Win a Signed Magazine, Autographed by a Famous Person!

World of Cross Stitch magazine has been having a Blogger of the Month slot for some time now, just a little link and a few details about the person's blog.  Well, now Cross Stitch Collection has gone one better!  the actually interview their chosen blogger, ask for photos and feature them in their Meet the Online Stars column.  It's a new series so there have only been five people so far:

236		Carol	Stitching Dreams	http://stitchingdreams.blogspot.co.uk/
237		Heather	Stitching Lotus	http://stitchinglotus.ca/
238		Anne	Doll's Musings	http://www.dollsmusings.blogspot.co.uk/
239		Zeb	Keep Calm and Cross Stitch	http://www.ixari.net/
240		Jo	Serendipitious Stitching	http://serendipitousstitching.blogspot.co.uk/

Yes, that's right, me!

I was contacted by a very nice journalist called Rachael who sent me some questions and asked for photos of me and my work.  The questions were easy enough, the standard questions which do the rounds of the blogosphere regularly; choosing photos of my work was harder - which pieces should I show?  Heather had already shown her Teresa Wenztler Dragon!  But choosing the photo of me was terrible!  I just do not have any decent recent pictures and the older pre-digital were not high definition enough for the magazine to use.  We went back and forth and the Large Boy took endless photos of me in different lights and places until we got the least bad one which is in the article.

The interview was edited (we get half a page which is very generous but you know how bloggers like to run on!) but here for you exclusively, is the full unexpurgated version:

Meet… Jo from Serendipitous Stitching

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a stitcher from the far east of England, married with two boys in Primary School.  I work as a bookseller and also run a Baby & Toddler Group as well as being part of the School PTA and the local NAS group.  I’d love to belong to a stitching group and would like to set one up in my town if only I had more time!

How/when did you fall in love with cross stitching?

Like many people, I made a Binca mat at school which I gave to my parents.  My Mum was a keen needleworker, cross stitch, tapestry and dress-making too.  However I didn’t really discover my love until I was an adult.  In 1993 I saw a friend stitching a Country Companions design and although the subject matter didn’t appeal I was rather impressed with the idea of making a picture onto a piece of plain fabric.  The local department store had a haberdashery section with some kits and I chose two small Anchor sampler kits to make.  They hooked me on the hobby straight away and I started to find out what else I could stitch.  My next project was on black aida and the one after that was a gorgeous Chinese Dragon which used gold metallic thread.  You can see I dived straight in at the deep end!

What's your biggest stitching disaster or biggest challenge?

Apart from the occasional attack of the frogs (where you make a mistake and have to “rip-it, rip-it, rip-it” out) I have not had any major disasters.  I do enjoy a challenge, I love stitching over 1 on 28 count evenweave or higher counts, I like the more delicate effect this gives.  I like to design my own samplers too.  The one area I do find difficult is “finishing”, ie making the stitching into something.  I have learned a lot of useful techniques from my fellow bloggers who post tutorials online.  Probably the most challenging finish is Drac in a Box by Acorn House Designs.  My friend Sharon from Shebafudge blog challenged me to stitch this one with her so we could learn the techniques together.  The box itself was easier than I thought but the little figure was a challenge!  On the way we made friends with Susan the designer who cheered us on to completion.

Do you have a particular piece you're most proud of/is particularly special?

I was stitching a Lavender and Lace design called Angelica when my Nana passed away so that one will always have a place on my wall.   The most special pieces are ones I no longer have, because I love to stitch Birth and Wedding samplers.  I love to find a suitable design for the family and amend it to personalise it and make it perfect for them.  I also like to change designs to make them unique.  The Joan Elliott Christmas Angel I adapted to fit into a multi-frame is one which has featured in your magazine and also received a comment from Joan herself on Facebook.  It is an amazing feeling when the designers comment on your work and they like what you have done.

What's your advice for stitchers with lots of WIPS?

Stitch what makes you happy.  Some people like a strict rotation, others are happier OAAT (one at a time).  My current rotation is 3 small challenges per month, one sampler I stitch one length of thread each day and one larger project, usually an obligation piece for a wedding, birth or round robin.  This way I always have a choice of projects so I don’t get bored with the same one.  I also have regular finishes to encourage me while still making steady progress on the large sampler.

