June 2020 | Volume 1 Issue 3
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It’s summer (in most places) and at StitchLife HQ we’re adjusting to how to balance the need to get out of the house with the need to stay healthy when not everyone respects social distancing and/or wears masks. In the pursuit of something healthier than driving through Sonic to get milkshakes as often as possible, the hubs and I have taken up tennis.
I hope you are finding some brightness in your life and I hope that this issue brings some brightness to your world.
Now, most of you don’t know me, know me (if you know what I mean) but I am not one to choose to exercise. If I have a choice between crafting and just about anything else, I’ll choose crafting.
Enjoy the features on Bendy Stitchy and Prudence Kitch -- and the exclusive patterns that go with them! They are fun stitches that should bring some warmth to your days.
But putting on the Covid-19 Pounds is a real thing in my household and so sitting on my growing-larger-by-the-day ass was no longer an option.
We also hope you are enjoying the re-designed weekly e-newsletter and the profiles of you, our faithful subscribers, and some cool Instagrammers that deserve some love.
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Tennis has brought some much-needed brightness to our corner of the world — both in terms of the sunshine we’re enjoying but also the endorphins that are now pumping through my body at least 5 times per week.
Be well!
We are always looking for new contributors— or just ideas for future features. Contact us! We’re all over the place!
Email TeamStitchLife@StitchLifeMag.com Web www.StitchLifeMag.com Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/StitchLife Instagram @StitchLifeMag Patreon www.patreon.com/StitchLifeMag
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WELCOME
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BENDY STITCHY: STITCH WITH ME FINDING BENDY STITCHY ONLINE
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STITCHLIFE EXCLUSIVE PATTERNS
FEATURED STITCHALONG: SAPPHIRE MOUNTAIN HANDCRAFTS
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WOMEN:
STITCHY GLOSSARY
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CELEBRATING KICK-ASS MARSHA P. JOHNSON
SASSSY-BONNETED PRUVENTURES WITH AUDREY
STITCHING ON A SHOESTRING
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FEATURED FLOSSTUBER: JOY FILLED STITCHER
FLOSSTUBE DIRECTORY
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WHAT’S GOING ON?
Bendy Stitchy :
written by Dana Costa photos courtesy of Michelle Garrette
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Stitch with Me I
f you think that the name of the genius of Bendy Stitchy is Michelle Bendy, you are in good company.
cool Patreon following, interacts on Discord, stays active on multiple Instagram accounts. And that’s just the business side of the house.
You’re also wrong.
On the personal side, you can find Michelle on social media, sure, but she and her family list more low-tech hobbies as favorites: walks, board games, and bowling.
Bendy Stitchy’s founder, Michelle Garrette, named her Flosstube channel Bendy Stitchy because she used to be super into yoga. By the time she decided to start her design business, the name had stuck and Bendy Stitchy became her thing. And is true with Michelle’s approach to her stitching business what was the worst that could happen by keeping Bendy Stitchy as her name? With Michelle, it seems like there has been no downside to her leaps of faith. Take her super-popular Flosstube channel that generates thousands of views per episode. After being introduced to Flosstube in late 2016, Michelle watched her friend’s Flosstube for about six months before trying it for herself. “Being me,” Michelle says, “I just jumped in with an episode every week and never looked back.” Michelle’s Flosstube videos make you feel like you are talking to that smart, savvy, well-read friend you love to sit and have coffee with for hours on end. On any given weekly episode, you can catch Michelle sharing her best new thing, finishes, WIPs, and featuring fave creators. “If a person or a product or a project brings me joy, my subscribers can expect to hear about it,” Michelle says. In addition to her successful Flosstube channel, she sells on Etsy and on her own website, writes a chatty and fun blog, has a great Facebook page, a
Based in Eugene, Oregon (USA), Michelle started stitching as a youngster of just 6-years-old. “My Gram gave me a pretty sharp needle, a stamped pillowcase, and some Cosmo floss. I wish I still had those pillowcases. They were so wabi sabi and so wonderful,” she recalls. Even though you can often see Michelle’s knitting creations on her socials and she’s dabbled in embroidery, she admits that it’s pretty much always been about cross stitching for her. “I call myself an equal opportunity stitcher,” she admits, before rattling off designers across every genre you can imagine. Hands Across the Sea samplers. Heaven and Earth Designs full coverage. Tiny Modernist cute. Stone Street Stitchworks modern Quaker. Ink Circles mandalas. And, she adds, “Shakespeare’s Peddler and Barbara Ana Designs. I will basically stitch anything either of them put out.” After showcasing other creators through Flosstube, she was ready to take another leap of faith. “I had a couple of ideas that I wanted to see realized,” she says, “but I thought, ‘there are so many great patterns out there already, does anyone really want to hear what I have to say? And then I June 2020
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thought, ‘well, I want to hear what I have to say.’ What’s the worst thing that can happen? Nobody stitches my designs and my new business flops? Worse things have happened.” Michelle released her first pattern in March 2019 in XStitch Magazine and she knows of only one person who stitched that first pattern because she saw it on Instagram. Michelle remembers: “That was enough for me to say, ‘yep, I’m going to keep doing this.’” She officially registered her business, Bendy Stitchy, soon after. She calls her own esthetic primsical — a mix of primitive and whimsical —and it is the hallmark of her business. “One of my favorite designs is my Personal is Political. It’s a super sweet spot sampler with a very modern statement,” she says. The mix of contemporary and historic speaks to the resurgence of interest in the needle arts but Michelle also believes there’s another reason. “Social media!” “I think the vast majority of stitchers thought they were the only ones out there;” she says. “Or at least that it was pretty uncommon to stitch. But with Instagram and Facebook and Flosstube, we all realized that there were a lot of us out there and we’re all over. It feels good to find a community.”
