Fall Blog Tour Stop 4

The Floss Box Fall 2012 embroidery blog tour rolls on to the next stop! This stop will be at Pam Kellogg's embroidery and crazy quilting blog called Kitty and Me Designs. I've been watching Pam's work for a long time! She makes some beautiful things, some of which she sells in her store, and she offers classes and books about crazy quilting. Crazy quilter or not, there is still much to enjoy in her work!
Stop 1: Sew in Love
Stop 2: Isabell on Flickr, aka ColourinStitch
Stop 3: SewAmy
Stop 4: Kitty and Me Design by Pam Kellogg
Stop 5: coming soon!

How long have you been embroidering?
I've been stitching since I was 7 or 8 years old.  To keep me quiet, my mom would give me a piece of fabric with a plastic needle and some yarn.  I'm sure in the beginning I did nothing more than make a mess but I remember by the time I was 9, my mom and grandma had me stitching on prestamped dishtowels.  From there I moved on to needlepoint and hook rugs and then eventually to counted cross stitch.
By 1988, I enjoyed cross stitch so much, I started designing it professionally for needlework magazines and manufacturers such as The DMC Corporation, Bucilla, Kreinik, Zweigart and others.
But my stitching enthusiasum took a major curve in 2002 when I discovered Crazy Quilting.  Now at age 51, that's pretty much my main passion and obsession!

How did you learn?
My mom and grandma taught me how to do basic embroidery stitches on prestamped dish towels and table runners.  I always liked the way it felt when pulling the thread through the fabric.  I remember my grandma trying to teach me how to do french knots.  It took me years to get the hang of those!
Mom taught me how to sew, crochet, knit, needlepoint and cross stitch.  I learned how to do tatting on my own along with some other techiques like Chicken Scratch, Blackwork and such.  My Crazy Quilting too is completely self taught.  But I've always been good at collage art.

What are your favorite types of embroidery?

I love all types of embroidery and that's why Crazy Quilting has become such a passion for me.  Since I enjoy so many different techniques, I'm not limited to only one.  I can combine my skills and knowledge into a single form of needleart.  I don't have to choose one technique over another.

What are your favorite materials to use?

Is there a limit?  LOL!  I'm a very tactile person.  And I love little things.  Fabrics, threads, beads, buttons, lace, fancy trims, vintage millinery flowers, sequins.  Wait, did I mention glitter?  I love glitter!  All that glitters is gold to me!

What inspires you?
Nature mainly.  I love birds, flowers, butterflies, cats, holidays and the seasons.  But there are other things too.  I have an affinity for anything old-fashioned and vintage.  I'm a very homey, domestic person.  I love doing things the old way, using vintage things and learning about the good old days.  And although that doesn't appear to come through in my needlework, it really does show but in an indirect way.

What are your favorite projects?

My favorite projects are  small things like door hangers and cellphone pouches.  Probably because they stitch up quickly and I feel like I have something nice to show for a short amount of time.  But I also like doing more challenging projects like wall quilts.  Generally, I do my wall quilts over the Winter months when I can't be outside.

What do you do with your finished projects?

I keep a few things for myself like my wall quilts and some of my purses.  I make gifts too.  And I sell some of my crazy quilt pieces in my Etsy shop.

Any advice for someone who wants to start selling their embroidered goods?

It's hard to sell handmade things these days, no matter how nice they are.  Everyone has an Etsy shop.  With the economy the way it is, the market is saturated with handmade things by people trying to make a little extra money.  My advice is to take the time to learn SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  There's a ton of information available on that subject.  Just do a Google search and plenty of info will come up.
Social networking is a must too but limiting it to only 1 or 2 sites is best.  I pretty much stick with Facebook and Flickr.  A person can spend all day online socializing and never get anything else done.  Also, marketing outside of the internet is a good idea also.

Do you have any other hobbies and interests?

Yes, my husband has spent the last 8 years building a 1929 Model A Tudor Sedan.  It's absolutely gorgeous!  We just got the insurance for it and the license plates for it and we're hoping that we can start taking it to local car shows this coming Spring and Summer.  We're also hoping to take it to our Flea Markets and Antique Malls that we love.  Scott and I adore flea markets.  We both love vintage and antique things and the "thrill of the hunt" is a favorite pass time for us!  It'll be even more fun in our Model A!

Thanks for reading!  And thanks to Pam for being a stop. Another one coming soon!