Men Who Stitch

I had an interview by Emma from DMC threads for their "Men Who Stitch" series.

It appeared today at the DMC Threads blog along with some photos of some of my finishes.  I'm glad they are doing this series about stitching and showing that our craft extends beyond gender lines.  It is rare to find guys who stitch, but it's definitely something I think more men would enjoy if they tried it.  I happen to find it very relaxing and stress-reducing (except for the occasional FROGGING of course).   Here's the article:

Hi all! I’m back with the second in this month’s series of interviews with Men Who Stitch – this week I’d like to introduce you to the talented stitching of Kevin Tober, who you can find at the blog Cabbages and Kings. I was captivated by Kevin’s detailed, intricate cross stitching – read on to learn more about him and see some of his favorite projects…

How long have you been stitching? 
I started stitching while recuperating from back surgery in 2004. I pretty much taught myself by following the directions in a Dimensions Gold kit. I really got hooked on this hobby when I brought my finished piece to a local cross stitch store for framing (The Crossstitch Cupboard in Fort Lauderdale) and was asked to enter it in their annual contest. I won a ribbon and prize money and was hooked ever since!

What is your favorite aspect of stitching – collecting materials, planning, starting, finishing, etc? 
This is rather funny, because I’m known as “an enabler” in some Facebook stitching sites I like to visit. I guess the collecting of materials is one of my favorite parts – I love seeing new designs and collecting charts from my favorite designers. I’m definitely a “floss junkie” as well, and love purchasing, collecting and sorting different flosses for various projects.

What is your favorite project that you have stitched? 
I loved working on Kathy Barrick’s “Village of Hawk Run Hollow” by Carriage House Samplings. It was my first attempt at using 40 count linen, which I really ended up loving, and I recently stitched the model for Kathy’s “Crowned Heart” design, which was exciting. I also have several large projects by Martina Weber of Chatelaine Designs which I’m working on that are enjoyable due to the variety of stitches used and their size.

What kind of reactions do you get when people see you stitching? 
I have to confess, I don’t really stitch in public so I haven’t received any shocked stares or crazy looks yet. I do appreciate that fellow stitchers (both male and female) are very accepting and encouraging when they see that a guy enjoys this hobby of counted cross stitching which is usually considered a craft done by women.

What would your dream project be? 
I’ve started stitching “And They Sinned” by Dames Exemplar, and it is my dream to complete it. I’ve recently begun stitching reproduction samplers, and “Ann Medd” by Scarlet Letter is one that I’d like to stitch someday. The designs by Heaven and Earth Designs are also something that I hope to one day stitch. Those are intimidating to me due to their size, the intricacy of their design, and all the confetti stitching, but I hope to one day complete at least one HAED piece. I have one all kitted up, DMC all organized and on spools ready to start it!

How many hours a week do you spend stitching? 
This alternates because of my back problems and subsequent chronic pain. Stitching is a great form of pain management for me, actually, but it’s a “catch 22″ situation as I just can’t seem to get off the couch and stitch on some days. I’d say this might be anywhere from a couple of hours a day stitching to ENTIRE days (and nights) when I’m feeling well and excited about a project I’m working on.

Do you have any other creative hobbies? 
I can’t draw, but I do have a sister who’s an artist. I do love the performing arts, though, and used to be active in theater before my back problems. I can play the piano and sing as well.

Do you stitch from patterns or do you create your own? 
I use charts/patterns and have quite a lot of “stash” to choose from. I would like to try designing my own someday!

Do you have any favorite DMC colors? What is your favorite DMC thread? 
I love the 500 through 504 range, because blue and green are my favorite colors. I love the variegated Delft Blue as well. The six stranded embroidery floss is my favorite because it’s readily available at so many stitching and craft stores, and so many projects are charted for DMC floss.

Do you ever meet and share your work with other stitchers? What is your favorite way to do that? 
I used to go every Tuesday evening to The Crossstitch Cupboard’s weekly stitching group, which I really need to start doing again! I love Facebook and have many online stitching friends. I also love following stitching blogs and seeing/sharing work through blogging.

Kevin, it was wonderful to meet you! Thank you so much for sharing your responses with our readers and for doing such wonderful stitching with DMC Threads!

