Mia from Craftartista

This week's Blogger of the Week is another new-to-me blogger and another Greek multi-crafter.  Like Ariadne she does a wide variety of beautiful crafts as well as stitching.  There must be something in the Mediterranean air!  She is also very organised and there is a row of tabs across the top of her blog so you can find more of your favourite craft very easily.  She has linked to lots of posts in her interview so you can click through and find out more about each piece.  She loves to link up with other blogs so her blog is a great way to find related blogs for any craft you care to try.  Please welcome Mia from

Craftartista

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

Hi, Jo. Thank you for being invited for this interview. My name is Mia and I am from Greece.  I live in Athens.  I am married and my pet is a beautiful canary.  Oh, I love birds!

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

I stitch since I was 5 years old.  Stitching is a great activity, as the time goes by quickly and in the meanwhile I make beautiful handmade creations.  My first embroidery was a little girl watering a daisy and my mother put it in a frame for my room decoration.

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

I am a new blogger.  I started in May of 2017.  I decided to start blogging to show my creations and get new friends throughout the globe.

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 am an advanced stitcher, but not an expert.  I love the magic of taking a needle and a piece of fabric and create a beautiful handmade image.  I stitch a lot but not all the time, as I like various crafts.  For example I love sewing and crochet, but I also love painting, decoupage, making jewelry, cosmetics and cards.  I am very organised with my stuff but I am very eclectic about the stitchery I choose, as I do with all my crafts.

Sewing: Clasp purse

Crochet: Crochet bird

Painting: Sea landscape

Decoupage: Almond blossoms

Jewelry: Christmas tree pendant

Cosmetics: Body mosquito spray

Cards: Be mine

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

I love designing my own embroideries. That’s why I often design using a pencil on a piece of fabric and then I start stitching. You may see what I mean here.

Stitched tote bag

My favourite stitches are the cross-stitch, the satin stich, the back stitch and, of course the blanket stitch which I use often to many crafts, as I did in this mini notebook.

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

I am proud of a big tablecloth I stitched when I was 15.  It is so pretty.  I stitched many flowers of different colours and it decorates my dining room almost all the time!

7. What has been your worst stitching disaster?

I remember the first time that I tried to stitch a card with blanket stitch.  It was so hard to make a beautiful blanket stitch as there are no holes in the paper and I could not understand the right distance between my stitches.

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

I would love to try embossing.  It is a technique of giving a card a 3D effect. I haven’t tried it yet, but definitely I will.  Also, I would love to be better in patchwork and quilting, as still I am in an intermediate level.

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?

Of course I have a box of finished-but-not-fully finished pieces.  Most of them are cross-stitched table runners or tableclothes that I want to add a crochet lace.  Others are crochet pendants that I want to add a string and make necklaces.  Some are cross-stitched pillows that I need to add a zipper.  I fully finish my pieces during the weekend or on holiday, as many times it is difficult to do it on the working days.  When my projects are ready, I use them to decorate my home, or I give them as presents to my mother, sister or friends.  Sometimes I give my embroideries to charities, as well.

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

My stitched or crochet bags and wallets, my crochet earrings, my button rings and the stitched pockets on my jeans!

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

I always think positive and I believe that we deserve to live in a better world. Let’s hope that this “joke”, or maybe “dream” will come true.

12. Anything you would like to add?

Just a huge thank you Jo, for giving me the chance to be the Blogger of the Week.