Feeling Stitchy Friday with Deroui Safaes

Deroui Safaes is a self-taught embroidery artist who creates beautifully detailed and often thought-provoking pieces of embroidery. In looking through her Instagram feed at @d_safae, she shares with us a bit of her process - an image on a computer screen or picture from a book. Take a look at some of my favorites!

" There are women who make things better ... simply by showing up. There are women who make things happen. There are women who make their way. There are women who make a difference. And women who make us smile. There are women of wit and wisdom who - throught strenght and courage - make it through. There are women who change the world everyday ... Women like you. " 💙 - Ashley Rice #internationalwomensday

A post shared by DEROUI SAFAE (@d_safae) on Mar 8, 2017 at 3:29pm PST

"Then I heard the enormous infinite scream of nature" - Edvard much

A post shared by DEROUI SAFAE (@d_safae) on Mar 12, 2017 at 4:29pm PDT

Don't let it consume you 📺 ! #artupon

A post shared by DEROUI SAFAE (@d_safae) on Jan 28, 2017 at 3:31pm PST

Stitchy Woman: Laura Amiss

Hello friends!  It's been such a very long time since I've shared an interview with a creative woman - but I was so inspired by the work of Laura Amiss, that I couldn't help but ask her to do a mini interview!  So please get comfy and join me as I get to know a little more about this wonderfully talented textile artist!

Laura, Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

LA: I am English but for nearly seven years I have been living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands with my husband and slightly wild but lovely children.

I graduated in Textiles from Goldsmiths College at the University of London in 2003. After graduating I moved to Amsterdam and started working in the costume Atelier of the National Ballet and Opera house, which was both amazing and daunting (not speaking that much Dutch at the time).

Then life became pretty busy with babies and toddlers, although I have always made things, whether that be my wedding dress, paintings, gifts or clothes for my kids.

Here in Amsterdam I am surrounded by incredible fabric stores, which are a constant source of inspiration. I often draw inspiration from very ordinary things, I love simple lines and subtle color combinations. My two passions are textiles and illustration and I have endeavored to combine the two in my work.

So has working in this medium always been your passion?
LA: I have always enjoyed mixed media art work. It was whilst doing an Art and Design Foundation course that I really became hooked on textiles which then lead me on to my Degree. I love the physicality of working with textiles and have always been interested in it's language and history.

Wow, I see that you worked at the Costume Atelier at the National Ballet and Opera House!  What was that like? 
LA: It was pretty nerve racking! In London I used to work on the West End show MammaMia so I did have experience of working in Theatre wardrobe departments, but the Atelier at the Opera house really put my sewing skills to the test. I was working with amazing seamstresses in a very traditional environment, the amount of work and skill that went in to the costumes was incredible. I learned a lot while I was there, including a lot of useful Dutch words that make my Dutch sound more impressive than it actually is in my local haberdashery shop.

Let's talk a bit about your textile canvases.  I just love the color palettes you use in your work, and the imagery itself (I'm a huge fan of the umbrellas)!  Where do you find inspiration for your pieces?
LA: I really enjoy putting colors together, often a piece can begin with color rather than an image. I love 1950s fashion illustrations and have recently been interested in exploring old proverbs and poetry and seeing how I can translate them visually. The titles of my pieces are important, I sometimes think I should stitch them on to the canvas. Drawing forms a crucial part of my work and inspiration, I have been trying to dedicate half an hour to sketching before I go to bed. Above all, for my most recent set of work I wanted to make people smile and be able to relate to the image easily.

I read that you layer fabric to create the muted colors we see in the finished pieces - do you want to talk at all about your process?
LA: My canvases are mostly made up of three layers, I cut shapes, layer other material in between and finally machine stitch the detail on top. The top layer is a cotton muslin which mutes the colors and pulls the image together. Often the cottons and laces that I use in the lower layers are very bright, the muslin gives them depth and texture.

