Pimp Stitch

Guest Artist :: Beth Doherty of Gourmet Amigurumi

Tamie Snow here bringing you our December Guest Artist, Beth Doherty. She is a rockstar in the Amigurumi world and an extremely talented and visually inspiring artist. Her work was what inspired me to become an Amigurumi designer and many others after me. I am so excited to share her work with all of you.

(Elisa)Beth Doherty is a 28 yrs old lifelong, self taught crafter.  Her hands feel itchy when they are not making stuff.  After graduating with a BA in Fine Art from Columbia College in Chicago, where she was born and raised, she married the only man she was able to tolerate for more than a few dates, Terry Baker.  (Just kidding, he is the absolute love of her life)  The only thing resembling a “pre-nup” was a statement Beth made: “I am never leaving Chicago.”  So far so good, they still haven't left the South Side.  The happy home consists of the couple and their 2 cats.  She taught her self how to crochet after a startling event of amnesia because she wasn't emotionally ready to get back to “serious painting” so took time off to decompress by making toys.  She fell in love with it and hasn't gone back.      

1: What do you do when you're not (doing your day job)?

 

Crafting/art making is my entire gig.  When I am not making stuff, I pretty much just live. The past few years have been quite a struggle for me from both physical and emotional health points of view, so I try to fill my time with the things that matter most, like spending time with my husband and the rest of my family and making a nice, comfy home.  I am not a brilliant housekeeper, but I flatter myself that I am a pretty darn good cook.  It is a goal of mine to have the cookie jar filled with homemade-from-scratch goodies at all times.  Like was mentioned before, I learned to crochet after an episode of amnesia.  It took over three years to be diagnosed with epilepsy.  In the meantime the seizures (although I didn't know what they were at the time) became more and more frequent and I started getting bad migraines.  You can imagine how scary that was for me and my family.  This experience has really taught me the importance of taking care of yourself and those you love, a lesson I will be learning for the rest of my life, I think.

2: What inspires you?

 

I just adore color.  Oftentimes I will pick up a ball of yarn that appeals to me that day and just start crocheting.  During the initial boring, repetitive stitching, I wait for the color to suggest something to me.  The materials I use are a great source of inspiration as well, the satisfying visual/tactile qualities of yarn, felt, button, sequins and fabric.  Paint is very dull compared to these, no wonder I haven't gone back.

3: When you were 6, what did you want to be when you grew up?

 

I never really seriously considered any occupation that wasn't creative.  My mom has a drawing of mine from when I was quite young.  It shows me standing at a counter with all sorts of paintings on the wall behind me; I told my mom that it was a picture of me as a curator.  What sort of 6 yr old knows the word “curator”?  Maybe that's why the kids in school accused me of reading the dictionary, huh?  

4: What do you want to be when you grow up now?

 

If I am not grown up now I don't think I will ever be. 

5: What's your favorite song?

 

Recently, I have been enjoying “The Great American Songbook,” that canon of mid-twentieth century pop standards.  Call me a dork, but one of my favorites is “Georgia on My Mind”  recorded by Van Morrison.

6: And what's one weird habit you have?

 

I just asked my husband but he couldn't think of anything.  If anyone would notice something like that, he would, so I guess I don't do that many strange things.  Maybe I should work on the eccentric artist angle a bit more.

7: Where are you on an average Tuesday night at 9pm?

Well I am not a thrill-seeker so I would, ideally, be at home watching reruns of “Frasier” while knitting or folding clothes.

8: What's your greatest phobia?

 

I am not much of an “irrational fear” sort of person.

9: What's next on the horizon for you?

 

Well...I know that lots of people thought I fell of the face of the earth this last year while I was busy dealing with my health issues.  So, I would like to welcome everyone back to my Etsy shop, user name: GourmetAmigurumi.  I have a few amigurumi for sale and I plan to add prints and as well patterns in the coming months.  For those people who would like to follow my work, you can visit my Flickr page user name:ElisabethD.  You can also sign up for my mailing list @ www.gourmetamigurumi.com

The site is suffering from neglect, but I plan to transition to a new blog in the near future.

 

Beth has been so generous and given us this free embroidery pattern for us all to enjoy!

Download the pdf here.

 

 

Guest Artist :: Nicole Vasbinder of Queen Puff Puff

This month our featured Gues Artist is the incomprable Nicole Vasbinder of Queen Puff Puff and StitchCraft fame.

Nicole Vasbinder is the owner of StitchCraft, a hip sewing and craft studio in Petaluma, CA. Nicole has many years of teaching experience and was a longtime teacher at Stitch Lounge in San Francisco and continues to teach at Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley. She has designed the accessory line Queen Puff Puff since 2003 and sells her designs throughout the United States and beyond. Prior to starting her own company, she worked as a designer and merchandiser in the garment industry. She is an alumnus of the Academy of Art University and Otis College of Art & Design and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Craft Stylish, Adorn, JoAnn Magazine, CROQ Zine, Venus Zine and Craft.

