Friday 22 September 2017

Anne from An Evening of Wonders

I discovered this week's Blogger of the Week via the Stitch Maynia Facebook group, they have a list of the blogs written by the members of the group.  I am so pleased I did because she has some beautiful projects including Chatelaine's Desert Mandala.  She also features regular book reviews which are always interesting to read.  In fact her blog is named after a book quote, see if you recognise it before she tells us which book!  Please welcome Anne from



1. Please introduce yourself – name, where you are from, family, pets etc.

My name is Anne. I’m not sure I’m “from” anywhere anymore – I’ve moved so many times in my life, but I grew up on the east coast and now live in the southwestern US. I’ve been happily married to my DH for 20+ years. We currently have 2 dogs (Lizzie and Rowan) and 1 cat (Emma).


2. How long have you been stitching and how did you start?

I learned how to sew from my dad’s mom, but I learned how to embroider when I was 5.   I went to a sort of hippie school as a little kid where we learned traditional crafts like how to make lye soap and how to embroider.  I stitched quite a bit in my early 20s, but then put it aside for a while and mostly knit for the last decade or so.   

With Thy Needle & Thread - January Wordplay


3. How long have you been blogging and what inspired you to start? Is there a story behind your blog title?

I have been a blogger for 10+ years, although not with this particular blog.  (I had a knitting and handspinning focused blog called How the West Was Spun for many years prior).  My current blog, An Evening Of Wonders, takes its name from a quote out of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice by Mr. Bennet.


4. How would you describe your stitching style? Are you a serial starter, a rotator, a OAAT (one at a time), highly organised, random and eclectic, etc.?

I’d say pretty organized – I tend to be that way about most things – with lots of lists and spreadsheets because I like those.   I generally work off a rotation and I try to mix up some smaller pieces in with the bigger/epic ones so I have a few finishes now and then to keep me motivated.   I didn’t think I’d like have a bunch of projects on the go, but I participated in Stitch Maynia this year (2017) and found out I loved having so many things to pick from. Now I just have to actually finish some of them!

Plum Street Samplers - Babushka's Blossoms


5. Do you have a favourite designer or style of design you are drawn to?

I don’t have any one favorite designer or style, but I tend to like more complex pieces.  I’m a fan of full coverage pieces.   I love how there is SO MUCH detail encapsulated in a piece of needlework with those. (Side note: I’ve got a full coverage group I just set up on Facebook, so anyone who is a fan of full coverage project is welcome to come join us!  Link: Full Coverage Fanatics.



6. Which piece are you most proud of in your collection?

I don’t have it any longer as it was a gift for my younger sister, but I finished a Paula Vaughan design many years ago for her to hang in her room when she was a teenager. It came out beautifully, I thought. 

Chatelaine - Desert Mandala


7. What has been your worst stitching disaster?

Thankfully, I don’t think I’ve had any disasters.   Or at least maybe I have a very skewed idea of what a disaster is.   I’ve had things I’ve had to rip out or redo, but nothing that I couldn’t get back on track. Maybe I’m just lucky? 


8. Which new technique would you like to try, either stitching, finishing or another craft?

I want to finish a piece with a flat-fold a la Vonna/The Twisted Stitcher’s tutorial.  I haven’t done one of those before, but I really like how they look and it would expand my knowledge base for a different type of finishing technique.    (And I do NOT need any other crafts. Let’s not even suggest that I try something else.)


9. Do you have a box of finished-but-not-fully-finished pieces? Or is everything FFO'd? What's your favourite way to fully finish a project and what do you do with them?

Everything is FFO’d.  If I have a larger piece, it might sit for a few weeks until I decide how I want to finish it, but generally, if it’s a small, I finish it right after I’m done the stitching, or for larger things, I’ll get those framed up fairly quickly after finishing the stitching.  Most of the finished pieces I still have are smalls – but I really enjoy finishing those, picking a coordinating fabric for the back, and having them to give as holiday gifts or to display in my own home for year-round events.

Drawn Thread - Full Moon


10. Which of your projects most represents "you"?

The project that most represents me – I haven’t even started it yet.  I ordered the Quick Stitch version of the pattern from Heaven and Earth Designs as a birthday present to myself and just received it this month.   It’s Aimee Stewart’s Eternia.  First off, it’s a pretty in-depth project (something I love working on), and the horse reminds me of my long-time competition horse, Bhen, who was a gorgeous black bay Arabian I rode for years and was my best friend.  Of course, doesn’t hurt that the lady is lovely and wearing a long medieval-style dress, since I love historic clothing and textiles!



11. Tell us a secret about yourself. Or a joke. About anything!

 I secretly wish I had Hermione Granger’s Time Turner. (Maybe not so secretly….)






16 comments:

  1. How very nice to meet you Anne. Your work is beautiful.
    astitchersstory.blogspot.com

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  2. Very pleased to meet you Anne! I wish I had your discipline for FFOs! I have a huge box of things that need to be finished off, one day soon I hope. Your stitching is gorgeous!

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  3. Pleasure to meet you Anne! I'm always impressed by stitchers that do full coverage work. Just seeing those hanging threads on Star Weaver would send me running! Your stitching is beautiful and lots of different styles too which I enjoy seeing. Mary

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  4. Nice to meet you Anne. Lovely stitching.

    Linda

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  5. It's so nice to meet you Anne. Unfortunately the photos are not showing for me tonight but I'll come back tomorrow and look again. RJ@stitchingfriendsforever

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  6. Lovely to meet you Anne, your stitching is beautiful

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  7. I love horses!I hope to see your Eternia evolving soon.Nice meeting you!AriadnefromGreece!

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  8. So lovely to meet you, Anne, your stitching looks so gorgeous and I, too, cannot wait to see Eternia grow.

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  9. Hi Anne! It's so nice to meet you! I love your stitching! I, too, learned at an early age, aren't we the lucky ones? Now that I know about your blog, I'll be watching you (hope that didn't sound to stalkerish..haha) but it will be fun to see how these projects you are in the middle of will turn out!

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  10. Nice to meet you, Anne. You are just the opposite of how I am - I'm not organized at all with my stitching and I admire everyone who is :) And I rarely ever fully finish something when it's stitched, lol. But what we have in common is that we both love the large projects, the bigger the better.
    I just wanted to leave a comment on your blog but G doesn't want to let me unless I do something with my profile. And I don't want that.

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  11. Hi Anne, nice to meet you! I think you might be the first blogger of the week with out that 'box of shame' of not-fully-finished projects!

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  12. Hi Anne! It's lovely to meet you :o) I will have to pop over and follow your blog to see more of your lovely stitching projects :o)

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  13. Lovely to meet you Anne! Your blog is new to me, I'm popping over there in a minute for a visit. You have some beautiful projects on the go and I hope it isn't too long before you start Eternia!

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  14. Nice to meet you! Love your stitching!!! I like more complex pieces also.

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  15. It's lovely to meet you Anne. You have some beautiful stitching pieces and I'm another one very impressed by the fact that everything is FFO. Yours is a new blog to me, so I'm looking forward to visiting it.

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  16. Lovely to meet you, Anne. Such great projects, and I like your use of a Pride and Prejudice quote for your blog title x

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