designs by Marissa Dinsdale, click for pattern

This week’s Guest Designer profile is of the awesomely talented Marissa, another gem from Harry Potter Paper Piecing.  We’ve been online friends for a while now and I look forward to seeing what designs she’s working on next!

Marissa at the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Boston Museum of Science

Name and where you’re from:
The name they gave me is Marissa and I go by MKissa on the interwebz. I was raised in Costa Mesa, CA and now reside in the city of Orange, still in CA (7 minutes and 3 freeways from Disneyland).

Website/blog/online store or other place where your patterns or photos of your work can be found?
Public Blog (Mostly Craft Stuff)
Etsy
Livejournal (Mostly Friends Only, but I’m always looking for new friends)

How long have you been paper piecing and/or quilting?
I’ve been paper piecing since July/August or 2008 and have been seriously quilting for about just as long, although I recently found a quilt top that I made when I was 13ish… so really… about 14 years. 🙂 I started paper piecing when I came across the HP paper piecing community on LJ and immediately jumped in.

What do you use own your block designs for?
Quilt labels, contest entries, and my Buffy designs will be a wall hanging or in their own quilt.

When did you start designing?
April 2009

Was there a particular inspiration to draw your first pattern?
I needed a label for a pair of quilts I was making for a friend that was having twins… the quilts had monkeys and bananas on them, so I decided that a banana pattern would definitely do the trick.

Do you remember what your first design was?
See above

Do you have a favorite among your own designs?
I am currently working on some Buffy designs and am really happy to bring another of my favorite fandoms to the quilt world.

What do you use to design your patterns? Paper and pencil, a specific software, etc.
I was using Microsoft publisher, but I am switching over to Illustrator or Photoshop since I just got Creative Suite for my home computer.

How has the online community changed the way you craft/quilt/design, etc.?
Oh my gosh yes! It has taught me to take inspiration from everywhere. My online friends have taught me that if you don’t know how to do something and want to do it you can figure it out. My friends are always encouraging, willing to lend a helping hand, give some great advice, or point me in the direction of a favorited tutorial.

Anything else you’d like to add?
I’m 28, and live with my MAN and our two cats (Rupert & Dexter). I work full time as the Event Coordinator for a non-profit in the city of Orange (where we live) and I work part time as an assistant manager at a local pizza joint. Most of the time that I am crafting I am ignoring some other chore that should be done or staying up way past my bedtime, but I love it, and it is my ME time, which is oh so important.

Find Marissa’s patterns on sewhooked!

Happy Quilting!