Part 5: Sewing
-Beginnings-
For as long as I can remember, I've loved plushies. I've always liked animals and wanted a pet but was never able to get one, so I started collecting the next best thing. They're so cute and soft, and I say you're never too old for them!
Anyway, ever since I was a little girl I wanted to make my own plushies so I could have some of my own characters. But even though my mom and dad both know how to hand-sew, I never thought to ask them to teach me. Then in late 2014 I'd been talking to someone who made hand-sewn plushies, and she taught me how to make one! We made my first handmade plushie together, and shortly after that I decided to try making some on my own.
Christmas Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu plushies, the first ones I made on my own (2014)
My sewing and pattern-making skills weren't very good at first, so my first few plushies didn't have much shape and were fragile.
-Learning New Skills-
For the first few months after making my first three plushies on my own, I practiced my hand-sewing by making some from free patterns I found online. Then in early 2015 I attempted making my first pattern for a "3-D" plush and also tried new techniques.
My white Hero Chaos Chao, Chaorro, from Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. My first attempt at a "3-D" plush from an original pattern (2015)
I kept trying, learning, and improving and eventually my plushies became better-shaped and less fragile. At first I only used felt, but over time I started to experiment with fleece, faux fur, and minky.
Remake of my first Chaorro plush (2016)
Beanbag Eevee plush (2016)
A plushie of my original species Phoson and the last one I sewed by hand (2017)
-Sharpening My Skills-
In 2017 I got my first sewing machine and made my first machine-sewn plushies. I had to learn how to use the sewing machine so at first I had some trouble, but eventually I got the hang of it.
Two plush puppies and my first ones sewn by machine (2017)
Eevee plush (2017)
I also began to try making a few things other than plushies, like this Advent calendar.
Advent calendar (2017)
-Where I Am Now-
How am I doing with my sewing now? Well, I can say I've certainly learned a lot and I'm definitely better than I used to be. However, I'm still no expert, and I'm still learning more and more about sewing and pattern-making.
Even though the reason I wanted to learn to make plushies in the first place was so I could make some of my original characters, I haven't made many of my characters due to the difficulty of pattern-making and finding the right fabrics. Even so, I've made many plushies so far, given some away, and even sold a few! It's been a lot of fun, and I'll continue working on improving. Someday I'm sure I'll be able to make more plushies of my characters!
-Beginnings-
For as long as I can remember, I've loved plushies. I've always liked animals and wanted a pet but was never able to get one, so I started collecting the next best thing. They're so cute and soft, and I say you're never too old for them!
Anyway, ever since I was a little girl I wanted to make my own plushies so I could have some of my own characters. But even though my mom and dad both know how to hand-sew, I never thought to ask them to teach me. Then in late 2014 I'd been talking to someone who made hand-sewn plushies, and she taught me how to make one! We made my first handmade plushie together, and shortly after that I decided to try making some on my own.
Christmas Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu plushies, the first ones I made on my own (2014)
My sewing and pattern-making skills weren't very good at first, so my first few plushies didn't have much shape and were fragile.
-Learning New Skills-
For the first few months after making my first three plushies on my own, I practiced my hand-sewing by making some from free patterns I found online. Then in early 2015 I attempted making my first pattern for a "3-D" plush and also tried new techniques.
My white Hero Chaos Chao, Chaorro, from Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. My first attempt at a "3-D" plush from an original pattern (2015)
I kept trying, learning, and improving and eventually my plushies became better-shaped and less fragile. At first I only used felt, but over time I started to experiment with fleece, faux fur, and minky.
Remake of my first Chaorro plush (2016)
Beanbag Eevee plush (2016)
A plushie of my original species Phoson and the last one I sewed by hand (2017)
-Sharpening My Skills-
In 2017 I got my first sewing machine and made my first machine-sewn plushies. I had to learn how to use the sewing machine so at first I had some trouble, but eventually I got the hang of it.
Two plush puppies and my first ones sewn by machine (2017)
Eevee plush (2017)
I also began to try making a few things other than plushies, like this Advent calendar.
Advent calendar (2017)
-Where I Am Now-
How am I doing with my sewing now? Well, I can say I've certainly learned a lot and I'm definitely better than I used to be. However, I'm still no expert, and I'm still learning more and more about sewing and pattern-making.
Even though the reason I wanted to learn to make plushies in the first place was so I could make some of my original characters, I haven't made many of my characters due to the difficulty of pattern-making and finding the right fabrics. Even so, I've made many plushies so far, given some away, and even sold a few! It's been a lot of fun, and I'll continue working on improving. Someday I'm sure I'll be able to make more plushies of my characters!
- Next entry in the series 'My Creative Journeys': My Creative Journeys Part 6: Other Hobbies
- Previous entry in the series 'My Creative Journeys': My Creative Journeys Part 4: Writing