Your textile canvases are so beautifully detailed - how much time do you spend on each piece?
LA: This can really vary, it also depends on how many cups of tea I decide to have! Plus I get distracted by trying out different colour combinations. The cutting and sewing on a smaller piece is usually a few hours work, I then mount them on wooden frames which I finish off with fabric on the back and add a hanger.

Being the mother of "slightly wild" children, when do you find time for your creative pursuits?
LA: Hmmm yes time is not bountiful when you have a 3 year old and another verging on 2. I work from my studio at home, I am lucky enough to have a little designated 'work' time and a very supportive husband. I like that my children are growing up in a creative house and they are used to my work being around. My daughter simply loves routing through my button collection and my son thinks I am Bob the Builder when I am making my frames.

Where can we see more of your work?
http://lauraamiss.etsy.com
www.flickr.com/photos/lauraamiss
www.lauraamiss.com

Thank you, Laura!

Stitchy Woman

Good evening, lovely stitchers! Tonight I'm sharing an interview with another fantastic stitchy woman, Rectangel (whose real name is Erin, by the way)...

"Here's my design for my towel...this was my first time blend thread colors...the writing is mine and I might work on it a bit yet...but I like seeing my hand writing in stitches :) I changed the original transfer by adding clothes and cutting her hair.
I also tried out the new sublime metallic thread for the first time here. It is very different from regular metallic thread (it is kind of woven and I don't think you can separate it) most significant is that even with a thick strand it stitches beautifully."

Tell us about yourself, and where you live.
I am in my early 30s, single, and work in the northern most provincial capital in Canada doing graphic design, mapping and GIS work. My family all lives fairly close. I have 2 younger sisters and I am an aunt to 3 girls and a boy. Despite living in the city I would classify this area as very rural when compared with people living in densely populated areas in the east.

How did you come up with the name Rectangel?
I am mildly dyslexic and I draft for a living. In the past I used to type rectangle into my computer drafting program and screw-up the el consistently. One day I noticed the angel and in the tangle and I thought that it just suited me. I’m a bit of a wrecked angel most days and I liked that it could mean a lot of things and I’ve always been a bit of a square ;)

What’s one thing that would surprise us about you?
I hate crafts – no really, I do. My sympathies have always been with the people who don’t like getting crafty items for gifts. My reason is that I’m really hard to please and I have a glass face. If I don’t like it I would prefer not to stomp all over someone’s labor of love just by them catching my micro expression of disappointment. Enter the internet.

Have you always been crafty?
Unfortunately yes –what this means to me is I will never realize my dream of having a clean Spartan house. I despise the chaos that being creative seems to necessitate.

All the women and even my grampa (the biggest dreamer of them all) are all scarily crafty. When money was tight in our family my mom used to sell all sorts of her crafts by consignment. My mom bless her heart is one of the least patient people on earth you either learned things on your own or hoped one of my aunts or gramma could show you. I have never learned to knit or crochet because of this. Ladies don’t be hard on your children when they need you to thread the sewing machine ;) Those sewing machines with the bobbin case underneath are no small feat to learn how to thread. Thank goodness for instruction manuals and home ec.

Do you do other crafty things as well?
Oh I’ve tried lots of things because I am generally creatively frustrated by an inability to draw well or play music but embroidery is the only thing that has stuck. I sew and was once going to be a fashion designer until I realized I’d have to do all the sewing and not just the designing. I love architecture, décor, design, fine art and baking. I have big dreams and ideas but mostly like to offer them to other people who actually do more than plan them in their notebook.
Do you collect anything?
Yes but I try not to do it actively. Collections like crafts disturb me a little. I worry about being one of those people that they have on the news with the house so full of junk the fire department has to come and clean it out.

Do you remember your first “real” craft/sewing/art project?
Right now I am remembering a hanger with heart pipe cleaners mobile that I designed that I was particularly fond of…oh and a spool knit mouse out of an egg shaped foam and with pipe cleaner ears and legs!
I’m not sure about real…I have wore things I’ve sewed since the 7th grade (most spectacularly a stretch knit bat winged shiny pink damask jacket and skirt with white ribbing in the late 80s).