1: What do you do when you're not working? I think I am always working! If I'm not actually sewing then I'm planning projects or surfing the web looking at crafty blogs and websites.

2: What inspires you? I am very into the the late 50s/early 60s aesthetic. I love the clean lines and bold colors. I am very inspired by everyone in the indie craft scene. It's a very exciting time!

3: When you were 6, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a fashion designer! I used to make little catalogs with fabric swatches and style numbers and put on fashion shows with my Barbies.

4: What do you want to be when you grow up now? A lady who lunches. Seriously though, I am really doing exactly what I want to do. I feel so incredibly fortunate to be able to support myself with crafts.

5: What's your favorite song? I don't know if I have a fav song but I love Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, the Go Go's, the Beach Boys, Blondie, the Smiths and Depeche Mode.

6: And what's one wierd habit you have? I still sleep with my baby blanket. It's just a rag at this point but I'll never give it up. My family is appalled by it.

7: Where are you on an average Tuesday night at 9pm? Teaching at Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley.

8: What's your greatest phobia? Snakes! Oh, how I hate snakes. Me and Indiana Jones, we have that bond.

Nicole has designed a fabulous free pattern for you guys to enjoy this week called "Shoes, Glorius Shoes". Anyone with even a remote love for shoes will flip for this free pattern with 4 different shoe designs!

Nicole has a bunch of craft fairs she is participating in that are super cool:
Capsule in San Francisco's Hayes Valley On Sunday, 10/19
Felt Club at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, 11/16
Vintage Holiday Boutique in Petaluma on Saturday 11/22
Sonoma Artisan Faire in Sonoma on Sunday 11/23
Bazaar Bizaare in San Francisco's Goolden Gate Park on Sunday 11/30

Make sure you come out to see her this Fall at one of her shows, she has great special items that you can only get your hands on there!

Thank you so much Nicole for being our featured artist this month and giving us your fantastic design. We love it and we're sure everyone reading this will be head over heels (get it) for it too.

Interested in being or want to nominate someone to be our Featured Artist in the future? Email us and tell us about yourself/them. 

Guest Artist :: Krissi Sandvik of Krissi's Stitchery

This month our Guest Artist is Krissi Sandvik of Krissi's Stitchery and the creator of Skelekitty!

Krissi was raised by a pack of wild attorneys and a large console color television in the SF Bay Area of the 1970s and 80s. She was subjected to a liberal arts education as the Reagan years petered out, including a semester at Oxford University and two summer internships as Geppetto's assistant in the family workshop/shed.

In 1988, Krissi moved to San Francisco's Mission District where she masqueraded as a conservative legal secretary during the day and consumed copious amounts of sangria in the evenings. Following what she claims to have been a neuron misfire in 1998, she found herself in the Sacramento suburbs, caring for a plethora of rescued animals and breaking every rule she learned in sewing classes.

Krissi spends her days creating art quilts and what she calls "altared" clothing & "mixed-media Mexiphemera." She is most certainly best known as the creator of her character, Skelekitty, whose popularity grows rapidly in spite of Krissi's constant look of shock and awe.

Her daily blog, Krissi's Stitchery features tips, stories, tutorials & reviews for artists, crafters and collectors alike. She also formed and runs "Scary CRAFT," a group dedicated to sharing indie crafty knowledge, with her friend and partner in crafty crime, Yoli of Sacred Snatch Designs.

Krissi answered some of burning Pimp Stitch questions and I know you are all dying to know what she had to say...

1: What do you do when you're not (doing your day job)? Since my hobbies have become my 'day job' (yay!) what little time I have left over I spend blogging, caring for a menagerie of rescued animals including two macaws, three cats, a King snake and a California Gopher tortoise. I was also somewhat surprised to discover that I enjoy lifting heavy stuff, and do so regularly at Body Tribe in Sacramento.

2: What inspires you? Diffusing the power of negative thoughts and actions with laughter. There is so much intolerance and fear in the world that it is almost easy to let it consume and destroy you. Rather than allow those destructive people and beliefs to "win," I am inspired to find the humor in each situation and create art reflecting my point of view, in the hopes that others will laugh too.

3: When you were 6, what did you want to be when you grew up? Either a ballerina or a lawyer. I'm not sure which is funnier.

4: What do you want to be when you grow up now? I haven't decided if I'm going to grow up just yet.

5: What's your favorite song? I really love a variety of musicians and bands, so it's impossible to give one difinitive answer. However, for the sake of the interview, I'll say it would probably be a tie between Jimi Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower and Walking After Midnight by Patsy Cline. Of course, there's also my almost-secret love of the Bay City Rollers....