And on that note, I have quite a few WIP's here that desperately need some attention!  Lol! Have a great weekend and happy stitching!

Great giveaway at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe for a friend!

Wanted to share yet another giveaway by Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe.  DON'T ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE! YOU MUST GO TO HER BLOG AND BE A FOLLOWER TO ENTER. PLEASE MENTION YOU HEARD ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY HERE AT KEVIN'S BLOG SO MY FRIEND WILL GET SOME EXTRA CHANCES. THANKS AND GOOD LUCK!

Go to her blog and nominate a FRIEND whom you'd love to see win a collection of ten of her
beautiful flosses in the 1795 Collection.   Blog and contest found at:

victorianmottosamplershoppe.blogspot.com

Here's a copy of the original post from VICTORIAN MOTTO SAMPLER SHOPPE blog:

A SPECIAL give-away, please enter now.

I was thinking I would like to have a different give-away, a special give-away. This time I want you to tell me what friend you would like me to give a gift to! I want to give 10 skeins of floss to a few people....so enter now and tell me your friend's name. Lets not go into personal details as to hardships, etc....just a special friend you would like to enter in the give-away.
PLEASE make sure I have your email address to notify you and then you can give me your friend's address. I mail world-wide. The post office loves me!
I will pick 10 skeins of floss from the new 1795 Collection.

Or you can tell me your friend's favorite colors. Lets pick three winners. Enter now....tell me your friend's name and I will draw three names on June 30th. Please check back on the 30th if you don't post your email address.
RULES: You must be a follower and post a comment here. Post on your blog and get 10 more entries.

Thanks for stopping by and joining in the "giving" fun! I love to share.

A couple of new projects

Looking forward to stitching this weekend, as it looks like a lot more RAIN is headed our way here in "The Sunshine State."

Here is my start on "The Sampler" by The Scarlet Letter. 

And I also put in just a bit of the border on the LHN Little Sheep Virtues - I'm using the wool fibers hand spun and dyed by Dragonflylotus Designs Handspun Thread.  I forget which color this is, but I think it's the Shadowed Bartlett wool. 

Happy weekend to everyone!  Off to set these needles a'blazin'! 

The Sarah Chapple dilemma

Dear folks out there in CyberLand! 

First off, I wanted to thank all of you who so graciously offered your suggestions, tips, or general commiseration regarding my organization dilemma.  Yes, the battle is still being waged, but I have purchased two cherry wood lateral file cabinets for my charts which I love (just need to assemble - fun!) and a stack of Rubbermaid containers for my various flosses.  Tomorrow the real fun will begin as I try to cram all my stash into these things!  Ha ha ha!!

Now, today I have another dilemma that perhaps you can help me with.  I recently purchased the new Shakespeare's Peddler chart for Sarah Chapple sampler, and all the flosses needed.  I'm trying to decide upon fabric now.  I originally had chosen Lakeside Linen Vintage Luna (40 ct) which I thought I was happy with.  Now, I received a piece of Lakeside Linen Vintage Flagstone (40 ct) and I really like the color (pale gray/almost blue tones) and think it might be the better choice for Sarah Chapple? 

Here are some pics.  The Flagstone is on the left, and Luna on the right.  Any feedback?  Thanks once again! Kevin 

The flosses really aren't quite as dark as they came out in the photo.  Grrrr...

Here's the chart - the model in pic was stitched on R&R 18th Century Rook, but I honestly prefer Lakeside Linens to R&R fabric. 

Threads on Vintage Flagstone (pale gray shade) 

Threads on Vintage Luna (creamy yellow shade) 

Victorian Motto Sampler Shop Summer Giveaway!

If you haven't tried the flosses dyed by Victorian Motto Sampler Shop, you really should give them a try.   I especially like her new 1795 floss collection - and she's just added new colors to the already beautiful colors in this series.

Even better, she's hosting a GIVEAWAY of her flosses on her site right now through June!
I'm copying and pasting her blog entry regarding the Giveaway below. If you do enter, please mention KEVIN SENT YOU as it gives me extra entries into the drawing.  You can get extra entries too - just post about the Giveaway  to your own blog and spread the word to your friends.