Stitching is very creative, yet also very detail oriented and precise. Does it reflect your personality?
Well – I am not detail oriented but I am creative and I love working with color. My mom used to call me a fussbudget and in that respect I am a bit of a perfectionist. I don’t know if it’s the dyslexia or what but I am really sensitive to balance -in my world if it is not symmetrical it “darn” well better be balanced. Do you ever rip out stitches to re-do them in a different color or type of stitch? All the time but less than I did when I first started I think because I have better feel for what will look good.

Where do you find the patterns you use?
Mmm…everywhere these days -I started with sublime [sublime stitching] designs but now the whole internet is my image playground. I try to always be respectful and give credit but lately it has come down to taking various sources and re-drawing them into what I am envisioning…I have every piece of software I could ever want at work but most often AutoCAD comes to my rescue creatively…being draft person gives me a different parameters for how I think things should look.

Do you have an all-time favorite pattern you’ve used again and again?
Mmm I have made a few from sublime more than once (the alien girl, the hula girl, the martini, the tiki man) but I try to avoid it because there are so many things I haven’t stitched.

Do you ever make anything for yourself?
Not really -I have my three tea towels from the tea towel tour and that is it. The world of digital photography has given me some peace. I can photograph any crafts I make embroidery included and send them off and I always have the photos to keep and look at later. It has been great for tracking my progress.

Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in the people I make things for – I try to make the designs as personal as possible. My sister when she is not mad at me calls me the Present Princess because I have a bit of a knack for it.

Are there any websites or blogs you visit regularly for creative inspiration?
Mmm…I love flickr and craftster but before any of them I was addicted to the websites below…not Martha circa 2002 was my first taste of the craft blog and I’ve never looked back since. Bath bombs marble magnets anyone?

not martha
erica mulherin
loobylu
ljcfyi
jejune
doorsixteen

Do you sell the items you make?
Not really. I’m looking into doing commissioned pieces though in the vein of one of a kind customized artwork. I’ve had a number of requests from people after I have made them things and I don’t think I would get the bigger projects done without some sort of financial commitment.

If you could listen to anything while you worked on a project, what would it be?
My grampa telling me one of his tall tales.

Grab your ipod and hit “shuffle” - what song comes up first (no cheating – no editing!)?
Phew! It could have been anything but I lucked out with Rubberneckin’ by Elvis Presley it was an extra lucky shuffle because next was Country Boy by Johnny Cash and no I’m not making that up ;)

"I traced her from a book of sailor jerry tattoo stencils. Originally she was wearing this strange strand of pearls over her arm and I made a few other changes to things but then it was all good to go...
the book [by Kate Hellenbrand] is awesome"

What three movies are next on your Netflix Queue?
Hmm no netflix for this chick but I was thinking about maybe buying the following King Creole, The Misfits, and Gilda…I love old movies but I saw the Sex and the City movie the day it came out last Friday ;)

What’s your favorite candy?
Dark Chocolate does that count if not then I will go with Whoppers or Swedish Berries.

Where can we find more of you?
Flickr [where she also shares her enormous stash of vintage transfer patterns] and craftster and commenting on your blog anonymously, I’ve organized the last 2 tea towel tours on craftster, an embroidered patch swap and just lately a round of the rockabilly swap (which is my favorite music). I also am helping Average Jane Crafter and Jenny Hart moderate the TTT group on flickr which it turns out is almost no work ;)

Thank you so much, Erin. Your work is so beautiful. I can't wait to see what you'll come up with next!

xoxo

Stitchy Woman

An interview with another fabulous Stitchy Woman....
Jean Flaherty: Jean Jean the Sewing Machine.


Jean, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago- have lived in many places since, most recently I moved from Plantation, FL where we were for four years to South Bend, IN- we will move from here in a few months. I am a stay at home Mom to three children, a four year old girl, a three year old boy and a 20 month old girl. My husband and I just celebrated our five year anniversary- he’s the light of my life.

