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Live Chat with Danielle Thompson 08/12/2009

A special thanks to Danielle Thompson, owner and creative force behind Kitschy Digitals for chatting with us on August 12.

ascubed
have you seen the blog design sponge and how about orange?

Scarlet
i just picked up that sub, along with body & soul. i'm more excited about body & soul... it was a package deal

daniellethompson
it seems like i only tend to read magazines that are entertainment based, like Entertainment Weekly and BUST... but that has crafty stuff in it too!

daniellethompson
lol! kawine! come to my house... we lack for good cooks around here. ;-) my poor children.

ascubed
there is a cool magazine called Readymade with very funky retro DIY project

Scarlet
that's the mag i mentioned earlier. i love it!
ascubed
Readymade?

daniellethompson
Readymade is cool! i think i've read that once or twice.. is it worth the sub?

walesk
i have to check that out. sounds interesting

ascubed
I am not sure CDN sub rates were pretty high

Torm
I heard a rumor that danielle was here ;)

ascubed
your rates would be better

walesk
hi torm!

Scarlet
i don't actually sub to that one. i just pick it up every once in a while

Torm
hey all!

daniellethompson
hi torm! wow, is that THE torm? ;-)

Torm
ha! Good to see you D2!

daniellethompson
likewise!

daniellethompson
how old is your baby now, torm?

Torm
he was two in january and we're currently potty training. it's not going well

daniellethompson
yikes, i need to get on that with Cam. i'm so lazy about potty training.

Torm
on monday I found him snuggied up with the coat rack peeing in my hoodie

daniellethompson
LOL! only a Torm baby would do that. ;-)

Torm
Only *this* Torm baby. he does things the other kids never did

Torm
I'm scrolling up to see what I missed.....

daniellethompson
so what you are girls doing with your Studio Calico kit(s) this month?

Scarlet
has anyone started on their bingo album?

walesk
carrying it around the new awesome crop bags! haha

Scarlet
i had such big plans for mine, but so little time :(

ascubed
I am still waiting but should arrive tomorrow

*christiew*
amen waleska!!!!!

*christiew*
hahahahha

Torm
I'm so envious of the crop bags!

daniellethompson
oh, what have i missed? the crop bags? i'm so out of the loop...

walesk
im sorry torm but i have to tell you they are awesome!!
*christiew*
you dont want to miss the crop bags, danielle

walesk
i'll show you...

*christiew*
i gotta order some more!!

Torm
did I read that they'll be carried in the shop?

walesk
http://www.studiocalico.com/shop/item/197

Scarlet
yes, they are in the shop

ascubed
they look so cool

Torm
awesome

Torm
as soon as I get the budget back in control - I'm jumping on them!

Scarlet
we have lots and lots of these, so although we really want you to purchase them, it's totally okay to wait until the 27th :)

daniellethompson
oh man, i so have to pee, but don't want to miss anything!

walesk
LOL

ascubed
we will wait :)

walesk
hurry!! hehe

*christiew*
i cant wait to get mine with sept. kit....i might even get 2 more packages

*christiew*
hehehe

daniellethompson
ok, be back soon... nature is calling...

walesk
so anyways... lol

ascubed
should be bug Scarlet for hints while she's gone

Torm
LOL

*christiew*
um yes

*christiew*
stamp hints

*christiew*
addon hints

walesk
hi scarlet :)

Scarlet
nope

*christiew*
haha

ascubed
many hints

ascubed
art deco hints

*christiew*
hehe - you know you want to scarlet!

*christiew*
lol

Scarlet
i'm horrible at hints

ascubed
I can tell she wavering LOL

*christiew*
well you can just tell us then *big grin*

daniellethompson
ok, i'm back.. can you guys fill me in on what the "hints" are for? like i said, i'm living under a rock over here!

Scarlet
and i think you guys already know it all anyway

ascubed
Hints for next month

Scarlet
why even have a sneak peek tomorrow?

walesk
we get clues for the new kit

ascubed
month's kit

daniellethompson
ahh... :-)

ascubed
And walesk has been amazing this month at guessing

walesk
because the peeks look SO much better than a bunch of pics off the internet :)

amyblose
hey everyone!

walesk
yup. I rock!

walesk
LOL

daniellethompson
i have to say that Studio Calico has the best designed kit club site i've ever seen. I know that's a random statement, but true.

walesk
kidding

Scarlet
oh... well ok then

Scarlet
thanks danielle! we really appreciate that :)

walesk
totally true, danielle

ascubed
It's true and scarlet and april keep making it better and better

daniellethompson
i have website design on the brain because i'm working on mine!

amyblose
danielle, I just got here, but I wanted to come drop by to show some support and let you know how much I have adored your blog and digital kits over the last year or so.

daniellethompson
seriously, it's so professional looking!

ascubed
And there great support team

ascubed
sorry their great team

daniellethompson
thank you so much amy! means alot!

amyblose
you are such a craft inspiration!

