Welcome to today’s ACrafty Interview with WhateverJames – father, Star Wars geek, and cross stitcher!
When did you start crafting? WJ: I don’t remember. I’ve always crafted and made something. When I was really young (6-10) I had a big toy box of He-Man action figures and several compartment boxes of beads and jewels and everything I needed to make necklaces.
I was in the Boy Scouts from age 11-18 and I am an Eagle Scout so I have always been making something and did plenty of crafts at camp!
I started my main craft, cross stitch, late 2004 or early 2005. My oldest daughter, Mara Jade, was born in July 2005 and her birth announcement was my first unfinished project! Her mom worked part time at a craft store and also taught crochet. I didn’t want to jump right in on her thing but thought it would be cool to ask her to teach me something so I found a stitch kit at the store and I have not stopped.
What crafts have you tried and what is your current favorite? WJ: Cross stitch is without a doubt my favorite. Or at least my favorite that I can do. I wish I could paint or draw well, just because of the time, but cross stitch is my favorite. I have done a lot of crafts in the past but I don’t think there is a lot that I can say I actually tried to do well. I’ve put a few chains together to “try” crochet and done similar for other crafts but nothing serious.
What craft project are you most proud of? WJ: My current favorites are my Bad Religion and Luke Skywalker pieces. I just did a cool Elvis for a friend that was completely out of my style. I won’t say that each stitch piece is like a child but they are each different. They appeal to me for different reasons. I chose the subjects for different reasons. The bigger pieces, aside from being display pieces, take so much time that they have their own memories. I have been working on my Vader piece for about three years. I remember doing sections the week I was in Arizona. I remember the job I was at when I started it and where I was at on the piece when I left that job. They become individual in the memories I create when I create them.
Has a craft or craft project ever challenged you in an unexpected way? WJ: Yes. I rarely stitch the first design I had in my head. I have to edit. For time, for size, for sanity. I am a horrible self-editor. I think a lot of my pride in my stitching comes from being able to pull off what I feel are just versions of my original design after it’s been edited to within an inch of it’s life.
How has crafting affected your character? WJ: It keeps me sane. It gives me something to do. I would like to run an online store with my designs and [completed stitching projects] but I don’t. I had a bit of a mental break down and stopped writing and blogging and taking an active part in the stitch/craft community but I never stopped stitching.
I used to have a better answer about stitching appealing to the creative and rational sides of my brain and a lot of what I thought was deep meaningful crap. After my break down stitching is how I deal with what I consider the outside world (not the people I live with). I almost always have something to stitch with me. If I get nervous or fear I am going to act out and I don’t have someone like my wife or my daughter to anchor me, then I just stitch. I can retreat and disappear and be safe. In my real life away from the internet I really only socialize with three or four people. Two of them I do a podcast with and it is a very controlled environment for me. It’s probably the only place I truly feel safe outside of my home but every once in a while if we have a guest or maybe the feel of the room changes in my mind I just take out a needle and thread and stitch while recording. It helps get me through a lot.
Can you share a story about how your crafting has affected others? WJ: Not really. I mean people have told me that they like some of my stuff but I don’t know if anything has ever really affected anyone. I can tell you that the fact that anyone likes anything that comes out of my head is still pretty amazing to me. Actually a couple of years ago I met a friend online. I was going through one of my “I want to have a store” phases and Etsy was having a meet-up day where sellers would meet up with other sellers in their area. I received an email from Jenny K in Florida and she asked if she could print some pictures of some of my pieces to display since I was an Etsy seller. I didn’t know why she wanted to but I feel safe to say it was positive. They affected her in some way and she wanted to either experience it again or share it with others…or both! I have always held on to that as one of the true highlights of my stitching but never really thought about it as my work affecting someone else, only what it has always meant to me that I was asked. So I think it actually became to mean even more to me just now!
What crafty goodness do you have coming up in the future? Why is it appealing to you? WJ: VADER. I have been working on the same Darth Vader piece for a few years now and I really think “third year’s the charm”. I do a lot of the smaller sampler-type pieces when I take a break from Vader so I don’t know. I don’t want to say I will never do a piece this size again but it will be a long while.
I found out about 3D stitching a little over a year ago. Cross stitching buildings and things. The book I found had gorgeous pictures of little cottages and Colonial-era homes. I REALLY want a cross stitched Planet Express Building and wasn’t able to find one online so I will probably have to make it myself. I love miniatures, statues, busts, action figures and everything that lets you have fictional worlds in the palm of your hand or on your desk. I am actually pretty horrible about getting excited about an idea and talking it up a lot and then never following through so I should probably not mention it again unless I actually start it!
Thanks so much, James for your candor and insights into your creative life!
You can follow WhateverJames’ adventures on Twitter, blog Visual Gags in the Dark, Facebook, Flickr, and Podcast The Porkchop Express.