How did you come up with the name Jean, Jean the Sewing Machine?
As a baby my parents called me Jean, Jean the bubble machine, because I blew a lot of bubbles. As a kid I thought it was a bit TMI for a nickname. However, a couple of years ago I heard about this guy, Gene, Gene the dancing machine from the Gong Show- he’s pretty amazing, you can check him out on You Tube, and he is my namesake.

all embroidery patterns throughout interview are from Sublime Stitching.

Stitching is very creative, yet also very detail oriented and precise. Does it reflect your personality?
Yes and no. I don’t think I am so much imaginative in my creativity as I am organizational; I like to put things together in ways that look nice, this applies especially to colors. I try to remain diligent and practice the few skills I know such as keeping the back looking nice and making even stitches- but this is probably where I need to work a bit harder.

Do you ever rip out stitches to re-do them in a different color or type of stitch?
Yes, I do. I am by no means a perfectionist- but I do try to make things look right.

Where do you find the patterns you use?
All of the embroidery I have done lately is from Sublime Stitching patterns.

Do you have an all-time favorite pattern you’ve used again and again?
Not yet, but Our Lady of Guadalupe and the seahorse from Sublime Stitching speak to my heart. I have yet to be happy with a seahorse I have stitched, so that’s on the agenda!


Are there any websites or blogs you visit regularly for creative inspiration?
Certainly Flickr, it is where I discovered Sublime Stitching embroidery- Early Bird Special (formerly Sew Wabi Sabi) helped me get started. I first was inspired to sew again after finding Heather Bailey’s blog, from hers I found and the rest of the many awesome websites and online stores dedicated to sewing and embroidery including Sew, Mama, Sew, Purlsoho, Sugar City Journal and Angry Chicken. I continue to be amazed by the incredible generosity in time, talent and encouragement through fellow crafters online.


If you could listen to anything while you worked on a project, what would it be?
I think about this often, because I have three little ones I limit what I listen to while they are awake, but I daydream about having hours of time to craft while listening to Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, and Belle and Sebastian

Grab your ipod and hit “shuffle” - what song comes up first (no cheating – no editing!)?
“It Is Not Easy”- Desmond Dekker from Rockin Steady- his greatest hits. Okay, and the next one is “Family Tree” by Belle and Sebastian- how could I leave that out? It’s one of my favorite songs.
Have you always been crafty?
Yes, at least since I was a young child. I would make papier-mâché animals as gifts when I was young. Throughout high school and college I worked a lot with paper on a tiny micro level. Lately, I have been using more needle and thread.

Do you remember your first “real” craft/sewing/art project?
I started making my own clothes in high school- they were very dramatic, literally- they were costumes. I made them from costume patterns and wore them as street clothes.

Do you do other crafty things as well?
Yes, I like to sew

Do you ever make anything for yourself?
I have made a few clothes for myself and have plans to make some more. I have fallen in love with the Japanese sewing pattern books! And I make clothes for my children, so those are for me as well, because I love watching them wear the things I make.

Where do you find inspiration?
I have a happy life at home with my children and husband- it’s conducive to making things, I think if it were not for my family I would not be crafting. Further, my parents, and especially my Mom, taught me a love of beauty. My mom has an ability to make everything around her beautiful and charming- she can do so on a macro and micro level. I hope to be like her. There is also a C.S. Lewis quote from the beginning of the Great Divorce: “Even on the biological level life is not like a river but like a tree. It does not move towards unity but away from it and the creatures grow further apart as they increase in perfection. Good, as it ripens, becomes continually more different not only from evil but from other good.” I find this true and very encouraging.

Do you sell the items you make?
Not yet. But I plan to open an Etsy shop with children’s clothes and handbags; I just need to get my act together to write some patterns!

Where can our readers find more of you?
Just my flickr page!