daniellethompson
awe, man, thank you!

walesk
ok. here goes another ?

walesk

hope you are not getting sick of me lol

daniellethompson
not at all waleska, you are keeping things moving! :-)

walesk
what is your favorite kitschy kit?

daniellethompson
ooooh, that is a hard one.. hmmm....

walesk
i figured lol

purpleglow
hi miss Danielle!

daniellethompson
i think my new fav is the one i'm working on now, the Woodgrain Frame kit...

ascubed
That sounds cool - love woodgrain

April Foster
oooooh, we love woodgrain at SC :)

amyblose
ee! when is that one going to be available?

walesk
ohhh I can not wait for that (yay! another frame!)

ascubed
How long does it take to complete a kit?

daniellethompson
i was trying to push myself out of my comfort zone a little with these.. make them a bit more subtle and elegant...

daniellethompson
but still hopefully a little bit kitschy. ;-)

amyblose
the frame kits are my favorite, so versatile

April Foster
has anyone asked about the embroidery kits?

Torm
wait. embroidery kits? I missed this one - I wanna know!

ascubed
In general, how long does a kit take but also how long do we have to wait for woodgrain LOL

purpleglow
I LOVE the embroidery stuff

ascubed
Embroidery sounds intriguing as well

Torm
cuz I love embroidery!

daniellethompson
thank you so much!

purpleglow
I am so excited to see more patterns

daniellethompson
you can see some sneek peaks of the Woodgrain Kit on my personal blog, http://thompsonfamily.typepad.com/
ascubed
retro embroidery especially

April Foster
i love the girl the most

daniellethompson
I will also have them in cut-out sheets as well for the digi-fearful! ;-)

walesk
i need to learn to embroider.. i really love the look

purpleglow
I love the fruit the most.. i love fruit, and i love languages, so they are both perfect...

daniellethompson
awe!!! thank you girls! so happy to hear interest in embroidery patterns!

daniellethompson
don't ya'll LOVE embroidery? i wish i had more time for it!

April Foster
so about the embroidery patterns, are they just downloadable and do they come with suggested thread colors?

purpleglow
what kind of stuff have you done with embroidery danielle?

April Foster
her latest guest embroidered on a quilt.....so pretty!

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daniellethompson
april, I can either email you a PDF that you can print at home, OR I can also send you a printed copy of the pattern if you don't feel comfortable printing at home. :-)

April Foster
i do like the PDF option b/c that's instant gratification

ascubed
That quilt looks amazing

daniellethompson
rather, MAIL you a printed copy. :-) they are the same price, but you just have to pay the extra shipping if i mail it to you.

crushton has joined the chat

amyblose
speaking of shipping, you have the BEST shipping

amyblose
so cute

daniellethompson
yes i know! Susan Weinroth is so multi-talented! i'll find the link if some of you haven't seen it...

phoebeethel has joined the chat

amyblose
I love to get mail from your etsy because everything is always so cute

daniellethompson
here's the quilt: http://thompsonfamily.typepad.com/kitschy_digitals_blog/2009/08/guest-designer-susan-weinroth.html

April Foster
seriously what a great idea!

daniellethompson
thank you amy so much!

walesk
it's awesome!

April Foster
i really want the girl pattern and to stitch it on linen and put it in a hoop for my scrap room

April Foster
ahhhhh if only that scrap room existed right now...it's in
shambles

msccchels has joined the chat

ascubed
Now I need to make that quilt as well - too little time - too many crafts

April Foster
how easy are the embroidery patterns to follow for a non-seamstress :)

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daniellethompson
you can find the embroidery patterns in my {Goods} shop, http://kitschydigitals.bigcartel.com/, or in my etsy shop, tinybazaar.etsy.com, if you're interested...

April Foster
i have cross-stitched a bit in the past, could i tackle it?

msccchels
oh man, i just showed up because of the delay in my google reader

msccchels
i hate that sort of delay!

April Foster
welcome, i'll post the transcript after we're done

daniellethompson
awesome idea april! i'm so glad you like the Olivia girl! i'm thinking of doing the other Kitschy Girls as well!

amyblose
will you be coming out with any more embroidery patterns?

msccchels
fabulous idea. thanks April

crushton
i completely forgot about the time difference! i meant to be here sooner.

msccchels
yeah, sigh...such is life

April Foster
the time difference did a number on me tonight as well :P

daniellethompson
yes, i will have more embroidery patterns.. the next one will be a Woodland theme, very similar to my Woodland kits...

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amyblose
cute!

April Foster
oh, very cool -

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daniellethompson
i wish i had more hands and more time in the day for all of the new stuff i want to do... so is life, right? lol!

April Foster
danielle, did you see my question about expertise level to be able to conquer the patterns?

daniellethompson
hi msccchels!

msccchels
Hi Danielle!

walesk
i would like to know this too... i would love to try embroidery

purpleglow
i'd love to see a woodgrain pattern:)

daniellethompson
oh! i'm sorry... i'm having a hard time keeping up... :-) difficulty level:

Sara*P
Eeep, I'm late to the party! Danielle, I just want to say how much I love your work! Your projects and blog posts remind me so much of my 70's childhood - I think that's why they make me so happy!!

daniellethompson
in all honesty, i think embroidery is one of the EASIEST crafts.. well, you can make it as easy as you want rather...

April Foster
purpleglow, she's working on a woodgrain pattern now for frames and there's a sneak on her blog

daniellethompson
your pattern is basically just a line drawing...
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crushton has joined the chat

daniellethompson
that you fill in with stitches you make with embroidery floss..

daniellethompson
your stitches can be as complicated or as simple as you want them to be...

daniellethompson
if you know a backstitch, you could do the whole thing in that!

msccchels
i think embroidery is the best ever down-time project

msccchels
or in the car project

April Foster
so i need to know how to embroider first? becasue there's no instructions for the stitches, right?

daniellethompson
i mostly use a backstitch and split stitch.. so easy! and there are so many great tutorials online to teach you the stitches...

msccchels
april, you can find some awesome stitch tutorials online

April Foster
i can do a mean backstitch

April Foster
G's grandma does all kinds of things with needles

April Foster
wait that sounds bad

daniellethompson
thank you so much Sara P! thanks for coming!

April Foster
but anyway, i could learn from her

April Foster
msccchels - thanks!

walesk
LOL April. i choked!

daniellethompson
there are no instructions for the stitches in my patterns... i think someone mentioned color suggestions..

msccchels
of course! - Chelsea

daniellethompson
i do include full color photographs in the patterns to give you color ideas, but you can also dream up your own color palettes!

April Foster
awesome, thanks

purpleglow
April - I read her blogs.. I guess I missed them?

daniellethompson
and i also include instructions for the different ways you can transfer your pattern to your fabric...

April Foster
she said it was on her family blog

msccchels
what i love about patterns (any patterns) is when they include step by step pictures...almost so it reads like an online tutorial

msccchels
those are THE easiest to follow

April Foster
i must finish my quilt first i must finish my quilt first i must finish my quilt first i must finish my quilt first i must finish my quilt first i must finish my quilt first

April Foster
heehee

msccchels
but with embroidery, it's pretty self-explanatory, regardless of skill level

daniellethompson
lol! i'd love to see the quilt you're working on! that is one of my dreams to learn to quilt! especially patchwork quilting.

crushton
sorry if this question has already been asked... danielle, how do you make your designs? do you draw them freehand first?

msccchels
i'm sure Danielle's patterns are awesome. I can't wait to see everythign

April Foster
thanks chelsea, i still haven't mastered a french knot after being taught 100 times :)

msccchels
eh, fake it 'til you make it

ascubed
french knots are fiddley

msccchels
as long as you're happy with how it looks, you're good to go

April Foster
thanks danielle, i'm doing it by hand so it's taken a bit longer than expected

Sara*P
Is there a way to scroll all the way up to read the chat from the start?

daniellethompson
french knots are definitely tricky, but a great one to use...

ascubed
there will be a transcript later sara

daniellethompson
hi crushton! answering your question...

April Foster
sara, i'll post a transcript in the news section

ascubed
hand pieced quilts are so amazing but really slow to make

Torm
danielle - you can totallly tackle quilting!

daniellethompson
for my designs, i actually "draw" them all in Adobe Illustrator.. i use my mouse and my keyboard to create the shapes... BUT

msccchels
wow! Danielle, that's amazing

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daniellethompson
i know alot of girls use a Wacom tablet where they can really HANDdraw their elements.. i really want to play around with that one day...

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Sara*P
Thanks, April!

daniellethompson
oops, double enter...

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daniellethompson
my major in college was fine art with a concentration in graphic design, and then 10 years of work experience in that has really helped with designing my kits!

daniellethompson
i can tell my parents, my education was actually worth it! lol!

msccchels
you dont' look old enough to have 10 yrs experience post-college!

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daniellethompson
haaa, thank you. I'm 33. Feeling old though... don't we all? lol!

crushton
so you have to draw it with a mouse like using paintbrush?! oh my goodness that would drive me nuts.

msccchels
yeah...i feel old and i'm only 27

msccchels
but like i said, you don't look your age!

crushton
i agree, msccchels

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daniellethompson
well, i draw the shapes by connecting points.. sounds nuts, but it's second hand to me now since i've done it so much at work!

crushton
amazing.

April Foster
danielle, thanks so much for chatting with us tonight (even the late-comers)

April Foster
like myself

daniellethompson
thank you april! i've really enjoying this!

ascubed
thank you for the insight into your process and inspirations

scrapgrrrrl
Thanks! Love the fruits! sorry I'm late.

daniellethompson
OH! please everyone add your name and email address somewhere in this chat so i can enter you to win some Kitschy Digitals {Goods} cut out sheets!