Give Me A Little Kiss

Stumpwork is rocking Craftster. Inspired by last month's featured project by Jemimah, Supervelma put her own twist on the classic stumpwork. It makes me want to rock n' roll all night and party everyday! Don't laugh! I could totally do it, if I wanted to.

Tell us a little bit about yourself
I call myself a scientist without the white coat... or degree... or job - I've always been interested in experimenting, whether it's experimenting with food or writing or roller derby or paint or photography or needles and thread, trying to translate what's in my head into whatever medium with which I'm working. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it's a big old mess, I mean learning experience.


Tell us a little bit about the project
I love art with different textures and have always been fascinated by the concept of stumpwork. After seeing Jemimah's amazing stumpwork tentacle, I couldn't get it out of my head, so I decided to finally try my hand at it - I couldn't think of anything that deserved to be in 3-D more than Gene Simmons' impressively ridiculous tongue. I liked that his makeup design is relatively simple and would be recognizable in silk stitching, and that a giant 3-D tongue would be more than a little creepy.


Any plans for more stumpwork or stitching?
Abso-freaking-lutely - I'm a very tactile person and I love the idea of art not being constrained to two dimensions. I'm considering maybe some Moulin Rouge can-can dancers if I can figure out how to do the legs.


What/who inspires you?
my friend, Shannon (GigglyMama) inspired me to get into embroidery, by showing me that needlework could be cool and edgy and artistic. And seeing all the ideas and talent on Craftster always encourages me to go further. And I can't walk out of a craft store without a bag full of stuff and a head full of ideas.


Any advice for a newbie?
Don't think you have to be constrained by specific patterns or fabrics, embroidery floss is cheap, buy a bunch and see what you come up with. Also, needles are sharp, so try to make sure you haven't lost one on the couch cushion you're about to sit on... not that anything like that has ever happened to me.

BONUS QUESTION:

Favorite KISS song
I should say "Lick it up" to stay in the vein of the project, but I've gotta go with "Strutter" or "Rock N Roll All Night"

It Came From the Deep

Jemimah created this amazing stumpwork for a swap. Goodness! I wish I was her partner. You can read more about her, this beautiful piece and stumpwork over at Craftster.org.

The 80's called...

 

Maybe it's my teenage years calling to me but when I saw this stitched up by Vegkat I instantly tried to squeeze into my parachute pants, threw on my Ray Bans and found my old Duran Duran albums, so I could dance around the house. Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand... Eep! Where's my Tiger Beat magazine, I just have to find out what Simon LeBon's favorite color is. Am I showing my age?

What's All the Hoopla About?

I am constantly amazed by all the wonderful stitchy members over at Craftster. The Hoopla Swap started with one round and is now one of the most popular swaps on the site.

Round 1 was unbelievable.....

Round 2 was even bigger...

Round 3 blew the roof off! 

I can't wait to see what round 4 has in store for us!

Celebrate Good Times

 
It's time to get stitchy with Odile Bailloeul's Celebration Transfers for Embroidery. This book is chock full of great embroidery patterns! You can mix and match them to create great stitching for just about any holiday-even the ones that you want to make up. I am extra fond of Pam "Kittykill" day, just in case you are looking for something new to celebrate. I have to admit that some of the patterns are a little too grandma-ish for me, but I can definitely alter them to suit my taste (you know how I roll). This book is worth the price of admission and I don't think you will be disappointed.  Keep the floss-a-flying - 'til next time! 

Embroidery Companion, Your Stitchy Friend.

Has everyone recovered from the holidays? All the decorations are put away at our house and we are hunkering in for the rest of the winter. There is nothing better than a nice fire, a warm drink, my favorite blanket and stitching up something wonderful for a friend or (gasp!) even myself. There are a lot of amazing books out there right now and being the smart cookie I am, I asked for all of them for Christmas. One book in particular that I am in love with is Embroidery Companion: Classic Designs for Modern Living by Alicia Paulson. The projects range from easy to slightly difficult and the directions are well written and easy to follow. I love the feel of this book, it makes me want to jump into Alicia Paulson's world, have a cup of tea and stitch for awhile.