Thank you so much, Jean!
xoxo

Stitchy Woman

An Interview with Claudia Marchan of Stichado

I'm feeling so lucky with this interviewing gig - I get to "meet" (via email) all of these talented and wonderful women and learn a little bit more about them and their craft. Today's Stitchy Woman is certainly no exception.

Tell us a little bit about yourself
I was born in Chicago but raised in Mexico since I was around three months old. When I was almost eleven, my parents brought me back to Chicago and I’ve been living here since. I’m happily married to an international man of mystery with whom I have two beautiful boys, a dog and a little blue parakeet.

Grab your ipod and hit “shuffle” - what song comes up first (no cheating – no editing!)?
Le vieil elephant by Alain Schneider. It’s a French reggae song on one of my kids cd’s. I love it too, it’s the perfect song to come up first.


How did you come up with your blog name?
My husband came up with it. It’s his version of the spanglish word for stitched.

Have you always been crafty?
I like to think so, in so way or another. I love making things with my hands. I recently started sewing by hand just for the simple reason I can’t get used to using a machine.

Do you do other crafty things as well?
I really wish I did but there are just not enough hours in the day for me right now.

made using Sublime Stitching patterns

Do you remember your first “real” craft/sewing/art project?
I don’t remember my very first project because I started embroidering when I was probably seven years old. I remember my mom would go to the market and get my sisters and I lots of pre-stamped kitchen towels to embroider. It was so much fun for me. I remember it now like it was painting by stitches. I don’t remember using any of the fancy stitches either. Like French knot, split stitch, chain stitch or blanket stitch, it was always the satin stitch or the backstitch.

I know you have two young boys at home - When do you find time to create?
Funny you should ask, sometimes I don’t even know how I manage. I usually stay up late to finish something I started, specially if it’s something I’m really enjoying.

Your stitched goods have been getting lots of attention lately. That must be so exciting for you!
Yes, it’s been quite exciting and surprising most of all. I really don’t know why because I think there are other much more talented crafters out there than me.

Where do you find the patterns you use?
My biggest ally has been Needlecrafter , Floresita’s transfer finds and recently Hoop Love.

Do you have an all-time favorite pattern you’ve used again and again?
I am totally in love with all the Vogart birds, I could never get tired of stitching them. I think they’re what I’ve used the most.

What kinds of things do you like to embroider on (towels, pillowcases, etc)?
I first started on some kitchen towels and somehow I began stitching on stretchy fabrics like t-shirts and onesies. I really didn’t like it at first but it’s become one of my favorite fabrics to stitch on.


Do you ever make anything for yourself?
I recently started making stuff for me but usually I give it away or make things for my boys.

Where do you find inspiration?
All around me. My boys, my neighborhood, the internet, clip art, children’s books, magazines, flickr and my life in general.

Are there any websites or blogs you visit regularly for creative inspiration?
There are too many to list here but I have some of them listed on my blog. I remember the first blog I found about embroidery was floresita’s blog and I kept coming back every little moment I had free to read all of her past posts.

Do you sell the items you make? And if so, do you have any tips for people who want to start selling their work, either online or at craft shows?
I do sell some of my items on Etsy; That's all I have time for right now. My only advice is don’t overwhelm yourself. Remember that you are doing it because you enjoy it, not because you want to stress yourself out.


Thank you so much, Claudia!!! Where can we find more of you?
My blog, etsy and flickr.

xoxo

{If you would like to appear in a Stitchy Woman interview, please drop me a note at jessie@sweetjessie.com - pretty please with a cherry on top?}

Stitchy Woman

An Interview with Gina from Doe-C-Doe

Hi Gina! Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I went to school for graphic design, I met my guy while there and every since we’ve been together moving around, collecting more stuff and caring for our pets. Right now we live in the Midwest but we’re both originally from the East coast.

How did you come up with the name of your blog?
There are so many great names out there – I knew what I wanted to evoke but I couldn’t come up with something that felt right. I was watching an old movie on TMC, with Danny Kaye I think and they were talking about square dancing I guess…I liked the bounciness of it but wanted to make it feel less literal so I played with the words/sound and came up with doe-c-doe.

