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| Designer's Name: Carolyn Manning | |
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Location: Mankato, MN
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Thank you for participating in our Friday Feature Carolyn! Would you begin by telling us a little about your family?
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When did you begin cross-stitching for fun and how did you get your design business started?
I have been stitching since I was very young. For me, it was almost like painting, something else that I enjoy, only using threads. (and oh, are there threads out there now to paint with!) I use to design greeting cards that I sold in craft shows with my mother who created gift bags. I ran across my first cross stitch software program to create your own designs, and purchased it with the intent of making my own patterns with my own artwork that I had used in my greeting cards. I liked the way they were turning out, and a friend suggested I check into trying to get them published in magazines. In the early days of my designing I had work shown in Stitcher's World, The Cross Stitcher, and publications put out by The Needlework Shop and Better Homes & Gardens. My first design was published in 1999 in Crafts Magazine. It was such an incredible feeling to see something I had created in print! I lost my job in 2004 due to downsizing, and decided that maybe I'd try to take another path in my cross stitch designing, and submitted some of my work to Hoffman Distributing Company, and well, the business started growing from there. I'm still a little one woman show here. I sketch my ideas, chart them, stitch and tweak them, print, package and ship them off to you!
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Your snowmen series (Flakey Friends, Lil Flakes, Snowballz, Snowfolk) has been very popular this year. What inspired you to create these designs and do you have more in the works? I have always loved snowmen, and being a Minnesotan, anything involving snow just sort of comes naturally. The first Snowballz design was an accident. I was sketching, and all of a sudden had this goofy looking snowfellow looking up at the sky and the snow falling. All of a sudden, I had all these images going through my head, and sketching them up and charting them. I love to include embellishments, and often no two chartpacks will be the same, as I include buttons and beads that I've come across when looking for treasures at Thrift Shops, Flea Markets and the like. I think this adds to their charm, and hope others think so too! As far as more snowy friends arriving? The answer would be yes. As long as I can keep coming up with them, they'll be coming to stitchers. I hope to keep them fresh and exciting for everyone. As of right now, there are three more Flakey Friends designs coming, and there's another group of Snowballz sketched and ready to be charted. I turn to my daughter often for inspiration if I get stuck. She can look at a design in its early stages and add some unique perspective. Her eye gave Hula LuLu of the first Snowballz series her hula skirt!
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New From CM Designs... Just A Little Higher (Flakey Friends) Brand new from Carolyn Manning and CM Designs is "Just A Little Higher", another addition to the adorable snowmen line. These little guys measure 94 stitches wide and 152 high and come with a button pack and sturdy felt star embellishment. The suggested retail price is $8.50. |
What are some of your other favorite pastimes besides cross-stitch? I love anything artistic. I dabble in many mediums, with textiles and fiber arts probably being my favorite. I enjoy quilting, especially watercolor quilting and quilt art. I am always drawing something, doodling and scribbling, and carry a sketchbook with me, as I just never know when something will jump at me and be my next inspiration. I am an avid reader, and find escaping into a good story (primarily Fantasy and Science Fiction) so very enjoyable. I'm a big Minnestoa Wild hockey fan.
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How long have you lived in Minnesota and is your design style influenced by your surroundings? I have lived in Minnesota all my life. There are certainly things about my home that influence me. I notice things in nature, color, texture, even the patterns your breath makes on a chilly Minnesota morning. When living in a state where the temperatures can change by 30 degrees in an hour and a half, one tends to develop a sense of humor to cope. I am fortunate to live in a state, in a community, where people are truely nice. I think that influences my designing style as well! I like to have fun, and have been told I'm animated. I think that shows in my work as well. Life is too short to take everything too seriously.
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What advantages do you feel are there in purchasing from an independent needleart shop as opposed to a chain store? Our independent shop closed some years ago here in Mankato. I miss the attention to detail, the time that is spent in helping stitchers create their perfect piece, helping to pick out the perfect fabric, the threads...trying out new tools and helping stitchers work through questions. You don't get that individual attention at chain stores.
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How does having a website benefit your design business? I think the website has helped to showcase what I do and point people in the right direction in finding my designs. While I always encourage stitchers to check with their shops first to find my designs, I do have some who, like me, do not have the opportunity to do that, and so they order through me. It also gives stitchers some idea of what to look forward to, and is a place where I can post corrections to patterns, as they do happen! Needleworkers have been great about contacting me about errors, and they usually reach me through the website.
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Have you noticed many retail shops and designers educating young people on cross-stitch and do you feel this is important to our industry? I'm fortunate in that my daughter has found the same pleasure in stitching and other hand arts as I did when I was young. I have seen a few classes offered for younger stitchers, but there can always be more. I think that introducing young people to any of the hand arts is very important. In a world that has become so full of technology, the wonders of creating with your hands and your heart have sometimes been forgotten. One of my goals for 2008 is to get more involved in teaching, and hope to create a simple line of designs for our young artists.
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If you won an all expense paid trip to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? I can only choose one place? That'd be tough, as there as so many places I would love to see. If I had to choose one, I think it would have to be the United Kingdom. I have friends there that I would love to see, friends that have been so supportive over the years and been an inspiration to me in all that I do, my artwork in particular. I love all things old and historic with stories and legends behind them. Visiting some of those things would indeed be a wonderful experience.
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Would you mind sharing a favorite recipe in closing? Wild Rice Hot Dish 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 c. chopped onion salt and pepper to taste 2 c. chopped celery 1 c. cream of chicken soup 2 soup cans water 1 c. wild rice 1 chopeed green pepper Brown beef, onion and celery, combine with other ingredients and place in a covered casserole. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.
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