Here's part of the original post, copied from Victorian Motto Sampler Shop's blog:

She added 18 more colors to the 1795 collection today. Lots of golden yellows, golds, copper, russet, peaches, lilacs, Christmas red and green and a few others. There are now 65 colors in the 1795 Collection. 

Go visit her blog and enter NOW!  Here's the link: Victorian Motto Sampler Shop

Organize, Schmorganize! Help! JoAnn Fabrics sale event.

I am officially overwhelmed.  JoAnn Fabrics has all of their storage on sale for 50% off their regular prices ONLINE ONLY until Saturday the 11th.

I've been looking at the site, and I am so brain dead I can't think.  I'm trying to figure out what I could best use to store my stash of flosses -- over dyed flosses (Weeks/GAST/Crescent Colours), silks, and DMC flosses.  

Right now, all my flosses are in (shudder) large Ziplock food storage bags and tossed inside a couple of different sized cardboard boxes (NOT shown - lol).   I know --- not good -- and also VERY time consuming when I'm searching for specific flosses for projects!  

My charts, sadly, aren't much better - they're mostly in the ziplock type bags they came in when they were purchased.  I'd like to "ideally" organize them by designer - and so far I purchased four large, clear plastic bins to stash the charts in once I get them out of their varied cardboard boxes and separated by designer and/or type (all reproduction samplers in one box, all Shepherd Bush kits in another, etc

               
 

Stash UN-organized

Getting there...

I've managed to separate all of my Shepherd's Bush kits and charts and even typed up a list and alphabetized them in a Word document which I can edit as need be.  I've placed these all in one bin, and I also organized my Blackbird Designs and The Prairie Schooler charts into separate piles, but that's it so far.  Still, some progress is better than none, I suppose. :-)

Organizing is fun! NOT! 

Any suggestions regarding floss storage (specifically if there is something that looks ideal from the sale at JoAnn Fabrics!) would be most appreciated! How do you store your flosses?  How about your charts and other stitching stash? Thanks in advance for your comments and help!  Kevin 

http://www.joann.com/

Feeling like a tired dog!

I've been so busy dragging things out of "the room" the past couple of weeks - and with my bum back, it's been no easy accomplishment! But, I did manage (finally) to get pretty much everything out of the famous room where I keep my stitching stash (among a zillion other things) and it's now freshly painted and aired out and ready for the great "de-stashing" and re-organization to begin.

Honestly, I can't believe the amount of STUFF that I managed to accumulate since moving into this house in 2001. Aside from the stitching stash (I didn't even discover stitching until 2004), I had box upon box stock full of papers, lesson plans, books for school, medical records (LOTS of those, unfortunately), legal papers (again, TONS of papers documenting the saga with my back injury, surgery, doctor reports ... UGH!)

I swear, it was torturous enough just to lug all these things out, but now I have the daunting task of sitting and going through said boxes to determine what I REALLY need to keep and what can go into the shredder. And photos - Lord, I had no idea the amount of photo albums and yearbooks and loose photos I had acquired just during my teaching career alone. I just can't find it in my heart to toss out these things. I know, I'm being ridiculous, but they're memories and I do tend to wax nostalgic. I also have a yearbook from almost every year I taught school - those, I'm going to have to part with, I'm afraid. I just hate the idea of recycling them (and all the notes my students wrote in them) but they just take up too much space and are heavy as lead. I'll keep a few from special years - it's the deciding which ones to toss out that kills me. I keep getting an image in my mind of the folks on HOARDERS who cry or freak out over tossing out an old newspaper or broken knick-knack and I'm like "SNAP OUT OF IT!" Lol!

As for stitching, well.... I've only managed to complete the first Shining Needle Society lesson from my Kathy Rees counted canvas work (we're on week three now), but I do plan to work on that a bit more SOON. Here's the section I've completed so far on Sherwood Garden using the Bermuda Reef colorway. This is my first foray into canvas work, and I must admit that I REALLY LIKE IT!! Not enough to can all my cross stitch WIP's and my planned projects, but enough to delve into some other canvas designs when I'm done with this piece. If there are no updates from this little corner of cyberland, don't be surprised if I've been crushed under a box of cross stitch charts! Nah -- Seamus is keeping a close eye on things, but he'll be happy when this mess all over the house is out of the path of his stomping grounds. Notice, he doesn't seem too amused with the room makeover! I feel his pain!