What’s one thing we probably don’t know about you?
I love to get a spoonful of peanut butter & then dip/scoop pieces of Hershey’s chocolate in it – try it, you’ll like it!



When did you first start stitching?
I started about 3 or 4 years ago – I used it as a creative outlet beyond the computer, which I spend a great deal of time on. Also, I find it relaxing and something I can do while watching tv which used to just be wasted time.

Do you do other crafty things as well?
Not really. I’d like to do more but I don’t have enough energy…

Stitching is very creative, yet also very detail oriented and precise. Does it reflect your personality?
It does reflect my personality because I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I try to make my stitches really even but am constantly humbled by other people’s work.

Do you ever rip out stitches to re-do them in a different color or type of stitch?
I’ve done that a couple time because I wasn’t happy with the color I originally choose. I’ve learned that if I’m not happy with the way something is looking I need to just bite the bullet and fix it because I’ll never be really happy with it. So much time goes into a piece, in the end, it needs to be as close as possible to what I envisioned.

Where do you find the patterns you use?
I use vintage transfers from my collection, books, clip-art, free patterns others post and coloring books.



Do you have an all-time favorite pattern you’ve used again and again?
I haven’t repeated anything I’ve done yet – I tend to do something and then want to move on to something new.

What kinds of things do you embroider on (towels, pillowcases, etc)?
I’ve done a couple pillows & towels as gifts but I think my favorite formats are shadow-boxes & wall-hangings:

(I was inspired by a painting on flickr to create this piece)

This is my most recent finished project (using a free pattern provided by badbird):

Do you ever make anything for yourself?
Yes, but mostly I like to give embroidery as gifts because I know the people I’m giving it to really appreciate what goes into it.

Where do you find inspiration?
All over, the internet, vintage craft books, magazines, nature – the list goes on & on… If the embroidery is a gift for someone I definitely am inspired by them – that’s the best, when you get it just right!
I also find inspiration in my mom – not only because she makes beautiful things but because she gets so much joy out of what I make & I love making her smile!

Are there any websites or blogs you visit regularly for creative inspiration?
Just like everyone else I visit so many it’s hard to try to pick just a few {I list many on my blog}. However, I would say the blog that was the first one I read regularly and which has been such an overall inspiration to me is posie gets cozy.

Do you sell the items you make?
I don’t sell the items I make, although I’m very flattered when people say they wish I would! I’m thinking about opening an etsy shop & have considered selling digital copies of some of my vintage transfers there, but don’t know yet what I’m going to do.

If you could listen to anything while you worked on a project, what would it be?
When I’m stitching it’s the tv, ideally a movie I’ve seen many times before so I don’t have to look up too often! But when I’m preparing a project to start and am in my office its NPR. Since it’s the weekend usually its one of the “fun” shows like This American Life or Car Talk.

Can you show me a few projects and tell me about them?
This is an example of a gift inspired by the recipient’s interest. My guy loves to photograph bugs & I’ve never been big on the real bug specimen box thing so I thought this was a fun way to create my own version.


My dear friend suggested I try embroidering on a lampshade & this was the result, which I in turn gave to her for her baby’s nursery:


My sister loves Lucy & so I wanted to make her something related to that. I referenced Jenny Hart’s portraits to gain confidence and ended up being really happy with the results:


What three movies are next on your Netflix Queue?
Yikes, we don’t have Netflix! But here are 3 movies I always watch when they are on cable:
1. Amelie
2. My Favorite Wife
3. The Princess Bride

Where can we find more of you?
The thrift store! {Or here on Flickr}

Gina makes so many beautiful things and has all sorts of fun and wonderful collections. Make sure to visit her blog, Doe-C-Doe to check it all out for yourself!

