This week's Blogger of the Week is another keen participant in my Blog Hops and another keen multi-crafter. As far as I am concerned the best thing about her is her love of Dragons! She even has a page on her blog dedicated just to Dragon Finishes. Please give a warm welcome to Deborah from
1. Please introduce yourself; name, family, pets etc.
Hi my name is Deborah (the biblical
spelling and it means little bee so I like bees). I live in a small
town on the North East Coast of England. This used to be mining
country. I have no pets although I did one summer have bees nesting
in the garden.
Can you spot the bee?
However, my
brother who lives in Wales makes up for my lack of pets by having
seven cats.
Cats!
2. How long have you
been stitching and how did you start?
Now there is a question with a multi
layered answer, I recall green Binca at infant’s school and
stitching on that but I don’t think I was officially cross
stitching till my mid to late 20’s due to a Christmas gift of a
kit. (Teresa Wentzler’s The Castle.)
3. How long have you
been blogging and what inspired you to start? Is there a story behind
your blog title?
I started my first blog on 14 February
2013 about getting to work and back, at the time I had limited access
to the internet and could not add photographs. A craft blog had to
wait until 9 June 2013 when I was able to add pictures because the
pictures are mostly the important bit. What inspired me, my BFF
starting a blog about the Open University journey (she graduates next
month). Why a blog, I have been thinking about that, I believe it to
be a combination of having a record of what I have made, having a
place to share crafting tales and thoughts without boring family and
friends to death and of course narcissism. As for the title, I
Googled several variations and they were taken; A Patchwork of Crafts
both reflects my interest in patchwork and the mad way I dot about
between the things I give a go, and was not being used by someone
else.
4. How would you
describe your stitching style? Serial starter, a rotator etc.
My BFF would call it in the zone,
something takes my fancy and I start it and whilst I’m zoned in it
gets worked on. However, other things can distract me and projects
go on hold. Sometimes for days, sometimes years. I tend to have
three of four quilts at various stages, a similar number of cross
–stitches and more projects in my head (and stash) than is wise. I
also tend to make things difficult for myself overcomplicating (my
friend calls it Deborizing) which can make a project take longer than
perhaps it needed. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes not. I am also
parsimonious (that’s polite for tight) and like to use stuff up and
recycle or repurpose and not throw things away.
5. Do you have a
favourite style or designer you are drawn to?
I think there is a difference between
what I am drawn to as an image and what I am drawn to as a sewing
project. I have learned a few lessons about myself, I like what I
like and there is no point putting any labels or limits on that as
there will be something that comes along that surprises me. I get
equally frustrated with big areas of solid colour as I do with
intense tweeding and confetti. So I need to add into a projects
completion time the chance I will get fed up with it at some stage. I like dragons, drapery, and scenic designs at the same time I like
cute and traditional, bright and monotone, modern and old fashioned,
so I guess a real patchwork of things.
6. Which piece are
you most proud of in your collection?
That is a bit easier to answer, and
anyone visiting my blog probably already knows, for cross stitch it
is La Scapigliata by Maria Diaz which is the featured post on my
blog.
It is just so very effective and
Deborized by stitching it one over one on 45 count linen.
For the
patchwork and quilting it is Monument Dragon (beware an epic post for
an epic quilting journey). It was a long time in the thinking
before its long time in the making and the quilted dragons well that
was the Deborizing on that piece.
Embroidery, my Christmas card
inspired trilogy, mainly the shepherds at the moment with high hopes
for the Herald Angels getting started sometime soon.
7. What has been your
worst stitching disaster?
I mostly refuse to accept that
disasters have occurred. I try to view them as inspiration for a
design opportunity, not perfect, unique! On the cross stitch for my
brother and his wife (Arthur and Guinevere, the cross stitch title
not my brother and his wife’s names) I did not leave myself with
enough fabric down one side to frame it as suggested.
The result, a mount cut to curve
around the design. Very pleased with the result and without the
“disaster” not something I would have attempted.
I guess on this All Our Yesterdays
design I did have a large area of green grass in the background that
had to be unpicked as I has sewn it in full cross when it should have
been half (or tent as some call it) and had to cut the threads and
use tweezers then sticky tape to get all of the bits off before I
could start again. I might have been tempted to leave it but the
grass to the foreground was the full cross and it gave the image
perspective and depth.
8. Which new
technique would you like to try, stitching, finishing or another
craft?
I am always finding something to add to
the future try list it is amazing how many crafts and, styles there
are out there. Hardanger, drawn thread work not tried that yet, doing
a HAED is on the list, so many blocks in the patchwork (currently
trying a sampler quilt to work through some of those) it would be
nice to make something that is wearable perhaps.
9. Do you have a box
of finished but not fully finished pieces? What is your favourite way
to finish a project and what do you do with them?
Guilty as charged, at least as far as
the cross stitches go. I mostly frame them although smaller items
might become cards. If the project was not made with a gifting
deadline of some sort then it will wait till I am in the framing zone
or I find the perfect frame. They are easier to store unframed and
are ready if an event comes along with insufficient warning to sew
something in time.
10. Which of your
projects most represents you?
That’s getting a little more
difficult, so perhaps without over introspection I will say the
Monument Dragon, as much for what is not in it as what is, the
memories the image invokes and the memories the quilting journey (I
did say it was a long one) contain and well it’s a dragon, it would
have to be a dragon.
11. Tell us a secret
about yourself. Or a joke or anything
I did mention I was parsimonious, well
I don’t do ORT, well not since the thread ball anyway. Thread is
either long enough to sew with (anything over 4” is long enough to
sew with) or it isn’t and goes in the bin. Material is either big
enough to put in a quilt (anything wider than 1.5” is big enough)
or it isn’t and goes in the bin. I just don’t have the space for
ORT. Then again maybe my idea of usable is someone else’s idea of
ORT.
12. Anything you would
like to add.
It is great having people visit the
blog from all over the world (even if the flag counter is not always
capturing the countries) and wonderful when people leave comments
(even if blogger does not make that easy). I equally like visiting
others, sharing smiles over successes, wincing with those design
opportunities and seeing the wonderful divergence of tastes in
patterns and styles that is broadening my own taste.
