1. Please introduce yourself – name,
where you are from, family, pets etc.
Hi, I’m Tiffstitch, born in a small
town in Ontario, Canada near Michigan, USA. I have 3 siblings
scattered throughout Canada and my parents and cousins, Grandma,
aunts and uncles live in the same small town we all grew up in.
Currently I’m in Vermont and live with DH and DD and a crazy cat
named Max.
2. How long have you been stitching and
how did you start?
My roommate from first year undergrad
taught me how to cross stitch. I’ve been stitching off and on since
then (1995) with mostly on the last 7 or 8 years. My first project I
didn’t realize you had to split the threads and I stitched with all
6 strands! My kit ran out and I had to buy more DMC and that’s how
it all started. My first project was a 3”x 3” little kit, my next
one was 8 x11!
3. How long have you been blogging and
what inspired you to start? Is there a story behind your blog title?
I started blogging in 2012 I believe
and had a different URL. That one kept getting spammed though, so I
switched to Blogger and have had this current blog since August 2013.
I was doing some hobby photography and my nick on that forum was
Tiffpix, so I picked Tiffstitch for my cross-stitching.
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 don’t think I’ve ever really been
a OAAT stitcher. Even when I mostly worked on one larger project, I
still pulled out smaller projects to work on. I enjoy starting the
most of any aspect of a project, so the Ultimate Challenges in honour
of SoCal Debbie were a lot of fun. However, this did lead to a
ponderous amount of WIPs that I hope to complete over the next few
years. I think my oldest WIP is from at least 10 years ago now. (See photo below of oldest WIP). I’m trying a new rotation this year to be
better organized. The first week of every month is BAP week, then SAL
week, then WIP week, and 4th week and on is anything goes. It’s
working out well so far.
Unfinished Basset Hound
5. Do you have a favourite designer or
style of design you are drawn to?
There are so many great designers out
there that I can’t choose one favourite. I enjoy the lettering
projects from Lizzie Kate, the cute smalls from Durene Jones, and
anything that piques my interest: dragons, realistic tigers, wolves
are a few key interests.
6. Which piece are you most proud of in
your collection?
This is close between Homeward Trail
for my Grandma, that had a few different techniques and tons of satin
DMC, and it took years to finish, and Tribal Basset. I didn’t start
this until after we lost our beloved Otto in 2014 and it helped with
the grieving process since I managed to adapt the pattern to fit his
particular characteristics a little more.
Homeward Trail from Cross Stitch & Needlework
Tribal Basset
7. What has been your worst stitching
disaster?
Hmm. Coke got spilled on the unicorn
and not knowing better I cleaned it with bleach, then washed it out
after the framer looked at me a little funny and refused to frame it
until I washed it out. ;) It turned out okay and has lasted over 20
years, so it was a fortunate result. I spelled the name of DH’s
cousin's beloved golden retriever incorrectly and had to fix it after
it was framed, that wasn’t fun, but I got it done.
Mouski the retriever
8. Which new technique would you like to
try, either stitching, finishing or another craft?
I would like to try quilting. I think
it would aid my fully finishing my cross stitch pieces, plus I have a
lot of baby clothes I’d like to turn into quilts. I’ve heard it’s
highly addictive with fabric stash, so I’m also a little afraid to
get started as my cross stitch stash has far surpassed the SABLE
levels. I live in hope that DD will like stitching too and will help
me work through it :D
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 have a drawer full. I need to take
more time to FF everything. I really enjoyed trying out the cube
finishes from Jo’s easy tutorial. I did that for 2
Xmas items this year and I think it went very well. There are a few
others I have in mind for cube finishes too, and maybe that will
happen this year.
Drawer of Shame
10. Which of your projects most represents
"you"?
I think I’d have to say my Ink
Circles Reflections of Canada. I’m stitching it on fabric from an
LNS near my old hometown, it has lots of bits of Canadiana, including
large hockey sticks(!), and it has a repeating pattern. I do much
better when I have routine vs. change or spontaneity, so repeats are
a good thing.
Ink Circles Reflections of Canada
11. Tell us a secret about yourself. Or a
joke. About anything!
DD’s current favourite joke is “There
were 2 muffins in the oven. One says ‘Wow, it’s getting hot in
here.’ The other muffin says ‘Ah! A talking muffin!’
12. Anything you would like to add?
I love reading all your blogs and
cheering on your stitching triumphs and commiserating with the
inevitable frogging. It’s really nice being part of the community.
Happy Stitching!