Thank you, Gina!

xoxo

Stitchy Woman

Yay! I'm so excited to be posting my very first interview here on Feeling Stitchy! Please grab a cup of tea and sit with me as I share my interview with Heather from Heather Hales Designs.

Heather, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a 30 year old mother of a 6 year old boy and a 3 year old girl living in a suburb of Phoenix, AZ with my handsome husband. The fact that it gets so hot here in the summer (110+ for 30 straight days) really lends itself well to indoor activities…like stitching!

When I am not parenting or crafting I really enjoy reading. My husband and I have enough books to start our own library and the kids are well on their way to their own library too! I love classic literature (Steinbeck, Miller, James) and Spanish literature (Garcia-Marquez, Allende) - even though I don’t speak a lick of Spanish! I also enjoy baking; I make a pretty mean chocolate truffle cake if you are ever in these parts!



Were you interested in arts and crafts as a kid? What’s the first thing you remember creating?
Yes, I was interested in crafts a as child!! While I was really young my mother was working on her BA in textile art so she was always doing fun creative projects with my sister and I.

My very first sewing project (by hand) was a doll quilt I made for a first grade class assignment. I chose my very favorite prints from my mother’s fabric collection and pieced it by hand. Secretly, after I went to bed my mom stitched over my hand stitching on her sewing machine and I think she bound it for me too:
Cross stitching was also big in our house. I was always working on some cross stitch project, but now that I think about it I don’t know that I ever finished anything. I remember first learning about embroidery when we were in the middle of loading the moving truck for a move (one of MANY), I must have been about 8. My mom had put on a cotton blouse that she felt was a little too low, so she disappeared for 15 min and came back out with the same shirt only the front wasn’t so low and it was adorned with beautiful flowers. I was amazed and made her tell me how she did it! I tried for many years to embroider and I just could not get the stitches even and nice so I stopped trying. I took it up again shortly after my son was born and somehow it clicked and my stitches were straight and even.

Do you do other crafty things as well?
Oh I dabble a little in Photography, I’m not very good and I don’t have an SLR so mostly it is just for fun. I also like to pretend that I can design web pages and make graphics.

It takes so much time to complete an embroidery project. How much time do you usually spend on a project, and where do you find the time?
It depends. If it is a project that I am really excited about then I will take it with me everywhere and I usually get it done in a day or two. On the flip side I remember a kitchen towel I made a few months ago that took me a whole week to finish!
I really do take my projects with me everywhere. I’ll stitch in the parking lot of my son’s school while I wait for him to come out. This time of year so I also spend a lot of time stitching at the park while my kids play. Since my youngest is still at home I stitch while she naps or in the evenings after the kids are in bed.

Stitching is very creative, yet also very detail oriented and precise. Does it reflect your personality?
Sadly, no. I am certainly a type A personality but I tend to be lax on details. My mother was always telling me stop rushing through things and pay attention to what I was doing. I have to discipline myself to be detail oriented with the crafts and stitching that I do, but it does not come naturally to me.

Do you ever rip out stitches to re-do them in a different color or type of stitch?
Not very often. I usually think through a project pretty thoroughly before I start. I select colors and lay them all together to make sure the coordinate and balance and then I plan what stitch I will use for each area.

Which stitch do you use most often?
Stem stitch, although, the chain stitch is growing on me.

Where do you find the patterns you use?
I really like vintage patterns, something about the bygone era appeals to me. I wonder about the women who purchased them new- what were they like and what did they make? I find most of my patterns at a local antique mall, the flickr Hoop Love group and some on ebay. I also have started collecting vintage coloring books- they are great for patterns.

Do you have an all-time favorite pattern you’ve used again and again?
After I make something once I am usually bored with it and want to move on to something new. I’ve used the vintage lollipop (from an old coloring book) more than a few times. It was a towel that people really liked and I got a lot of requests for it:


Did you collect anything as a kid? Do you collect anything now as an adult?
As a teenager I collected lip balm, not just any lip balm it either had to do something cool for your lips or come in a cute container. Now I am working on my collection of vintage embroidery patterns! Vogart’s are great, but I really like finding a McCall or Simplicity as they are harder to come by.

