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.