Cross Stitched Pumpkin

Elsie Marley shows you how to make this wonderful skull pumpkin. I love the vintage folk art feeling to it. So eerie!

Bags in Bloom

I recently had the privilege of reviewing Watson Guptill's Bags in Bloom by Susan Cariello. In one word-AWESOME! Not only does the book give you great embroidery patterns to follow but it  also gives you several purse patterns to work with. Cariello's easy to follow directions made everything a breeze. My favorite part of the book are the many different stitches you can learn. She mixes those stitches with beads, buttons and sequins, so you can make a one of a kind bag. Another fun aspect of the book is that the chapters are broken into seasons of the year. You can make a unique handbag for every occasion and every weather condition imaginable .

So, a thumbs up or a thumbs down? I say a definite thumbs up for this visually stunning how-to book. Pick it up - you WILL thank me later.

My own little take on the bag in bloom. So many beads!

Logan's Run

I almost fell over in my chair when I saw this on Craftzine's blog. I loved Logan's Run when I was a kid (I think I just showed my age)

Kiddy Amunda kicks major butt!

Beautiful Stitching

I am fascinated by bees. We would not have food without our bee friends. Another thing that I'm totally fascinated with are samplers. Maybe it's because I have no patience to do them or because they have a such a wonderful history. Whatever the reason, I adore this Bee sampler. My favorite part-the beekeeper.

 Insomerset rocks!

Pink Category Winner-Rainbow of Stitches Contest.

Oh Boy! Was it ever hard to pick a winner! There were so many amazing entries that narrowing it down took forever. I was completely blown away by everyone! Drum roll please.....The winner of the Pink category is SewLovelyEmbroidery.

Describe yourself in 10 words or less......
I am very immature for my advanced age ...

What inspired your entry....
I love the era of flappers...great fashion, great dancing!!! I love bubbles and mostly I really, really LOVE Champagne!!!!!!

What is your favorite stitch
Le French Knot ....ooooo la la

Who or what inspires you to stitch?
I come home from work, everyday, tired. Katy and I inspire each other to keep going and create new and exciting things. I love that I can watch TV and actually be productive! I am inspired by the Flickr Embroidery pool daily, I love to look and see what other people are creating..I am not sucking up....it's the truth!!!!

How long have you been stitching and how did you get started?
When I was younger my deaf aunt Eileen (who was taught back in the day...) knew every kind of hand crafted art from making lace to knitting and everything you could imagine- which OF COURSE I did not appreciate at the time!! Neither did my 6 sisters but we did eventually come back to it....

To keep us busy during the summer we had to have "quiet time" where we would read, paint or do something creative.We did a lot of embroidery.... Aunt Martha's Patterns..... and I grew to love the lush colors of the thread....I mean come on... they were inexpensive even by my babysitting pay standards!

I had given it up for years until Katy, my sons' sweetie-pie came along and started to embroider and we went on some camping trips and we started not only to embroider but to come up with designs we thought other people might enjoy!


Are there any stitchers in the Feeling Stitchy Flickr pool you have noticed?
Wow! I LOVE Alexandra J. Walters painterly stitching. I love lagidgette, her choice of colors and paint mixed with embroidery is amazing.

Real People, Real Stories

I came across Art in Stitches yesterday and was completely blown away. Susan Lenz is amazing. Her latest art piece is called "Decisions" and she is asking real people about their decision and stitching up their portrait for the world to see. Be prepared for a mix range of emotions from laughing to tears. The stories, the stitching and the images will move you.

Stitcher's Revolution

Remember a few months ago when I mentioned Aunt Martha was coming with a new line of patterns? Well they are finally here! Two of my favorites are the 80's theme and the Sayings. Who can resist stitching up a Rubik cube and a boombox?

Girl On The Wall

This is so amazing. Jean's life story in tapestry. The best line-I was history. Be careful! This video can cause tears of joy!

