Dunkleosteus: a big, old fish.

(well, first i said “what is that?!” and he told me it was a giant dinosaur fish thing.)

At first, I was worried. Those teeth, all the layers of bone, all the details and hard edges… what if I couldn’t do it? But it was one of those moments where, as soon as I stopped thinking about it, I could see it perfectly in my head. It’s a plush, right? I can do plush. At that point I gave myself a pep talk, rushed to Joann’s, snagged a ton of gray fleece, and got to work.

This was one of the most complex plush I’ve ever made: he’s got side flippers, a top fin, little tail fins. With all the “bone”/exoskeleton layers, the back of his body is three layers of fleece. And then there are those teeth! Man, those were tricky. Symmetry is always a challenge.

He took longer than expected, because there was a lot of pattern drafting to be done. But I think he was worth the wait. Wanna see?

I just love his goofy smile, and the fleece, as always, is just so soft. I also finally broke into the ultimate safety eye stash that I’ve been hoarding for a few years now – it sure is handy to have some of every safety eye lying around!

I just love doing custom plush. It’s always a scary challenge, but they usually come out alright, and that just feels so good! Do you like it?

prehistoric plush: dunkleosteus is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

This is the first time I’ve ever had my work featured in a real gallery. Heck, this is the first time someone has referred to my plush as art! But I like being thought of as an artist, and I definitely like being able to put my creations in an open space for all to see.

SPACES gallery is a small contemporary art gallery located in Cleveland’s West Side. It’s definitely an interesting place. They tend to focus on unusual, highly modern, and highly interpretive forms of art, and even with this untraditional viewpoint they’re one of the most highly respected galleries in Cleveland.

There I was, little Sam, walking into a small art gallery with creaky wood floors and white walls bedecked with paintings. I turned the corner into the next room, and there they were– my whales and jellyfish suspended from the ceiling, floating against the bright white wall. It’s impossible to describe the wonder of the feeling. These are my creations, my pride and joy, put on display for everyone to see and marvel at and respect. Quite simply, I was overjoyed.

photo by Brenton Pahl for SPACES gallery

photo by Jerry Mann for SPACES gallery

photo by Jerry Mann for SPACES gallery

I’ve never truly considered myself an artist. I’m a maker, a doer, a creator; but not an artist. It’s the engineering side of me, the practicality, that tells me to make things that people will use or hug or give, not things that people just look at. But to be told that I make things that are nice enough to be just looked at? That’s incredible! And the fact that I got to show my work next to the work of some ridiculously talented plush artists? What a privilege.

So I understand, now, where artists come from. They want to see and be seen; they want to impact the world from inside the minds of the people. They want to make a difference just like anyone else. And I completely realize that there isn’t anything earth-shattering or symbolic about my adventurous whales… but all the same, I hope my art brought a few extra smiles to the world.

(this exhibit ran from November 9, 2010 to January 21, 2011. but i’m sure they wanted to keep the little guys there forever!)

get stuffed! SPACES art gallery exhibition is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

For Christmas*, she decided a plush beastie would be the absolute perfect gift for her friend. Of course, I was absolutely flattered to be chosen for the challenge.

She sent me a few scanned doodles, along with his preferred color: gray with pink and yellow accents. I spent a few weeks hunting down the most perfectly soft fur I could find, and then it was sewing time.

From the tips of his stripey horns to the bottom of his soft belly, it sure was hard to let him go! I’d forgotten how much I absolutely love fleece applique, how fun it is to sew on little details and make sure everything is exactly perfect. I hadn’t done anything of the sort since Bloo, or the goomba before him. I’d forgotten that, even though I can’t draw, I can make anything as long as I’ve got some scissors. This was a great stretching project for me, a great creative exercise.

But of course, above all, it felt so good to be able to give these friends a real, soft, huggable beastie.

*side note… she asked me to start on a Christmas present in september! so awesome! it’s nice to know there are people in the world who know how long things can take :)

the beastie! is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

And now I can tell you all about what the little vinyl circles, and the blue polar fleece “mustache”, and the surprises were all about! I was asked to send along a few pieces to be part of a gallery show, “Get Stuffed“, at SPACES gallery in downtown Cleveland!

Of course, I sent over a Narwhal. But I wanted to take this opportunity to make something really awesome and unique… so I came up with some Adventurous Whales.

Adventurous Whales – Friendly Seas

Adventurous Whales – Friendly Skies

They’re both made from polar fleece for the main body, with vinyl and pleather accents and appliques. They each have pleather bellies. I couldn’t have done this without my trusty teflon foot… sewing all that vinyl is tricky! It’s especially hard to work with since it manages to be both slippery and sticky, plus once you’ve poked a hole in it you can’t change your mind!

I’m very happy with how they turned out, and I’m still brainstorming more “adventurous whales” for the future! With only a week to work on it, I had to stick to two (and even that was a lot!). The gallery opened last night, but I haven’t been over yet to see how they look with all the other plush. It’s definitely good to sew something super unique every once in awhile… something that makes you say, “well, that’s awesome, but i’m never making another one of those!”

p.s. can you find the mustache?

adventurous whales is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

In the meantime, here are some of my goofy “in-progress, super-secret” shots.

Hints:

1. a royal blue mustache
2. lots of painstakingly perfect vinyl applique
3. a couple black plastic safety eyes
4. three-quarters of a bag of fiberfill
5. major feeling of accomplishment

   

   (i don’t even know.)

   

   p.s. …notice anything new?

super secret surprises is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

Here is a turtle, wearing a party hat.

Because, after seeing this picture of the incredibly festive turtle party, how could I not make a turtle?

His party is a bit more low key. But he sure loves his pink party hat.

And yes, this is my much-needed creative space this week.

turtle party time is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

Cactus had been looking a bit peckish for awhile, but I kept hope that it was just having a dormant winter. But on Wednesday, its head popped off. Goodbye, Cactus.

My room and my heart are feeling rather empty, so I was compelled to make a memorial version of my beloved Cactus.

Much less alive and much more cuddly, the presence of Plush Cactus is slowly healing the prickly hole in my heart.

in memoriam is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

On Monday, I sent off a total of six narwhals for one group of people… that’s a record! It was a bit stressful to do so many at once while keeping up with work and such, but knowing that there are six more people in the world who have something I made in their house? That’s an awesome feeling. It’s so worth it.

It’s that feeling, the feeling of being appreciated, that makes crafting worthwhile. I can’t encourage it enough – buy handmade. When you buy handmade, you are paying people to do what they love. And people who do what they love are happy, and happy people tend to spread happy. So spread the happy, my friends.

Okay, enough of my sappiness. In other news, I’m heading to a craft show! It’s not a huge ordeal, just a little show with an indie boutique (salty not sweet) that opened a few miles away. It’s my first show ever, so I’m glad that it’s small, especially since I’m working out of my dorm room at the moment…

It’s tomorrow, 12-8pm, so if you happen to be in the Cleveland area you should stop by and say hello!

narwhals and news is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog