Ice Dragon's Kingdom Border Bit
(In His Own Words) Let me introduce myself: my name is Nick Smith and I am the husband of Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams Inc. Jennifer and I have been involved in the industry for eight years and have been avid cross stitchers for the last nine. I am also a full time teacher, father of two little girls as well as part time assistant, shipper, receptionist and guy Friday for Dragon Dreams.
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To find out about Ice Dragon's Kingdom and the other Dragon Dreams designs, drop by their website at http://DragonDreams.accra.ca
Jennifer
and I were introduced to cross stitch through a male friend who
stitches as a stress buster. To say that I was not terribly interested
in picking up the hobby, would be an understatement. I saw it
as a less than masculine pursuit that certainly did not mesh
with my personal image. Jennifer was a quick study and, after
losing her to stitching for many evenings, I decided to see what
this is all about. Oddly enough, the pattern aspect of it, was
not what hooked me, but rather the precision and mathematics
involved
As Jennifer's career blossomed, she needed more and more models stitched and I was elected. I enjoy stitching models and learning more about the craft. When I accompany Jennifer to shows, most shop owners assume that I am just someone covering the booth. The look on their faces is priceless when I can actually describe a model, the fabric, stitch count, floss and various techniques used to create the finished product. There was even an occasion where a shop owner teased us that Jennifer was the Dragon and I was the Dream! As a male stitcher, I find it humorous to see people's initial reactions. After all, I am over 6 feet tall and not a shrinking violet. If I said I wrestled alligators or climbed sheer rock faces no one would bat an eye, but once the image of me using a tiny needle and a piece of cloth to create a design is brought to mind, it is infinitely less plausible! It is quite entertaining to be on the other end of a gender bias.
I have learned more than just basic cross-stitch and have acquired other techniques as well as the use of many different and interesting fibers. When I am not stitching Jennifer's models, I like to work on a wide variety of patterns. I even helped out with the cross-stitch club at the Middle School where I was teaching. I was pleased that four of the members were male.
Where Jennifer prefers intricate fantasy pieces, I am drawn to simpler pieces that have little or no backstitching; I intensely dislike backstitching. I am always looking for new designs to stitch and have to admit that I have my own stash of UFOs! I would like to see more men stitching as it is a truly relaxing and goal oriented past time. As there are not a lot of us males appearing at the trade shows and industry events, when we do run into each other, it is like meeting a member of a secret society.
I hope that I can be a positive force about how inclusive a hobby and industry this can be.
Happy Stitching,
Nick Smith
ONLINE CLASS ARCHIVES
Click below if you missed any of our past classes.
Kimberly Crum -"Dragonfly" Pin Design
HIS AND HERS TREES XMAS SOCKS Designed by Lois Caron
Beginning Needlepoint (Part II)
Beginning Needlepoint (Part I) - Designed by Lois Caron
Something Blue- by Lois Caron
Revisiting AUTUMNAL SCENTIMENT by Anthony Minieri
Ottoman Tulip - by Lois Caron
Rose Quartz Flower - Designed by Emie Bishop
Hardanger Bookmark by Julie Norton of J. Designs
Mary Clubb's Crewel Bouquet
Lois Caron's PIPSQUEAK SAMPLER
Ellen Johnson's Holiday Sachet Pouch
Lois Caron's Optical Color Blending Class Part I
Lois Caron's Optical Color Blending Class Part II
Ornament Project by Sara Pittenger's
Alium by Terri Hazlett
Holiday Snow by Designed by Carolyn Mitchell
Basic Drawstring Pouch Pattern by Tanya Ilnicki
Horizons Part II, by Rosalyn K. Watnemo
Horizons Part I by Rosalyn K. Watnemo
Tulip Trio taught by Tisha Kuntz and Carolyn Hotchkiss of Too Sisters Designs
Hyacinth Hearts Brooch taught by Susan Albury
Amy's Recipe for a Garden Maze Bag
Six-Pointed Star An Online Class by Lois Caron
Christmas Sampler by Giulia Manfredini, Italy (Part I) (Part II),
Part I of Christmas Sampler Class by Giulia Manfredini's
"Double Straight Cross Stitch" by Ann Caswell of Kaz Designs
"Crazy Quilt Patchwork Block" (in 2 parts) by Leslie Levison
AUTUMNAL SCENTIMENT (in 3 parts) by Anthony Minieri
Teneriffe Embroidery by Norma Wendt of Idle Time Designs
Damselfy Sampler Class taught by Karen Cohn
Border Design taught by Mary D. Shipp of Stitches by Shipp
Fun with the Woven Stitch taught by Ann Caswell
Using Variegated Threads for Dramatic Effects taught by Lois Caron