just ONE pair, plus a Clover cutter and some of those cheapy nippers with caps that look like little markers tossed into travel bags.

21. Do you use stitching enhancers (lights, scroll frames...etc)?
My parents got me a Daylight for Christmas last year, and I love it. I prefer to stitch on frames or hoops, but I don't have a stand or anything like that for my frames. (And is it just me, or does "stitching enhancers" sound like it should be illegal?)

22. How many pieces that have been stitched but not yet framed or finished off in some other way do you have at this time?
You don't ACTUALLY expect me to be able to answer this, do you? :D I can't afford framing that often, and my sewing skills are so miserable that even my little ornaments and pillows are unfinished.

23. Do you have a craft/stitching room?
Not exactly. The room that COULD be a craft room is currently home to 2 litter boxes, since we had to relocate the cats - and a lot of boxes - while we get the basement waterproofed and remodeled. (And boy howdy, am I ready for THAT project to be finished!)

24. Why do you stitch?
I love knowing that I made those pretty pictures. Watching them take shape is endlessly fascinating to me. And like Dani, I can see the relation to possible latent OCD...and perfectionism, of course!!

25. What is your most memorable time related to cross stitching?
I think it was our anniversary trip last fall, when I discovered a stitching shop - Expressions in Needleart - in Canandaigua, NY. I'd never really been in a shop, believe it or not, and as we were exploring (something we LOVE to do), I told DH that I'd like to stop in. He was a trooper, and actually found another shop down the street that specialized in unique toys. Since he was working with autistic children at the time, he had a ball looking at all the sensory toys. In fact, I think he spent more in there that I did in Experessions in Needleart. Everyone there was so friendly. There were several ladies stitching around a table in the back, and we chatted for a bit. I hated leaving - I keep telling DH that someday he'll come home from work and find a note telling him I've run off to Canandaigua for a while!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


And now, as promised, if you've slogged through all of that.... your prize!!



Almost done...just have to finish the border and a bit of backstitching. I'm beginning to hate that Kreinik metallic, though......

1 comment:

Dani - tkdchick said...

Wow that's looking great! Now I wish I had bought the magazine that was in!

Craft Sale!

So my mother and I set up our little table at the craft fair this past weekend.  And we didn't do terribly!  I sold $125 worth of needle...