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Stitchy Kitty |
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| Designer's Name: Michelle Lutzen | |
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Location: Scarborough, ME
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It’s a pleasure to have you as our Friday Feature Michelle! Would you begin by sharing your needleart background?
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How did you come up with “Stitchy Kitty” as your designer name?
When I was trying to come up with a name for my business, I knew I wanted a name that was catchy and easy to remember, and one that would reflect the types of humorous designs I wanted to create. I also planned to focus on cat-themed designs in particular, so I wanted some sort of cat reference in the name, if possible. So I played around with words relating to cats and needlework and eventually came up with “Stitchy Kitty”, which worked perfectly! People seem to remember it and I don’t stumble over the words when I say it over the phone, which is a good thing.
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What was your profession before you started designing cross-stitch patterns? Designing cross-stitch has always been a part-time profession for me (though I’d love to make it my full-time career someday); my current full-time job is as an executive assistant for a local credit union. Before designing cross-stitch I did freelance work on the side as a humorous illustrator and cartoonist, and I’ve been drawing cartoons ever since I was little. I’ve had cartoons published in various trade magazines, and I’ve also designed greeting cards and T-shirts. But I find designing cross-stitch to be much more enjoyable, especially working with all the different threads and fabrics. I love the tactile, three-dimensional quality of needlework.
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A Popular Design From Stitchy Kitty... The Cat/Dog Did It Why do we always blame our furry friends? "The Cat Did It" and "The Dog Did It" by Stitchy Kitty each contain three adorable designs for the cat or dog lover in your family. The beautiful finishing shown in the photos here are great examples of what you can do with your stitched pieces if you put your creative mind to work! These chart packs each retail for a suggested $7.00. |
What are a few of your favorite things about living in Maine and how long have you lived there? Well, considering we’ve had about seven snowstorms in the past month and a half, this probably isn’t the best time to ask me what I love about living in Maine! LOL! I admit I’m not a big fan of the long, cold Maine winters, but I do enjoy living so close to the beach and the Fall season here is just beautiful! I also like the slower pace of life here, it’s much less crowded and congested than in Northern Virginia, where I’ve lived most of my life. And I’ve found Mainers to be very friendly, caring, and generous people. I've been living in Maine for a little over 8 years now and I really love it here.
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What aspects of your life or surroundings influence the subjects of your designs? Hmmm… I guess the obvious answer would be cats! LOL! I’ve always been a big cat lover and I’m a sucker for just about anything with a cat on it, so naturally I found myself compelled to create designs that focus on cats. My own cat, Tyger, is also a big influence on my designs; in fact, he was the model for my logo (though I exaggerated him quite a bit! He’s nowhere near as large as the cat in the logo). I also enjoy creating holiday-themed designs, so the holidays (especially Halloween), are a big influence on my designs, as well. Which is why I find it difficult to work on holiday designs out of season; I just can’t get into the right frame of mind to create a snowman design in the middle of summer when it’s humid and 80 degrees outside!
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What are some non-needleart pastimes or hobbies you enjoy? I enjoy scrapbooking and making hand-made greeting cards, though I’m more of a scrapbook supply collector at this point, since I rarely have time to do any actual scrapbooking! I also love Halloween collectibles and am particularly drawn to vintage, old-fashioned Halloween decorations. And I love watching movies, especially sci-fi, horror movies, and Japanese anime. Netflix is the best thing that’s come along since sliced bread for me, I really look forward to getting those little red envelopes in the mail every week!
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Many of the stitched models shown on the covers of your designs and on your website at stitchykitty.com have been finished as creative little pillows, ornaments, or fobs. Where could one find instructions on turning one of your finished pieces into something like this? I’ve been reluctant to include finishing instructions with my patterns because I’m sort of a ‘make it up as I go along’ type of finisher. I’m not really familiar enough with basic sewing techniques to be able to describe them accurately in writing. And to be honest, I love it when stitchers come up with their own unique ways of finishing my designs, They often come up with much more original finishing ideas than I do! For those who really want some finishing instructions, I highly recommend Judy Odell’s finishing books, which can be purchased at many needlework shops. Her books feature very easy-to-follow finishing instructions and include lots of helpful pictures to guide you. I learned how to make Flat Folds using one of her books, and the instructions were excellent!
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Would you share a little about your family? My family is a rather small one, at home it’s just me, my boyfriend Jon, and Tyger, our 7-year old striped tabby cat. I have family back ‘home’ in Virginia and also in Ontario, Canada. Incidentally, I got my artistic talent from my Dad, who used to paint realistic scenes of boats and such in oils when he was younger. I still remember the painting he did of an old sea captain that used to hang in the hallway across from my bedroom…he had these wide, staring eyes that scared the heck out of me as a kid (the sea captain, not my Dad). Good thing I didn’t follow in my Dad’s footsteps in terms of subject matter…otherwise I’d probably be designing creepy old sea captains! LOL!
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What are a few of your favorite things about working in the needlearts industry? Definitely the opportunity to work with so many fun and exciting materials, like hand-dyed sparkly fabrics and fibers, and all the cool buttons, charms, and specialty threads…there seems to be an endless supply of wonderful things to stitch with these days! I also enjoy the close-knit feeling of the needlearts industry in general; we’re a small industry but made up of very supportive, caring people who really want to see the needlearts survive and flourish for years to come. And I’m always impressed with how generous needleworkers are; all around the world there are stitchers, quilters, knitters, etc. who are donating their time and materials to make handmade items for various charities and worthy causes. It’s a wonderful industry to be a part of.
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Would you mind sharing a favorite recipe in closing? Ah, now you’ve mentioned my least favorite pastime: cooking! LOL! I’m afraid the only ‘recipes’ I have are in several copyrighted cookbooks that I crack open maybe once or twice a year when I’m forced to make something to bring to a party or family get-together. I’m really a microwave gal at heart; anything simple that I can toss in the microwave to ‘cook’ or reheat is good enough for me!
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