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Wanna stitch with Michelle ? H ere’s where to find her ! YO U T U B E WEBSITE FAC E B O O K EMAIL I N S TAG R A M
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www.youtubecom/channel/UCibCWSH7hbKEo6GI5DkJGdg/join bendystitchydesigns.com/ www.facebook.com/michelle.bendy.96 bendystitchy@gmail.com www.instagram.com/michellebendy/ www.instagram.com/bendystitchydesigns/ www.instagram.com/bendystitchydestash/ www.etsy.com/shop/BendyStitchyDesigns
PAT R E O N
www.patreon.com/BendyStitchy
GOOGLE FORM
forms.gle/hLEmFHybjoFCW4CL9
BLOG
bendystitchydesigns.com/blog/ www.michellebendy.blogspot.com
R AV E L R Y
www.ravelry.com/people/michellebendy
DISCORD
discord.gg/8b6ayQE
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SAL OF THE MONTH
photo courtesy of Dana L. Costa (fabric: 16 ct brandywine Aida; needleminder: Fat Quarter Shop)
Featured Stitchalong:
Sapphire M ountain H andcrafts & St it c hing Bo o k C l ub THEME: THE SECRET GARDEN FREQUENCY: BI-WEEKLY START DATE: MAY 24, 2020 COST: US$10 (PATTERN ONLY)
ETSY.COM/SHOP/SAPPHIREMTHANDCRAFTS
INSTAGRAM: @STITCHINGBOOKCLUB
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INSPIRATION
Marsha P. Johnson :
The P Stands for Pride
written by Dana L Costa
I’ve always wondered if people know they are making history as it is happening.
change how LGBTQ+ people were viewed?
For instance, did Marsha P. Johnson know that her participation in the Stonewall Uprising on that warm, summer New York City night in 1969 would start a series of events that would
Wait? You don’t know who Marsha P. Johnson was? You’re probably not alone. Until the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in 1999, the key players in this historic event remained unknown by most people. Wait? You’re not familiar with the Stonewall Uprising? Let’s start there. In the repressed 1960s, it was illegal to be gay. If you were suspected of being gay, you could be arrested, outing you and possibly leading to losing your job and your housing. The Stonewall Inn was a bar in the Greenwich Village section of lower Manhattan where gay men could not only gather to drink, but to dance; something that was almost unheard of at the time, even in New York City. The Stonewall Inn wasn’t swanky. It was a dive bar in every sense. But it was a relatively safe haven for gay men and drag queens, as they were called at that time. It stayed safe not because no one knew about the patrons of the Stonewall Inn. It stayed safe because the building was owned by an organized crime family. Yes, the Stonewall Inn was
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owned by the mob. Police typically made only cursory attempts to raid the bar and typically bar-goers were tipped off before a raid so they could clear out before the police arrived. But in the early hours of June 28, 1969, the police surprised revelers at the Stonewall Inn and started harassing the men inside. Harassment meant forcing men who either dressed or acted “too feminine” to show their genitals to prove their birth gender. Regulars of the Stonewall Inn had enough and, that night, fought back. Marsha P. Johnson was one of those regulars. While some claim that Ms. Johnson was at the Stonewall Uprising from the beginning, even throwing the first shot glass at police; more recent accounts explain that Ms. Johnson came after the violence against the police began. But regardless of the start of her involvement in the Stonewall Uprising, what came after is certainly not in question. Ms. Johnson became a vital part of fighting for LGBTQ+ rights for the next 25 years. Not quite 24-years-old at the start of the Uprising, Ms. Johnson had already faced many hardships in her life. Born in New Jersey into a religious family, Ms. Johnson was unable to live as a transgender woman. She wore dresses as early as age 5 but after relentless teasing, she tried to live a life that was acceptable to her family and church.
