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Kit & Bixby |
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| Designer's Name: Kathy Tedeschi | |
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Location: N. Canton, OH
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The Kit & Bixby sheep seem to be a trademark of sorts for your company. Can you share how these popular designs came to be?
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I understand you have a full time job in addition to designing Kit & Bixby patterns. What sort of work do you do?
Kit & Bixby is something I do at night to release creative energy. During the day I am a Creative Director for a national marketing company. It is a very stressful job and I have to do what clients want and what will make their products sell. But at night, I can do whatever I want . . . oh blessed, blessed night!
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Do you have any favorite cross-stitch shops in your area? I sure do! It is The Stitching House in Berlin, Ohio where I got my start. I took my first 2 (and only) patterns into them and asked if they were interested in selling them -- I was so nervous. But they said "yes" and they have carried my patterns ever since.
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New From Kit & Bixby... Haunted Wool One of Kathy's trademark checkered/patchwork sheep is back in this delightful autumn design, "Haunted Wool". This design has a stitch count of 91 x 140 and calls for DMC threads with 28 ct white Zweigart Jubilee. It's never too early to start on Halloween designs! |
Your "Live Well Interactive Sampler" is unique in that it allows the stitcher to choose which color to stitch the house, which is the focal point of the design. How did you come up with this design idea and do you feel stitchers would like to have more flexibility in choosing the colors in designs they stitch? I just thought it would be a great idea if stitchers could choose the color of the house that suited their personal taste. So I designed this pattern giving them 5 color combinations for the house. I made it very easy to choose and the pattern does well. I am going to make more of these "Interactive patterns" in the future.
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Do you have any special marketing plans this summer? Actually, I am loaning out many of my framed samples to different shops and to some who want to take them to display at tradeshows. Other then that I am going to just design and stitch away. I have a very full schedule. I am designing "Thankful Wool" for Thanksgiving and "Merry Wool" for Christmas and these will go with "Haunted Wool" which is out and very popular. I am also working on a fun dog design called "A Wild Ride". I just love it and can't wait to release it. I am also working on an House design that you can decorate with buttons that you put on and take off according to the seasons.
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What are your long term goals for Kit & Bixby designs? My long term goal is for Kit & Bixby to eventually allow me to retire from my stressful day job. I can just imagine the delight of designing and stitching all day. I also want to start traveling and teaching. Maybe visit cross stitch camps and workshops, a cross stitch cruise would be wonderful.
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Would you mind sharing a little bit about your family? I am second of a large family of 11 children. My mother was a wonderfully fun creative gardening dreamer who never said "no" to me (she didn't want to stifle my creative flow). My father worked hard all his life in engineering for Goodyear Aerospace (he even worked on blue prints for the early blimps). But at night, his oil paints would come out and he would paint landscapes and portraits of all his children. He was a very kind and loving father who I miss every day. I came from a very close-knit, creative and God loving family and I thank the Lord every day for His gift of a fun creative spirit that He gave me.
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What do you enjoy doing in your leisure time? What leisure time? Actually, I do enjoy oil painting ( when I can find the time). I read a lot and I write stories. I am currently working on a book about my 4 great aunts: Aunt Missouri, Aunt Tennessee, Aunt Arizona and my grandmother Kansas. I plan on including stitched samplers for each one too in the book. I also adore traveling and have been many places throughout the world with my daughter and my sister Bernadette. In fact, once I am free of the day job, I want to travel everywhere I have not been yet.
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What’s your favorite local restaurant and what’s their specialty? I live very close to Amish country and I love that kind of cooking. The Hartville Kitchen in Hartville, OH has been a favorite of mine for over 30 years and I also like The Amish Door in Holmes county.
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While we’re on the subject of food…do you have a favorite recipe you could share? It wouldn’t be a Friday Feature without one! Since I live in the area where Johnny Appleseed roamed and planted, I will share my best apple cake recipe. I have made this again and again and people just can't get enough. The Best Apple Cake Ever Sift together in mixing bowl: 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 cup flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. soda Add these to dry ingredients above and mix well: 1/2 cup shortening 1 egg 1/2 cup milk 1 tsp. vanilla Next, fold in 4 medium apples chopped fine. Mix all together and pour into a greased 13x9" baking pan. Now mix together topping: 1 Tbl. melted butter 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed down 2 tsp. flour 1/2 chopped walnuts Sprinkle topping over cake batter and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. HINT: When I make this, I always make a double batch of the topping to sprinkle on the batter. People love that great crunchy topping and the cake is so moist. This cake holds together and travels well since there is no icing to mess up. Johnny Appleseed would have loved it.
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