What kinds of things do you like to embroider on?
I like to embroider flannel blankets the most, and my second choice would be kitchen towels. I do stitch onesies, but I have yet to find a stabilizer that I like, so it is always a tricky process.

Do you ever make anything for yourself?
Rarely! I love what I make and wish that I had some of the things for myself. I just have such a hard time justifying using the time for myself rather than for a client or my family.

Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere! I love looking at the packaging of things in bath and soap shops (can I just say that Lollia has some of the neatest designs on their packages!). I also love craft and home dec. magazines, they provide tons of eye candy for me. I am also prone to wasting large amounts of time late at night surfing through flickr.

Who encourages you in your artistic pursuits? Are there any blogs or websites you frequent?
My family encourages me, especially my sister-in-law Sarah she is my biggest cheerleader. My step-mother Kathleen is one of my best customers, it means so much to me that she likes my work enough to buy it for her friends! I love reading crafty blogs, I have a whole page (please link to my inspiration page) on my blog devoted to the artists that inspire me. Here is a short version of a really long list!

Jessie, you are one- I remember hunting you down after I found your adorable book plates at Mahar Drygoods. You always use such bold colors and I love the modern feel of your products.

I’m really liking the work of Julia of Symbiosis; her designs are so fresh with such clean lines.

I love the soft color pallet and classic look of everything that Kelly of My Happy Little Life creates.

The Mayfly is another blog I frequent. Her creations are so cute and practical! One day I am going to make her awesome car organizer.

Do you have a special food or drink you like to have while creating?
No, I try really hard to keep food away from the projects, although an occasional peanut M&M might slip in. I do like to watch movies while I stitch though- I love Netflix!

What are the next three movies in your Netflix que?
Cinderella (for my daughter), The Heiress, Howards End

If you could listen to anything while you worked on a project, what would it be?
I’m an ‘80’s junkie. I love the Cure, DepecheMode, Erasure, Yaz etc.

Can you show me a few projects and tell me about them?


1. This is a free hand embroidery I created for a fun small sized tote bag. It was a real stretch for me to not use a pattern; I was really pleased with how it turned out. 2. I first found this pattern in the flickr Hoop Love group and added it to my list of designs I want to stitch. I love bird patterns and this one was so sweet and I really liked that it was a larger pattern. Then I found the Alexander Henry fabric and decided they were meant to be together. 3. I free handed again and created this cute rocket ship for a onesie. It is one of the patterns I am going to offer for custom onesies in my shop soon. 4. This is the first time I have used linen. I love the fabric but hate the wrinkles! I noticed other designers were using linen a lot so I decided to give it a go.

Do you sell the items you make? And if so, do you have any tips for people who want to start selling their work, either online or at craft shows?
Yes, I sell items that I make. Any tips? Hmm, first I guess make sure there is a market for your items- ask friends that will be honest with you about your products. Feedback is hard to take sometimes but it will help you create products that really will sell or be in demand. I’ve only done 1 craft show and the one thing I did learn to make your display as eye catching and cute as you can, it really does increase your traffic. Market yourself and your shop. It is so hard to get noticed at Etsy these days; you have to bring people to your shop if you really want to make sales.

Where can we find more of you?
Frances Vintage in downtown Phoenix, my Etsy shop, heatherhalesDESIGNS the blog, and right here in the land of eternal sun! I love meeting new people; feel free to drop me a note if you’ll be in the area: heather@heatherhalesdesigns.com

Thank you so much, Heather!!!
Thank you Jessie- this was a real treat. I am so excited to keep reading your weekly interviews!

xx

I will be posting interviews every other Thursday with all sorts of stitchy gals. Haven't you always dreamed of seeing your name in stitch? Well, if you'd consider being interviewed, or to recommend someone whom you'd like to hear more about, please drop me a note at sweetjessie@comcast.net. Come on now, don't be shy!