After graduating from high school, Ms. Johnson took a bag of clothes and $15 and moved across the river to Manhattan. In order for her to live an authentic life as a transgender woman in the 1960s, she couldn’t live a socially acceptable life, holding a traditional, 9-to-5 job. Like many gay, lesbian, and transgender people at the time, Ms. Johnson made her living as a sex worker. It was a dangerous lifestyle that put Ms. Johnson in harm’s way on almost a daily basis. Ms. Johnson was a fixture in the neighborhoods of lower Manhattan, and people looked forward to her smiling face, show-stopping outfits, and signature flowers, often worn in her hair. She was often called “Saint Marsha,” not only because of her dedication to her Christianity but also because of her unwavering generosity. Ms. Johnson along with another transgender woman, Sylvia Rivera, became spokeswomen for the trans community, before it was even known by that term. Women like Ms. Johnson and Ms. Rivera were either called transvestites or drag queens. But it wasn’t a new label they were fighting for; it was for recognition, freedoms, and rights. They may not have known it then, but they had started the trans rights movement
“I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville
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in the middle of the fight for the gay rights movement. The two groups didn’t always see eye-toeye and when Gay Pride parades started in New York City, transgender people were excluded from the celebrations. But that didn’t stop Ms. Johnson. With Ms. Rivera, Ms. Johnson started STAR – Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries – with the mission of supporting trans youth by providing safe housing that would remove them from the street and, ideally, give them alternatives to sex work. The irony was that Ms. Johnson and Ms. Rivera continued to turn to sex work to keep STAR open for these at-risk youth. The path after the Stonewall Uprising was still exciting for Ms. Johnson – she traveled Pattern by MrCrossStitch on Etsy. the world as a drag queen for Hot Peaches and modeled for pop-art pioneer Andy Warhol – but she often struggled with mental health issues and frequent run-ins with the police. In 1992, Ms. Johnson’s was found dead in the Hudson River. Initially ruled suicide, her death was reclassified as a death by undetermined manner in 2012, and remains an unsolved case to this day. In 2015, The Marsha P. Johnson Institute was established to defend and protect the human rights of transgender and gender nonconforming communities. Ms. Johnson’s contributions to the Pride Movement endures to this day. In 2019, it was announced that Ms. Johnson, along with other LGBTQ+ pioneers from the Stonewall Uprising, would be posthumously honored with a statue in New York City. Sources: Wikipedia.org; MarshaP.org; CNN.com; NYT.com; USAToday.com; biography.com; WashingtonPost.com
Learn more ...
ABOUT MARSHA P. JOHNSON Pay It No Mind: Marsha P. Johnson (2012) The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017) Happy Birthday, Marsha! (2017) 12
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ABOUT THE STONEWALL UPRISING American Experience: Stonewall Uprising (2010) Stonewall Forever
Stitchy Glossary
A K A W H AT T H E F U C K D O E S T H AT M E A N ? written by Dana L. Costa
STITCHING IN HAND
STITCHING ON THE DRUM
STITCHING IN THE WELL
Stitching in hand is exactly as it sounds: stitching with your fabric directly in your hand rather than using a hoop, frame, or any other device to keep your fabric taut during stitching.
When using a traditional embroidery hoop, a frame, or a QSnap, some stitchers have their stitching area on top of the hoop/ frame. Where does the name come from? It’s like stitching on the surface of a drum with the taut part stretched over its frame.
With Stitching in the Drum, the back of your stitching is recessed into your hoop or frame. With Stitching in the Well (sometimes referred to as Stitching in the Ditch), the right side of your project sits slightly below the edge of your hoop or frame.
Makes sense, eh?
One of the things that I like about this technique: my excess fabric stays away from the back of my project so I’m less prone to accidentally catch that fabric into my stitches. Wait, am I the only one?
This is a great option if you have a very small design space that doesn’t easily fit into a hoop or if you have a nice, stiff fabric that you are working with.
