FAST Member Interview- Meri of Elbit Enterprises

Yes, yes, I know it’s weird to interview myself, but I figured I’d make this an unofficial “get to know your leaders” week since I posted Jenn’s interview a few days ago.

If you’re a member of FAST and would like to be featured in the weekly interview, visit this thread in the yahoo group to get the questions, then send your answers (and a picture or two if you’d like) to me at merigreenleaf[at]yahoo.com (or a convo to merigreenleaf). These will be posted in the order I receive them.

What is your name?
My real name is Susan, but I prefer to go by my nickname of Meri online (and occasionally offline, as well).

What is your Etsy shop? Does your shop name have a meaning?
http://merigreenleaf.etsy.com My Etsy shop name is Elbit Enterprises, although the rest of my shops and my website are Elfling Creations. I originally picked “Elbit Enterprises” because the character/personality that I’ve associated myself with for a long time is an Elbit (a name I made up for a half elf/half hobbit). However, I’m not using that name elsewhere (and I may eventually switch over my Etsy shop name, too), because there’s apparently a company online called “Elbit” (I’m not sure what it is, though; it’s just strange because I made up the word, or at least that meaning, and didn’t realize it was already in use). Also, “Elfling” is just a little more cute and easy to remember, and it means the same thing as “elf/halfling” or “small elf”. Fortunately, I’m signed up everywhere as MeriGreenleaf, so as long as people search for me that way, they can find me.

Besides your Etsy shop, do you sell anywhere else? Do you have a website or blog?
My website is http://www.elflingcreations.com and my blog is http://merigreenleaf.blogspot.com
I also have items in a few online shops (iCraft, Ecrater, Mintd, and BigCartel, etc), but my other main one is http://merigreenleaf.artfire.com

How long have you been making art/crafting? What was the first thing you remember making?
I’ve always been making things- in elementary school I’d even stay inside during recess sometimes to work in the art room, and by high school I was there after school almost every day. I honestly can’t remember the first thing I made, but I remember drawing all the time as a kid, making jewelry with big plastic beads, playing in PlayDoh, and doing all sorts of art kits. I’ve always been creative.

What kind of fiber arts do you do? If different from the previous question, what was the first fiber art thing you made?
My main one is crochet, but I also sew (by hand), spin my own yarn with spindles (I’ll sometimes dye it, too), and I cross stitch (although that one I’ve only done on an afghan stitched crochet base). I think the first fiber art thing I made was a sewn pillow for my mom when I was in high school (she still has it), and the first thing I ever crocheted was my Hufflepuff scarf four or so years ago (the whole reason I wanted to learn how to crochet was to make that Harry Potter-related scarf, and I haven’t put down my hook since!).

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Oh geez, I don’t even know if I can pick a favorite- I enjoy making everything I make! I think I may like making crocheted plushies/dolls a bit more than anything else, though. It’s just so cool how much detail that can go into those, between crochet, fabric, paint, polymer clay, and everything else.

(Click the below link to read the rest of the interview and see more pictures)

What do you think is the strangest or most unusual fiber arts item you have made or been asked to make?
lol, most of what I make is strange, and my friends always want strange things, too! I think my weirdest crocheted thing was the piranha plant from the Mario games that I made for my video game obsessed fiancé (he loves that thing!), but the weirdest thing ever was a small clay dragon that my best friend wanted so she could shove it down her bodice for the Renaissance faire.

Where is the craziest or most interesting place you’ve ever crocheted, knitted, felted, spun yarn, etc?
I spin yarn in my front yard (my dog would try to eat the spindle if I tried it indoors), but so far no one has stopped and said anything. I probably look like I’m playing some weird game or something, lol. I also crochet during Dungeons and Dragons games, but that’s not too weird because I’m in an unusual group of mostly women, and at least three others have been known to craft at the table.

What is your favorite place to work?
I love crocheting on a comfy chair in front of the tv, and I love spinning outside when it’s sunny and warm.

What inspires you? Where does your inspiration come from?
Fantasy, books, and nature. Almost everything I make is fantasy-related, and I have a tendency to somehow work in flowers, leaves, or animals in my art. A lot of my ideas just pop into existence when I least expect it (usually when I’m laying in bed at night), and that’s always awesome!

What is your favorite color? Do you tend to work with that color, or do you find yourself working with other colors?
I think by now everyone knows that I’m obsessed with green, lol. I work in that color a lot because it makes me so calm and happy, but I also use a lot of blues, blacks, and purples. I’ll use red and pink sometimes, but hardly ever yellows or oranges. I just don’t like warm colors, so I don’t like using them.

Do you prefer a specific type of fiber?
I’m not picky! I usually crochet with acrylic yarns because they work best for my plushies and really well for almost everything else (it makes a great base for cross stitching or sewing painted fabric on, too!). Sometimes I like to use fancier yarns, though, but I don’t get to use them much in what I make. As for spinning, I’ve tried merino, bamboo, and silk, and I loved all three.

Is there any other kind of art (fiber-related or not) that you’d like to learn?
I would love to improve my jewelry-making and chainmaille skills, and at some point it would be nice to know how to knit. I’ve just been putting that off because no one I know knows how to to teach me, and I also figure that since I can do almost anything with a crochet hook, I don’t really need to know how to knit. No offense to knitters, I just love my hooks! I’d also love to learn how to cross stitch onto regular fabric- I’m going to make my mom teach me that soon. Oh, and I also have no idea how to use a sewing machine- everything I sew is by hand.

Tell us a bit about yourself- where do you live, what’s your job, do you have a spouse/children/pets, any other hobbies, that kind of thing.
I live in Media, PA (it’s a suburb of Philly) with my parents, grandparents, younger sister, my black kitty, and my family’s bichon puppy. It’s a very full house! I used to live with my fiancé in an apartment, but I’ve been having a lot of health problems recently and we’re both very poor since I haven’t been able to work in well over a year, so we decided that it would be best to move back in with our parents for a while until I get better and we can save up some more money. Fortunately, my fiancé got a promotion recently, so hopefully we’ll be able to have the money for a house soon after I get better. Like I said, I’m not working right now, so I guess art is my job, although I don’t think I make enough money for it to be more than a hobby. I’m hoping to get to grad school at some point in the near future so I can get my Master’s degree (I have an BA in English) because my dream is to become a professor of British literature (preferable of the Renaissance, although I’m not picky- I love anything from Beowulf up through the Victorians).

My other hobbies/interests besides art are reading (especially fantasy and historical fiction), Old English (I’ve been trying to teach myself the language for a while, but kinda put it aside for the past few months), dressing in costume and cosplaying (I own way too many costumes for a sane adult), the Renaissance faire, video games, gardening, baking desserts (it’s funny because I despise cooking, but love baking), Dungeons and Dragons, and Celtic rock.

Tell us one quirky thing about you (or one thing no one knows about you).
Hmm… not sure about one quirky thing. I’m pretty darn quirky in an obvious way, lol! I guess it would be that I have a degree in English, but I can’t spell for beans. Everyone always makes fun of me for it, no matter how many times I tell them that my degree is focusing on literature, not the words themselves. I think I’m somewhat dyslexic, which doesn’t help.

Do you have any advice for other fiber artists? Have any craft room, storage, or other tips?
Considering how much of a mess my art supplies always are, I don’t think I’m one to give advice, lol. I guess I’d give general advice of just following what your heart and muse tell you to make, even if it’s new or if you think it’s not something that will sell. Creativity and the ability to make things with your own hands, in my opinion, is the greatest gift!

Tags: etsyfast, member interview

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