1. What sort of crafts do you usually make?
At the moment I mostly crochet and stitch, and I
wish to learn how to quilt so I'm experimenting a lot with English paper
piecing. I always have too many projects on my to-do list, and I love to play with all kind of different
fibers. Whatever project I am working on, it has to be super bright and
colorful!
2. Has this contest inspired you to use old
techniques in non-traditional ways in other projects? Or is this something
that you enjoy doing regularly in you craft projects?
Lately I felt the urge to experiment a little
bit more with my stitching. Following a pattern is fun and relaxing, but I
needed a little more stimulation, so the "Old Stitches New Tricks" competition
came at a really good moment!
I like
to be challenged because it allows me to go further and forces me to see the
material I am working with in a different way.
Even if it's relatively new to me, I look forward
to experimenting a lot more, mixing different crafting media and foremost learning stitches that are unknown to me.
I really
enjoyed this competition, and I am SO happy my creation won first place!
3. What inspires you to craft? How did you get
started with crafting, particularly fiber art?
Some of my best childhood memories were when I
spent afternoons sitting next to my grandmother watching her sew and weave.
This incredibly strong woman has thought me so much, and the most important gift
she gave me was the pleasure found in creating things with your own hands.
I have always been crafty. I tried all sort of
crafty hobbies, and I taught myself to cross stitch when I was pregnant with my
son 12 years ago. I've been a stitcher on and off since then trying all kind of
crafty hobbies along the way. I am always trying something new, but stitching
has a special place in my heart and I always go back to it. It's the perfect
hobby for me because I can take it with me to work and add a few stitches
during my lunch break.
I find most inspiration online on personal
blogs and on Instagram. For example, I stumbled upon Carina's blog this summer
and I saw this incredible piece she made. I had never seen blackwork before and I absolutely fell in love with it! I like
symmetry, geometric shapes, and repeating patterns, so it was an enlightenment
for me! It inspired me to try blackwork and to try creating my own pattern for
the first time (my blackwork colorwheel). I am very grateful for the inspiration
other crafters give me!
Four years ago, we had the horrific news that
my mom had only a few days to live. I packed my things as quick as I could to
go be by her side and in my luggage I included a hoop, a piece of fabric,
needles, and thread and a cute pattern I had been keeping for a couple of years...
and beside her hospital bed I stitched it. She passed before I had the time to finish
it, but before she did, each time she had a visitor she would show them what I
was doing and tell them how talented and patient I was... This little witch has
a very special place in my heart! (Mary Engelbreit's "Tiny Witch" pattern)
Thank you so much, Stephanie, for sharing your work with us! You can find more of Stephanie's craftiness on her blog, My Rainbow Crochet, and on Instagram.
What are you stitching? Please share in the &Stitches Flickr group. We'd love to see it!
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