This is how I learned to stitch and only recently realized that there were additional ways to stitch. I’m a late bloomer, what can I say?
REMEMBER! There is no wrong way to stitch! Whatever technique works for you, is the right way to do it!
LIKE THE PATTERN SHOWN ABOVE? This is a test stitch of the exclusive pattern for the October issue by Notorious Needle. You won’t want to miss it!
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Sassy-bonneted Pruventures with Audrey
written by Dana L. Costa
Getting to know Audrey Emmett-Delamere is like getting to know her creation, Prudence Kitch. Both are women seemingly straddling two worlds: The traditional and the modern. For example, Seattle, Washington (USA)-based Audrey enjoys cooking, painting, knitting, and gardening but at the same time, she is drawn to modern stitching patterns that juxtapose gorgeous florals with the word fuck. Prudence has many of the same interests...and definitely the same love of surprising people who think they know what to expect from her. Before learning more about Prudence, you need to know more about Audrey. A married mother of two little ones, Audrey says that as long as she’s making something, she’s happy. She enjoys cooking nice dinners for her husband, raising her children, tending her roses, “and shit.” But she’s also a self-described feminist Gen X-er. “Our version of feminism came with certain expectations,” Audrey explains. “Think flannels, Doc Martens, and an absolute hard-line stance against the domestic norms our mothers and grandmothers experienced.” “I’ve always been a feminist,” Audrey says, “because, as Maya Angelou said, it would be stupid not to be on my own side.” But she still has admired and respected friends 14
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who Audrey says think of her as a sell-out because she chose raising her children over her career. But Audrey takes their opinions in stride. “I don’t fault them for [their opinions],” Audrey says, “but my concept of feminism is about choosing one’s own path. This is mine and I’m fucking killing it. So, to me, Prudence is a feminine feminist. No one told her she had to wear the bonnet, and she will speak her mind. The path to creating Prudence started when Audrey began after the 2016 election, when she began cross stitching, with Prudence’s emergence coming a few weeks into quarantine, which started in Seattle much earlier than in other parts of the United States. She was inspired, according to Audrey, by quilting staple and folk image Sunbonnet Sue, who gained popularity in the early 1900s. “A dear friend of mine was going through something and I was thinking of her and her incredible strength in taking back her life,” Audrey says, “when I came across a quote: ‘Stop breaking yourself down into bite-sized pieces to serve others. Stay whole and let them choke.’ I had to stitch it.” Taking a cue from her own interest in blending flowers and swear words, she liked the idea of a “proper young lady” taking a stance. Voila! Prudence was born. But Prudence’s world doesn’t start and end with her. Also in her circle: the Unsolicited Sir Richard Pickering (aka Dick). “Richard is a creation I’m hav-
ing way too much fun with,” Audrey says. “I initially thought of him as just a one off, so he didn’t really have a name.” After posting his first appearance in a stitching Facebook group, Dick needed a name and a member of that group, Nora, suggested a villain name. “He reminded her of that ‘well-meaning co-worker in every workplace harassment avoidance training video’.” Dick seemed too obvious of a name, so Audrey suggested Unsolicited Richard then he was officially dubbed the Unsolicited Sir Richard Pickering. “I laugh every time I type it,” Audrey admits. Another one-time guest in Prudence’s orbit is an unnamed character who Audrey describes as “not exactly woke, but not a lost cause.” Like Dick, this one-timer may become a semi-regular character and Audrey plans to turn to the Prudiverse for naming suggestions. That fan base is growing. Prudence’s Facebook group has more than 1,100 members in just a few months. When asked about Pru’s popularity, Audrey is speechless. “As a design, she’s a simple creature, but she has developed a pretty distinctive voice that, I’m happy to learn, seems to resonate,” Audrey says, adding “at least with the cool people.” The beginning of a Prudence Kitch design sometimes starts with the come-backs Audrey wishes she would have thought of during a conversation. “We all rehash crap in our heads,” she says. “and have won long-past arguments while in the shower.” While Audrey is the driver of Pru’s success, Prudence is also, in a way, Audrey’s alter ego. “You might say that Prudence represents a better version of myself,” Audrey ponders. “She’s a lot more confident than me; she’s wittier and more elegant; not at all self-deprecating.” Luckily for Pru’s fans, Audrey is in the process of creating digital patterns of “Pruventures” plus stickers and a calendar that will be available for purchase soon. Find Prudence — and Audrey and her company, Stitch by Drey — on Facebook (www.facebook. com/PrudenceKitch) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/prudencekitch).
