Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Ta Daaaaa!

It's finally time to reveal my finished plushies from the last post!


First up is my interpretation of the La Catrinas from Dia de los Muertos festivals. She's heading to the Starkweather Arts Center in Romeo, Michigan for a Day of the Dead show. The show will run October 7-29, and there are lots of amazing artists participating (I think the Plush Team may have a slight monopoly on the exhibit!), so if you're in the area, be sure to check it out!


La Catrina
la catrina
la catrina
I really enjoyed making this catrina, so I've cut out a few more and hope to put at least one in the Etsy shop soon.


I'm even more pleased with how my pieces for this year's Plush You! turned out. As I mentioned, I decided to continue with the fractured fairy tale theme I employed last year. I decided to take popular women characters and turn them into men instead. First up, we have Cinderfella, who of course couldn't even conceive of leaving the party before midnight, so he lost a slipper and his stagecoach turned back into just an ordinary, if rather large, pumpkin:


Cinderfella Plush loses his glass slipper
Cinderfella plush dollThis guy was a LOT of work. He has little glass slippers (made from vinyl), a gored, ribbon-trimmed doublet (that'd be his skirt), a wool jacket with fancy buttons, and a cotton eyelet ruff (collar).


I don't know what possessed me to make him a gored doublet (okay, yes I do—George R.R. Martin, I'm looking at YOU). Because I don't really make clothes. I've tried in the past to make clothes for myself and the results have been fairly disastrous. So making them even tinier? With no prior experience and no pattern? But thanks in large part to all things Game of Thrones, I just had to dress my little dudes in fancy medieval/Renaissance/Tudor costumes. On top of that, I've always been a jump-right-in-and-just-figure-it-out sort of gal. Luckily, things turned out well. For the most part. I did have to re-sew Cinderfella's and the next guy's coats, but that was only because I miscalculated measurements and they were too small the first time.


So anyway, a lot of work. But I'm so, so happy with the result.


Which brings us to Alex . . . in Wonderland. Alex in Wonderland plush doll
Alex in Wonderland close-up
Alex in Wonderland pantaloons As you can tell, he's not at all sure about this Wonderland place. But isn't he just adorable? I'm in love with his jaunty little outfit, right down to the adorable white rabbit buttons I found to fasten the sides of his knickers/pantaloons!


Last but not least, we have Sleeping Brawny.


Sleeping Brawny plush doll
Sleeping Brawny plush doll This guy is my favorite of the three. I think mostly because I love how his jacket turned out, and even on the first try! Also, his mustache is pretty great, no?


All three of these guys are packed up and ready to head to Seattle. Plush You! opens on October 13 this year, with an opening reception from 5:00 to 9:00 pm. Hope to see you there!


 



Monday, September 19, 2011

Works in Progress

I'm entering into my second busiest time of year (second only to the frenzied activities leading up to No Coast each year): Plush You!, Halloween, and Dia de los Muertos.


I've always wanted to participate in a Dia de los Muertos show, and this year I finally have the opportunity to do so.


I was inspired by the wodden la catrina dolls common in Day of the Dead festivities, and immediately started picturing elegant plush versions.


DSC01818
I've drawn out the pattern, and selected a few fabrics.


Once I got started, though, I couldn't stop thinking about Game of Thrones (I've been reading the books and watching the HBO series). In the books, the author is consistently mentioning women wearing dresses with dagged sleeves. So I knew I had to incorporate them into my catrina.


DSC01823 Ready to turn right side out. The dagged sleeves are sitting under her arms.


And the Game of Thrones influence didn't stop there. I've also been simultaneously working on my Plush You! pieces: three fractured fairy tale dudes, all dressed in costumes inspired by the books, the show, and my general love of tudor/renaissance/medieval period dramas. Here's a sneak peek of all them sewn up, but not turned right side out yet:


DSC01857


Can you guess any of their identities? Here's a few hints:


DSC01888


DSC01897


DSC01861

I'll show you all four finished pieces later this week, and we'll see how many of you accurately guessed my Plush You! pieces. :)