Why did you start your blog?

So I could join in with the TUSAL!  Regular bloggers will already know that the Totally Useless Stitch A Long is where we save the ends of our thread into a jar each and post a photo each month, just for fun and to connect with other stitchers.  But seriously, I wanted to talk about my projects and share information with other stitchers in a way that you can’t on forums or FB.  I belonged to three forums and noticed people had links in their signatures to their blog.  I started to “follow” a few of these and very soon wanted my own.  I now have my main blog and my Happy Dance blog which is a chronological record of every single piece I have stitched (currently over 400 pieces!).  I also run some group blogs which are a great way to connect with people.

What sort of things do you most like to stitch?

My top two types of stitching would have to be Fantasy designs and samplers.  I love traditional samplers especially learning about the history behind them.  Earlier this year some of the Scarlet Letter bloggers had a vist to the V&A museum in London for a private viewing of their sampler collection.  It was incredibly inspiring. I love the fantasy designs by Nora Corbett, Joan Elliott and Teresa Wenztler too.  Since discovering the online world I also have discovered a whole world of Hallowe’en stitching and run a Hallowe’en group blog too. But if I was forced to choose just one topic to stitch for the rest of my life it would have to be Dragons!

Anything you’d like to add?

One of the most popular features of my blog is the regular Blog Hops.  I host five a year; Valentine’s Secret Stitching Sweetheart, Easter Treasure Hunt, Summer Postcard, Hallowe’en Treasure Hunt and the Advent Calendar.  Each one is slightly different but the end result involves hopping round lots of different blogs all posting on the same theme.  It’s a great way to discover new blogs and learn a bit more about people you already follow.  At the moment we are sending photos of our stitching on a Garden theme for the Summer Postcard Hop. I also like to discover and promote less well-known designers.  As well as the Big Three named above, I am a huge fan of The Little Stitcher, Snowflower Diaries and Primitive Hare, all of whom feature heavily in my current collection of WIPs.

Cross Stitch Collection sent me a complimentary copy of the magazine but of course I already have my subscription copy so I said I would give it to one of my loyal followers.  Autographed of course!  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post saying which one of the designs in this issue you would most like to stitch.  (NB NOT the designs illustrating my interview but the ones in the following contents pages)

I did have to laugh when I saw the front cover of the magazine with the large picture of the Barn Owl, because a Barn Owl is officially my worst project ever.  I am so glad I didn't mention it in the article!  have a look at this to see why - Barn Owl

You have until 10th September to leave a comment.  Make sure I can contact you, if you are "no-reply" then email me with your email after you have left your comment.  Obviously you have to be a follower in order to be a loyal follower LOL.

Finally, the Summer Postcard Blog Hop is now completed!  Sixteen postcards were sent out to fifteen bloggers because I sent mine to Krista as well as the one from Astrid.  We both had visited and stitched Clovelly in Devon.

First postcard from Marcy goes to Gracie at Needles,Pins and Dragonflies

Second postcard from Krista goes to Jocondine at Jocondine

Third postcard from Michelle goes to Sharon at Shebafudge

Fourth postcard from Mouse goes to Vickie at A Stitcher's Story

Fifth postcard from Christine goes to Marcy at Stitching Plus

Sixth postcard from Astrid goes to Krista at Just Stitching Along

Seventh postcard from Vickie goes to Michelle at Michelle's StitchCraft Place

Eighth postcard from Jocondine goes to Deborah at A Patchwork of Crafts

Ninth postcard from Gracie goes to Maggee at Stitching Devotee

Tenth postcard from Deborah goes to Heather at It's Geek to Me

Eleventh postcard from Maggee goes to Mouse at Tales of a Stitching Mouse

Twelfth postcard from Sharon goes to Kaye at Kitten Stitching

Thirteeth postcard from Kaye goes to Astrid at Dragon Stitches and Stuff

Fourteenth postcard from Heather goes to Chiara at The Grey Tail

Final postcard from Chiara goes to Christine at The Alchymyst's Study

I hope you have all enjoyed hopping around the blogs this summer.  The links all go to the exact post so please do visit if you have missed any.  I have a theme for next year already and I'm also thinking about the Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Hop, sign-ups coming soon.