A Little Time with Mistress T.

I recently caught up with Mistress T. about her awesome Nessie project she did on Craftster. It was so great that I had to feature it for April. She is so talented and so sassy-how can you not love her and her stitching!

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I feel pretty boring, but not dull. I’m tall, but not as tall as people seem to think. The only person I mind grey hair on is me. I really like a lot of different things in different styles, but don’t want hardly any of them. I crack wise all the time, but am actually a pretty serious person – sometimes too much so. I wish I had more carpincho in my life and less lawn.

Tell me a little bit about the piece.
I’d been mulling over how to stitch a lake monster for Beefranck for months. I went through several plans in my head, but none of them stuck until I came upon the stash of little matching frames in my craft room. I realized one was too small and just after that thought “diptych!” I knew I wanted Nessie to be shiny like she was wet and scaly like a reptile, so I decided to mix the metallic thread with the regular. I took a remarkably long time at the store selecting all of the shades of brown. My current project has benefited from that time, too, however.

You are so inspiring-what or who inspires you and why?
Me? [looks over both shoulders, confused]. I know if I name names that I’ll leave someone out. I am inspired by the stitchers on Craftster, the Flickr groups I belong to, the blogs I read (and contribute to) and then by the people in my life who make me laugh and cry and think and love. I feel really lucky to have gotten to know such skilled and talented embroiderers (and manbroiderers) and to have been included in different online projects with them and to meet some in person. I dabble in several crafts, so it’s a real honor to be included with real stitchers. I may never have stitched a Nessie if I hadn’t been inspired to by Beefranck to make her something. Same for my other stitches… I haven’t finished a stitch for myself since grade school, they’re all for others or for a group challenge.

What's your favorite DMC color and type of material?
I know it’s lame, but I don’t have a favorite DMC color… I have the same belief for floss colors as I do for paint colors (my day job): every color is right for something. I don’t have enough experience to have a favorite material. I’m terrible at favorites… at least partly because I believe that once I choose a favorite I need to stick to it, or it wasn’t a real favorite.

When you're not doing fab stitching-where can we find you around the internet?
I dabble in other craft media which can be seen on Craftster, my flickr and my Etsy shop. My day job is as CEO and President (and every other position) of Bubble Off Plumb Productions Inc. I create and apply custom and artisan finishes for most interior surfaces. That means I do fancy paints, glazes and veneer plasters on walls, ceilings, mouldings, doors, cabinetry, floors, countertops and even claw foot bathtubs. The most recent photos of that are on that flickr account or the Bubble Off Plumb Productions Inc. Fan Page on Facebook. (whew!)

Wow! Look at that stitching! It is simply amazing! I can't wait to see what's next for one of my favorite gal pals, Mistress T. I'm sure it will be equally as stunning.

Wednesday: (Re-) Introducing Pam

Stitched by Kittykill

As we introduce you to our newest bloggers this week, we also want to re-introduce you to the talented, wonderful bloggers who are still here with us. Pam, or Kittykill, as you may know her on Flickr and Craftster (where she's mod of the Needlework boards) is one amazing, sassy, gorgeous, skillful, awesomely generous stitcher and crafter. It is an honor to have her on board!

Here's a mini-interview so you can re-get to know her. :)

Your favorite DMC floss color?
I can't pick just one-that would be too harsh for the other fabulous colors. So, all of them (except purple).

Your favorite embroidery project?

The vintage tinted ladies are a favorite of mine. I could never pick a favorite from all the amazing talent-everyone is incredible!

Your inspirations?
Everything inspires me! My husband, the pups and friends for sure. I love history and really feel that vintage patterns connect us to the past.

Your blog url? www.fasterkittykill.blogspot.com

Any swaps or projects you're involved in?
Right now on Craftster- Love Your Mod Swap and Invite Your Partner Swap.

One word answer:
Freehand or pattern? pattern
Messy or neat? messy
Cute or edgy? cute