Meet a firstie: Quiltyone

Our third firstie: Quiltyone!

First, feel free to introduce yourself and say anything you’d like to say about you in real life, or by way of introduction for older Gryffs who haven’t met you yet!

In real life I live in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with my husband and two cats. I am a quilter with a nice big sewing room in the basement and live a pretty crafty life. I have taught quilting for a number of years and taught on the internet since 2000. For a few years I had a retail teaching/dyeing/art quilt studio in a nearby city.

Since September and my discovery of the House Cup, I spend more time knitting than quilting.

How long have you been crafting?

I feel like I have crafted all my life! When I was little, I made ornaments of felt and fabric, did embroidery, cross stitch, any kind of fiber related craft I could find. I have sewn clothing for much of my life.

What crafts do you do?

I used to dye fabric and hand marble fabric and try every new craft that came along, but at some point, decided to concentrate my efforts on quilting only. It is only during the last 4 years or so that I have resumed knitting.

As a quilter, I started out making patchwork quilts, and over time they morphed into very realistic pictorial quilts. Although I have knit for most of my life, knitting took a back seat to quilting until I returned to it a few years ago. I made hats and scarves and mitts, and finally tried socks. The socks sort of took over. I started making them because I found mass-produced socks so uncomfortable. Now I make them because the yarn is so pretty and all the different patterns are so much fun. I also like socks because they take only one or two skeins, which means lots of variety.

The House Cup is helping me to branch out from socks and try new things. I did my first crochet project last month with encouragement from slothmuffin of Hufflepuff, and knit my first lace shawl. I am getting back into color stranded knitting

How did you find the HPKCHC?

I was exploring ravelry one slow, hot day last August and came upon a really fascinating project made by hypercycloid of Ravenclaw for her Winter 2011 OWL. I joined that group and began to learn about the Cup. I missed sorting by a week or two, so played along as a NQFY. I loved my time as NQFY because it gave me a chance to explore, meet people and learn about the cup with no pressure.

Did something in particular attract you to roar for Gryffindor?

My first encounter with Gryffindor was through the Sock Study Thread. Everyone there was wonderfully helpful and friendly. Then, guenevol asked the NQFYs if anyone would like an introduction to Gryffindor. I gladly accepted and somehow found myself hanging around first in the common room, then with the Headless Hats who adopted me and made me feel very welcome. A real turning point for me came after asking the question “why Gryffindor?” I was directed to lupingirl’s August 2011 Welcome to Gryffindor message and was very touched by it and it made me want to be part of the Pride.

Do you have a favorite moment/scene/character/etc in the HP canon?

So many!! I love when Hermione, Ron and Harry meet. Hermione is a favorite character, but I love Hagrid, and Luna, too. There are scenes in the movies that make me cry a little no matter how often I see them. I love the whole series of books for its ability to transport me to a different world.

What project or FO are you most proud of?

In knitting, I am proud of my first Shawl, knit last term as a mission for the Order of the Phoenix.

I have two favorite quilts that I made: one of Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway which hangs over my mantle, and one of the architecture of Flagler College in St Augustine, FL. Most of my quilts take me much longer to make than my little shawl did.

What are you looking forward to most this term?

Getting to know my new house and making new friends, knitting fun projects for actual points, and Quidditch!

Do you have a favorite fiber-crafting celebrity? A movie star crush? A secret love for underwater basket weaving?

I do have a deep, dark secret. It’s something I rarely admit to myself: I like orange! It sneaks into my (quilting) projects whether I want it to or not. It’s probably only a matter of time before I start buying orange yarn.

Also, I enjoy yoga, cooking and flying remote controlled helicopters.

Images are property of Quiltyone; use with permission!