1. Please introduce yourself –
name, where you are from, family, pets etc.
I’m Mary and I reside in the beautiful Hudson Valley area of New
York. I’m married with no children, 2 horses, one crazy dog and one
very sweet cat.
2. How long have you been stitching
and how did you start?
I have dabbled in Needle Arts since 3rd grade when my mother
taught me to knit and sew. As a young wife in my early 20’s I
wanted to decorate my apartment so I took up crewel work, stitched
colonial knotwork pillows and embroidery. I stitched this
tablecloth for my mother in my early 20’s and it is now passed down
to me. Many memorable dinners were shared over this tablecloth and it
is now a treasured possession.
Candle banner from our
very first post!
Christmas 2012, RJ gifted me this sweet framed “Good Friend”
in French. It was her first counted cross stitch after a long
absence from stitching. I was so impressed with her meticulous
stitching and intrigued that you do not follow a stamped pattern.
Fast forward to Summer of 2013, I had fallen off a ladder and
needed to occupy my time as I was confined to bed for a few weeks.
With RJ’s encouragement, I tried counted cross stitch and was
hooked!
RJ’s gift to me that started my cross stitch
obsession.
3. How long have you been blogging and what inspired you and RJ to start a joint blog?
RJ and I both have a love of French Country decorating and we met
on an on-line decorating board. Our first shared interest was
decorating, then stamping and ultimately, we both became obsessed
with cross stitching.
One of the reasons we started the blog was to motivate ourselves
to finish our stitched pieces and hopefully to inspire others to take
up the hobby.
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’m pretty much of an OAAT stitcher and only recently started to
rotate projects.
5. Do you have a favourite designer
or style of design you are drawn to?
Over the past few years we have discovered so many talented
designers and the designer that speaks to me is Brenda
Gervais of With Thy Needle and Thread.
6. Which piece are you most proud of
in your collection?
I am most proud of Valentine Sampler by Brenda Gervais, as
it was my first attempt at stitching on 40 count linen, a major
accomplishment for myself. As it was a gift for RJ, and my finishing
skills are lacking, I had Faye from Carolina Stitcher blog
finish it for me.
7. What has been your worst stitching
disaster?
I have had several stitching disasters of late but this one was
the worst. I had searched high and low to purchase Blessings be
Thine by Blackbird Designs to stitch for RJ. When I could not find
the pattern I decided to stitch it by following a photo I found
online. I spent many hours IFO the computer deciphering the pattern
and stitching. One day I noticed a small spot on the stitch and tried
to hand wash it out, disaster struck!
I chalk it up to bad karma
for following a photo to stitch.
8. Which new technique would you like
to try, either stitching, finishing or another craft?
I hope that some day I will enjoy the process of finishing my
stitching and I would like to incorporate embroidery stitches and
become more creative in my finishing.
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?
I love to stitch but dread finishing so I certainly have a box of
UFO’s! Most of my finishes have been little pillow ornaments
but one of our blog goals is to show a variety of ways to use cross
stitch in decorating.
10. Which of your projects most
represents "you"?
One of my favorite stitches this year was a whimsical stitch
called Pumpkin Hollow by Fanci That.
11. Tell us a secret about yourself.
Or a joke. About anything!
I take my dog for long walks in the woods each day and I always
hope that I will run into a bear on my hikes. I am bear crazy!!
12. Anything you would like to add?
Thank you Jo for inviting Stitching Friends Forever to participate
in Blogger of the Week. RJ and I are truly honored! We are so
blessed to have met so many new stitching friends through our little
blog. Most rewarding has been sharing this adventure with my dearest
friend RJ.
