Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Walls.
Hi Amanda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Ever since I was a very little girl, I always wanted to create and be an artist. From making little beaded animal keychains and a giant paper elephant for a 2nd-grade project that my dad still has to this day (hi Dad), to various drawing and painting styles as I went through middle and high school, to fiber arts today as adult; I’ve always been creating, designing and making. My fiber arts journey started a few years ago. I was burnt out on one medium and not feeling very creatively fulfilled. I still had the itch to create but no longer found joy. Inspired by one of my aunt’s talents with a needle and thread, I turned away from painting and dove into embroidery head first with cross stitch, a stitching technique I felt was great as a beginner and that can also be taken to the next level with practice and patience. True to myself, the first thing I ever stitched was my favorite four-letter F word, followed by stormtroopers and Harry Potter quotes for friends. I’ve been riding that newfound joy ever since.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There’s always room for improvement, and with that comes skill, style, and technique evolution. It may seem cliche, but it always comes back to doing what makes you happy and staying true to that.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Today, I go back and forth between cross stitch and hand embroidery. My primary focus is pop culture (TV, movies, music, video games, etc.), with snarky quotes sprinkled here and there. Aside from some well-known celebrities sharing my work on their social media (Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins, Julie Klausner, and Kaitlin Olson), I would say that I’m most proud of my growth; I’ve come a long way from stitching curse words. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still stitching curse words; they look prettier now.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: nerdsgetstitches
