60 Minutes comes to Ortville ....well sorta

I mentioned earlier this week that Cynthia had asked if she could interview me on my blog. She sent me the questions a few days ago and here are my answers. Thanks for asking me to do this, Cynthia. Your questions brought back some great memories and also made me think about my stitching and my stash.

Interview - March 2009 (Cynthia's questions are in italics.)

Who was the person who started you stitching?

My Mom is responsible for teaching me to stitch. She started me out with knitting - which was a total bust. Sorry Mom. Then she pointed me in the direction of crewel embroidery. I did that for most of my teen years until I found the world of cross stitch. I was a cross stitching fiend. When I was in my early 20's, Mom introduced me to needlepoint. Back in the day, wool and basketweave were really your only options. I tried to like it FOR HER - but I was so bored! I went running back to to my cross stitch. Fast forward about 20 years and I was re-introduced to needlepoint. At that point all the new specialty threads and fun painted canvas were coming into play. I loved all the colors and textures and canvas choices. I've been needlepointing ever since.

What's the best stitching event/class that you've attended? Please give us all the details in case we want to attend (if possible)!

In the late 1990's, Ortville had a wonderful LNS. It was located in a cute house and was chock full of canvases and threads. It was unlike any place I had ever experienced. I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. One day I noticed that they were offering a 6 week needlepoint purse class. I really didn't know what to expect but I signed up for this adventure. It was a hoot. I think there were 5 or 6 of us in the class and we had a blast. Three of us bonded immediately and have been great friends ever since. Even though we were all stitching the same purse - our personalities immediately surfaced in our choices of colors and threads. You've never seen 6 more different versions of the same purse in your life. I learned LOTS of new stitches, used threads I had never heard of before and actually came away with a FINISHED object. But best of all - I came away with 2 wonderful friends. (Hi MJ and B!)

The picture on the left is the front of the purse and the picture on the right is the back of the purse.

Who are your favorite designers/teachers?

No surprise here - Kelly Clark is one of my favorites. I also have ALOT of Pat Thode's Heartstrings. I won't tell you how many of her canvases I have - but suffice it to say that there are very few that I DON'T own. I tend to go for canvases that are whimsical and fun. Life is too short to take too seriously so I try to stitch on things that have personality.

What are your favorite fibers and which are your least favorite fibers?

I love any thread that sparkles. The brighter the color and the more glitzy - the better. I also like silks - especially Splendor, Silk & Ivory and Vineyard Silk. I'm not really crazy about floss or pearl cotton but use them when appropriate or if I just need a small bit of thread. My least favorite fiber is wool - especially Medici and Patarnyn (sp?). It makes my fingers itch and I just don't like the way it stitches. I may have to change me opinion of wool now that Vineyard Wool has hit the streets. I really like the colors that it comes in. Has any one stitched with it yet? Did you like it? How does it compare to traditional wool?

Please list the top five canvases/projects that you want to stitch?
Wow Cynthia! That is a tough one. There are SO many canvases out there that just call my name. Since I am into SFS (Stitching from Stash) 2009, I will tell you about my top 5 canvases/projects from my stash. These are not listed in any special order. #1 would have to be the two Kelly Clark series that I am currently working on. (Since those 2 series have a total of 24 canvases, I think I have to define that as a project). #2 would be Danji's High Maintenance, #3 is Shelly Tribbey's Noah's Ark, #4 is Melissa Shirley's Nutcrackers and #5 is Ewe and I's Noah's Ark.

Hope ya'll enjoyed learning a little bit more about me. I have asked my buddy, Jane ,if she will allow me to interview her. She graciously has accepted. (Thanks, Jane!) I will be sending interview questions her way later this week. Watch her blog for all the answers.