Hi, I’m Meris. Welcome to my blog!

Here you will find an account of my learning to sew and knit for the past 7 years. The projects can be split into two broad categories, cosplay and everyday apparel.

I adopted the Fabric Alchemist moniker back in 2012, following the lead of other cosplayers. The name was inspired by my third binge-marathon of Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood. In the middle of the anime marathon, I realized that the process of sewing was similar to how alchemy is described in the series, the art/science of transmuting a material into a new form. My blog and cosplay identity reflect both my creative tendencies and my geeky soul.

Join me as I level up my sewing skills and find ways to wear my geekiness on my sleeve.

Who am I?

I could provide a litany of labels (geek, nerd, feminist, INFJ, environmentalist, hapa, etc.) or I could write a narrative of the past 30+ years. Instead, here are a few random things (in no particular order) worth knowing about me:

I have worked as a historical archaeologist, museum program coordinator, and event manager.
I enjoy birding (especially ducks!)
I own a cat, who loves to provide input (read: fur) on my sewing.
We just got a puppy, who likes to chew fabric and that has me worried.
I spent hours watching the Star Trek screen saver on our first color-screen Macintosh computer
My dad read the opening scroll every time we watched Star Wars together
My dad also read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings to me multiple times
My mom taught me to sew and draw
My grandma (and YouTube) taught me to knit