6: And what's one wierd habit you have? I habitually replace "and" and "of" with 'n' and o' (because it's tons o' fun 'n' stuff).

7: Where are you on an average Tuesday night at 9pm? On the fourth Tuesday of every month, I'd be packing up after "Night of the Crafters," a public craft night in Sacramento hosted by Scary CRAFT and Side Show Studios. The other Tuesdays you'd find me at home with Ron - my hubby, maybe watching Eureka on Sci Fi, or staring at the mess in my art & sewing studio. 8: What's your greatest phobia? Would you believe me if I said, "success?" ahem... Success.

Rubber stamps featuring Skelekitty are at the engravers and will be available this fall through Stampa Fe Art Rubber Stamps! Ron, Skelekitty and I are thrilled, and are planning a line of Skelekitty tee shirts and other items soon.

She has created this awesome free pattern for you guys called "The Cupcake of Guadalupe".  

Thank you so much Krissi for all your hard work designing this for us and letting us pick your brilliant brain!

Make sure you bookmark all of Krissi's sites and if you live near Sacramento be sure to hit a Scary CRAFT "Night of the Crafters" for good craftalicious time!

We have great Guest Artists lined up through the end of the year...but we're always looking for more! Nomintate someone to be a Guest Artist on the Pimp Stitch Blog.

Guest Artist - Kristen Rask of Plush You!

Our first Guest Artist is the incredible Kristen Rask of Plush You! and Schmancy Toys. She granted us a Pimpalicious interview and even supplied you guys with a free pattern she designed.

Kristen Rask owns a shop called Schmancy which she opened in 2004.  She runs the daily life of Schmancy, runs a blog called Plush You which features plush artists and talks about the show she does once a year called Plush You.  Last year she came out with a book called Plush You: Loveable Misfits to sew and stuff. This year Plush You will be at Schmancy (Seattle) October 10th and
Double Punch Gallery (San Francisco) November 7th. She is also working on 2 books at the same time because I am crazy. 

She just teamed up with the Bizarre Bazaar folks to bring you "You Bazaar" on Nov. 2nd.  You Bazaar will feature 30 vendors of the plush type as well as other crafty friends.  They will also have rotating workshops with some plush artists such as Heidi Kenney and Moxie.  

Kristen is trying to make things and do craft shows when she can.  She would like to have a social life as well which seems to be less and less these days.  She tried to start a ping pong league this summer but it hasn't really worked out the way she wanted it to.  She'll keep trying.

Here's Kristen's answers to our famous Pimp Stitch Interview questions...

1: What do you do when you're not (doing your day job)?

I like to go out to dinner, see my friends, meet for coffee (i do live
in Seattle after all), make craft things, watch movies, read books and
I really like ping pong.

2: What inspires you?

Oh man.  A lot.  My friends, my family, my environment, the crazy
crack heads I see every day.  Art, flickr, etsy, craft magazine, the
water, vacations, memories, children, blogs, movies, old photographs,
the grocery store, trash.  I can get over stimulated a lot.

3: When you were 6, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I don't really remember but at some childhood points I wanted to be a
vet, a nurse, an Olympic skater (i really thought I had that one in
the bag), a crafter, maybe a librarian.

4: What do you want to be when you grow up now?

If I could muster up the courage I might like to go back to school to
become a librarian.  I also think it would be awesome to make stuff
all the time.  I guess I have one of my dream jobs...I just want to do
more of my dream jobs in my lifetime.  BUT for now I am happy doing
what I do.

5: What's your favorite song?

I don't really have a favorite song.  That is the hardest question.
And it would depend on the hour.  I guess one of my all time favorites
would be I Found a Reason by Velvet Underground.

6: And what's one wierd habit you have?

When I do a craft show I make this crazy obsessive list of what I want
to make and how many.  Then I make a calendar and write how many
pieces I need to make a day to reach my goal.  And I LOVE to cross
things off the list, rewrite the list and whatnot.  It's weird.

7: Where are you on an average Tuesday night at 9pm?

Most Tuesdays at 9pm you can find me at my apartment slightly
intoxicated by then with my friend Pamela.  We try to have craft
nights every Tuesday.  Crafting with cocktails is awesome.  I think
Amy Sedaris and I would be great friends :)

8: What's your greatest phobia?

I am claustrophobic a bit.  I really hate crowds of people.  It makes
me anxious.


You Bazaar is still taking applications until August 15th.  It is going to be super fun so don't delay! 

Plush You is a show you don't want to miss so if you are on the west coast mark those calendars so you can
try to make it to one. 

She'll also be at the Henry Art Museum on August 9th for a craft day.

Kristen's Pimp Stitch design is called "Sea of Love" and what's not to love about about! Kristen would like to thank Travis for all his help!

Thanks so much Kristen for stopping by and letting us Pimp Stitchers pick your brain! You were a delight and your pattern is amazing!