Hi there! I’ve been sewing for over 20 years, and making plushies since 2011. I loved making plushies so much, it became my full-time job in 2020.
The first sewing project I remember was helping my mom make Halloween costumes when I was 8 (I was a unicorn!). I grew up playing around on my mom and grandma’s sewing machines, but didn’t start “creating” on my own until I moved out and went to college. The first plush I ever made was a baby troll from Homestuck. The next few were also based on Homestuck characters- including the first plushie I made from a pattern I drafted myself. Next came My Little Pony, and then Flightrising, Steven Universe, some custom designs and fursonas… and it all snowballed from there!
When I first started sewing, I used a small $90 Singer sewing machine with a straight stitch, zigzag, and not much else. Next, I added a Brother PE 770 embroidery machine to my collection. Over time, my collection of machines has grown, and I’ve been able to justify getting myself fancier and more high-tech babies to play with. My current set up is a Husqvarna Viking Brilliance 80 (Bernard) for sewing and embroidery, A Viking Topaz 50 (Thomas) for embroidery, a Brother 1034D Serger (Samuel) , a Viking Emerald 118 (Emmett) for sewing rough-n-tough materials, and a Cricut Maker (Christopher) for cutting pieces out. For creating patterns, I use Inkscape, Blender and Scribus (and a LOT of scrap paper!). For embroidery, I draw the designs in Paint Tool Sai 2 and digitize them using Wilcom Hatch 2.
I also sometimes remember to post on social media!