Audrey made this pattern exclusively for StitchLife !
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Those of us who have been stitching, even for a short time, know that the cost of supplies can be overwhelming, especially over time. The required investment for fabric, floss, needles, and patterns — let alone hoops (or QSnaps or scroll frames), needle minders, good lighting, pattern holders, project bags, needle threaders, and many of the other goodies that make cross stitching easier and more enjoyable — adds up quickly. If you are in a rural area where local needle shops (LNS) or big-box stores are hard to find or difficult to get to, the prices may be higher or you may have to pay a bundle for shipping, especially if you just need that one color of floss to finish your project. As a hoarder of all types of craft supplies — but a hoarder with a limited craft-supply budget — I’ll share some ways to expand your stash without breaking the bank. VISIT CHARITY SHOPS I’m a huge fan of charity shops (aka thrift stores, secondhand shops, etc.) because the prices usually can’t be beat. As someone who makes the rounds at local charity shops, I definitely have favorites. Some are favorites because they are consistently good sources, and some are favorites because of the charities they benefit. Once you find a good shop, get to know how often they restock shelves and when they have special sales. One of my faves has 50% off craft supplies every Friday. Score! ASK FELLOW STITCHERS I’m notorious for going all-in on something rather than testing it first. Here’s an example: I’m not a fan of bobbining my floss. When I saw StitchBows on sale on the DMC site, I bought enough for all my floss, all bazillion colors of it. Then I put all these skeins on all these StitchBows. I hated it. Now I’m rehoming all these barely used StitchBows. I am sure I’m not alone.
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CHECK OUT THE LIBRARY Your local library probably has copies of popular stitching books that you’ve been coveting but don’t necessarily want to buy. Along those same lines, if you are an Amazon Prime member, you may have access to a variety of stitching resources through Prime Reading. SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS Many pattern creators have free patterns for their newsletter subscribers. Lizzy at StitchPeople (stitchpeople.com) is one of those creators. Sign up for their newsletter for access to the freebies. Worried about getting spam from these creators? Based on my experience, you’ll get 2-3 emails per month. Pick 1-2 creators — on top of StitchLife, of course — to try it out. JOIN AN ONLINE DE-STASH GROUP Facebook has a number of de-stash groups expressly for cross stitch and embroidery supplies. You may not find the same type of deals in these groups as you may find other places, but you may find unique items that you may not find elsewhere. I’m not going to list them all here but do a search for de-stash or supplies within Facebook groups. CONSIDER FOLLOWING YOUR AREA’S BUY NOTHING GROUP Buy Nothing groups are exactly that: a legit swap group where no cash changes hands. The rules vary from group to group but typically you let the item owner know you are interested, and, on an announced date, the owner picks the recipient, usually through a random-number generator. I found my group on Facebook but just watched for a while before either offering or showing interest in items. Just to get the vibe.
Have tips on how to make you Want to share your own se Share your tale on the StitchLife Facebook group
LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU’RE A STITCHER You’d be surprised at how many people will offer you supplies when they know how much you love stitching. My friends have a tendency to let me know when they see something that I may like at an estate sale or auction — and send me pics to gauge my interest. Some folks will keep me in mind when they are looking to rehome special family items that they don’t have the heart to donate but have no personal use for. It’s an honor to be the recipient of such treasures. LOOK AT EBAY AND MERCARI You can often find great bargains on auction sites, Facebook Marketplace, and Mercari. The key, in my experience, is to know what you’re willing to pay, including shipping, and stick to your guns. Also, don’t be afraid to ask the seller if they are willing to break up their listings so you only get what you want. For example, I saw a listing on Mercari with Aida, floss, patterns, and various hoops. I was interested in the Aida and one of the pattern books but not the rest (it was off-brand floss, not my thing). The seller agreed and he got a sale and I didn’t buy a bunch of crap I wasn’t interested in. STRATEGICALLY USE COUPONS AND LOYALTY PROGRAMS In the pre-Covid days, big-box stores had lots of coupons: 40%, 50%, sometimes even 60% off. You could typically get goodies — like the DMC Etoile tin that retails for almost US$70 — for a song. Now you have to be a little more creative in stacking coupons and earning points toward purchases. In order to compete with the big chain stores, LNS typically have loyalty programs that allow you to earn free merchandise or discounts on future purchases.
ur stitching budget go further? econd-hand success story? p or email us at teamstitchlife@stitchlifemag.com.
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