Stitching Story Featuring Local Stitchers Felicea & Amy
Felicea's Stitching Story
When did you get into cross stitching? I got into cross stitch 10 years ago.
But that’s not when you first learned, right? Well, I learned how to do cross stitch when I was 8. My my mom tried when I was 8 and I didn’t follow through with it. So about 10 years ago is when I got back into it.
What were your first pieces? One of my first pieces were these little lady bugs on 14 count that I never finished and my mom had to finish them. But my first actual finished piece is this little 8 count “Long may she wave” (Wee Olde Glory) and I believe it's by Heart in Hand. It's done with Weeks (Weeks Dye Works Floss) on 6 or 8 count Klostern. I had just started at Embroidery.com and and they were, like, "you should do this". So I did it, because I thought that I should really need to know how to do this. I did it in one night while my husband was in the shower. It worked up really fast so I like it 'cause it was easy and fun and I liked the large fabric.
You even pillowed it yourself. Yes, I even put it in the pillow (sewed the pillow). That was a big project. And I was like, "Hey, look what I did!"
What is it about cross stitch that you like? I love how its so versitile it is-- you can do so many different things. This one (Long May She Wave) was supposed to be done on 28 count-- that's what the pattern probably calls for. If it was done on 28 count, it would be way smaller. So I did it on this large count fabric just to try it out and see. I did this Cauldron (Witch's Brew) on 18 count linen and I completely changed the majority of it. It's all done in beads and I added big chunky beads here. I believe the only dark part is floss-- the rest is done in metallic and I added the cute little spider (button). I ended up kinda fudging the whole thing (the magic coming out of the pot)... I tried to follow the pattern but then just started putting beads on there. It was supposed to be done on 28 count but I did it 18 count linen so it was a lot bigger.
What is your favorite piece? Well, I have a lot of favorites but this is one that was kinda handy. This one is a Nora Corbett. I got this one done in two weeks and her name is Ana Bewitching Pixie. I think we are up to 14 Bewitching Pixies-- there is a whole series of them and I was going to do 3 of them. I have only finished one. I have started another one the pink one (Eva) but ya now I haven’t finished her. But this one only took 3 weeks was super fast and easy. I did her on this Polstitches' fabric and I believe its called Witching Hour. I like her with the greens. And there is a pink one and a teal one-- just way super fun. They work up fast and are pretty little.
How many projects do you have going at one time? I believe I may have...
You know what is funny-- I have been doing these Stitching Stories for a couple people now. I think I have done 6 or so. And they all get this panicked look when I say "so how many do you have going?" They all feel guilty... they are like "I have 20" or "I have 12"...
I would say I have probably 30. Between cross stitch, basic embroidery and some crewel. I have a whole tote full of stuff and the majority of it is projects that have been started.
So what makes you put one away? You mess up? Or you get tired? Or a new pattern come out?
All of the above. Usually a new pattern. Or I mess up and I just put it in time out.
Amy Stitching Story
When did you start cross stitching? Probably when I was about 17.
What drew you to it at 17? My older sister, who is about 7 years older them me, she said I should try it. So I got some kits-- I can't even remember the name of the company. They were all sorts of different little kits. You would come to the house and have a party, then you would get kits instead of money. So I got oodles of kits. I worked on these kits and gave them as Christmas presents for probably 3 or 4 years. So I don't really have any of my beginning stitching. I taught some 10-11 year old girls how to cross stitch and we did bookmarks. But I don't think I even had the time to make me one after teaching them.
That is very common, I hear that a lot. "I gave all of my stitching away."
What first did you bring us? This [duck] is as close as I could get. They were all simple little things like this. I did great big a teddy bear that was 9-10 inches that I had given my sister. I just didn’t stitch anything for me. Now, I don't give anything away.
I had a lady say to me one time "I bet your house is busting with cross stitch." And I thought... "No it's not", and now I don't give anything away. It's like you become stingy when you get really good at it.
I think.. when I first started and I gave it away 'cause, I mean, I was going to school and didn’t have money. So I gave them my time-- that was my gift. And so a lot of the things I had cross stitched before were things I thought that person would like. And now I don't [buy] it if I don't absolutely love it. Because it is for me and I know that if I don't love it [it won't get finished]. You saw my Halloween one I had to change it because didn't love it.
I love that you can change it to be what you want.
So, show me your favorites. This one out of the three (Lizzie Kate's Today Choose Joy) is my favorite. It's done with 3 colors-- I think i'ts just bright. The reason why I started these were because of a contest we held. But I liked some of these borders and wanted to learn them. This one is the Vandyke Stitch.
This is the first one (Lizzie Kate's Be Kind Always). I decided when I finished it that it needed a border. And it's cheaper having a border around it then a mat. On this one (Lizzie Kate's Forgive Move On) I like the double chevron border. It was fun to learn and took at least two tries. I was listening when Misty was telling us about no knots on the back (see Tips from a Professional Framer video) and had to unpick the whole thing to get rid of the knots on the back. It lays fine in the hoop but I didn’t know if it was going to in the frame.
Where are you going to hang them? They are going to go around my door-- one at the top and two at the sides.
So let's talk about hardanger. I actually like hardanger the best. It's really hard for me and I haven’t done all that much of it. I am looking at that heart over there and (My first Heart in Hardanger). I think I have the heart but I don't know what I did with it. I came here [to Embroidery Central] after I had done these two and I wanted to learn more so I did the heart. I don't know where it is.
What is it about cross stitch that you love? When I started it was just... I didn’t recognize it for what it was. I have to have a creative outlet, but it is also a constructive outlet that I can work on some thing and while I am working on it my brain just powers down. I don't have to think about anything. If I have something worrying me or something I have to do I will write it down so I don't forget it but then I can just stitch and I don't have to think. 'Cause I don't think about anything (while I stitch). I find that if I haven’t been sleeping very good if I just go and cross stitch for a half hour or 45 min I can sleep pretty good. I am one of those people that takes me a long time to fall asleep and I get agitated because I could be doing something. "No you need to go to sleep!" I find if I can just cross stitch.. but lighting is harder at night so you have to have good light.
So I have been asking people how many projects they work on at a time but I know the answer for you. You work on one at a time.
I do, I really work one at a time because I know if I put it away it will never get done. That’s why this one (hardanger) so... I put it away and I forgot about it. I have patterns that I feel like I should pull some of them out. This little Hedge Hog I am working on... I am dealing with the pattern that is done in colors that are not the colors that I am actually working with and it's freaking my brain out. I think if I just got some solid time with it maybe I would quite fussing about it it. Well, I did these two (Lizzie Kate) because I was having a hard time with this Hedge Hog. I just need to work on that, but there are so many times I just want to unpick it and start over. But starting over really won't work and it's a kit so I don't know if they gave me extra thread. And it's a Russian Kit so I can't just call them up and get more thread.