Sew Good!

hi! where do you buy the fabric you use for your plushes (more specifically, the sylveon plush you sold to little-ninfia)?

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:12:00 -0600

the fabric i used for that plush is called minky, and i just made a new page explaining all about the fabrics i use and where i get them here because i’ve been getting this question a lot lately ;)

(the top part is me talking in depth about my fabric sources, and underneath is just a list of all the fabric sources if you don’t want to bother reading about them ;))

Do you know/have any favorite plush-making tumblrs? I looooove plushes, even just photos and yours are so wonderful and inspiring, I was wondering if you knew more blogs like yours?

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:29:00 -0600

oh anon, cries into hands, i am SO TERRIBLE at networking and stuff like that. i can think of like… two or three plush artists off the top of my head and i only know the tumblr of one of them. idk why i’m so bad at this, maybe in the back of my mind i’m kind of like “well, i’ve reached a point in my plush making that i like what i do, now i need to get that way with my art” and then i just follow a million drawing-type art blogs. because really, when it comes to drawing well i’m like… question marks flying out of my head. BUT THAT’S A TERRIBLE WAY TO BE i really need to follow more plush blogs. so i kind of poked around, and here are all the blogs that i found that i do look at from time to time and go “wow dang it” but then i don’t remember who they are or anything. (a lot of them are MLP blogs)

thehauntedneedle (otherwise known as babylondonstar) (her plush are crazy inspiring cries into hands some more)

bubblerhapsody

plushplushtree

xsystemcrafts (they like wartortles too high five!)

loveandasandwich

missmonstermel

magnastorm (deviantart)

(i’m just gonna edit this as i think of people b/c I KNOW I FORGOT SO MANY PEOPLE ;__;)

and there’s one blog in particular that i can’t for the life of me remember what it is, but i know she makes way rad like… people plush, and they’re rather large, and they’ve got kind of long noodly arms and legs so if you KNOW WHO I’M TLAKING ABOUT LET ME KNOW.

and i know there are SO MANY plush artists i’m leaving out, probably a lot of which i’ve TALKED TO AT LENGTH BEFORE keeps crying into hands so like… let me know of any other plush blogs you know of?? or if you are a plush blog??

i think one other reason why i don’t follow a lot of them is that there aren’t a lot of solid plush blogs. i’ve noticed a lot of plush artists just have one blog for everything (which is totally cool keep doing your thing) but a lot of times i like following just art blogs more, especially when i’m like “I LOVE YOUR STUFF” but then the stuff they reblog is stuff i don’t like so i just tell myself i’ll check up on their art tag every once in a while and i forget forever or something. and then i end up following more 2D type art blogs because there are a lot more of those than there are plush blogs.

so long story short:

check out those guys they are great
if you are a plush blog or know any other good ones let me know!
i wish THERE WAS AN OFFICIAL PLUSH TAG like there is an illustration tag like wow how nice would that be?
especially let me know of any *just* plush blogs you might know of, or link me to the plush tag on your/their blog, sometimes those are hard to find cries
i like you all ur gr8.

actually i think i’m eventually going to stick this list as a page on my blog and just keep adding to it, partly to help myself keep track of plush artists and also for everyone else’s reference (of course)

Aww all the new plushes are gorgeous! <3 How did you make the jolly monster mane though, that looks really hard! It looks to have a bumpy shape I guess, but I don't understand how to draft a pattern for that? Thank you! ;u;

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:39:24 -0600

oh thank you! :>

and the trick to making lumpy hair like that is really the fabric, i made sure to get some really thick fuzzy stuff. usually i really hate working with that stuff, but with stuff like this it’s fine because i don’t need to get that detailed with it.

basically all the pieces look something like this:

(ignore the fox showing through on the back, i’m being really low tech today and drawing on scraps and using photobooth haha)

so the biggest piece is the main back of the head piece. i sewed the spiky parts and left the rest of it open,and hand sewed it to the back of the head, then i sewed the smaller parts you see (2 or three of each) and i lumped some together for the bangs, and then made kind of sideburns and some extra pieces on the back of the head. then i stuffed the main back of the head part a little, and did a bunch of random stitches in it, making sure to pull them all tight so it looked dimpley. it’s definitely not a very exact process, and it really goes more into the realms of sculpting and less making an actual pattern/plan.

hope that makes sense! ;)

here is lakotawolf’s character lakota! kinda reminds me...

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:58:43 -0600

here is lakotawolf’s character lakota!

kinda reminds me of a german shepherd :>

Sew Good!: also i have one other plush to post but the pictures turned out prETTY...

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:52:00 -0600

Sew Good!: also i have one other plush to post but the pictures turned out prETTY...:

mackaroon:

sewgoods:

also i have one other plush to post but the pictures turned out prETTY AWFUL and idk there are rumors that if you make a photoset and then edit it it also edits all the posts that were reblogged, but i just did that to a photoset and checked it and it seems like they didn’t change

and i don’t…

omg this is like the equivalent of releasing those pokemon silohettes and then waiting to reveal them

EXCEPT IT’S PERSONAL. I actually can’t wait for tomorrow now I’m so excited. This looks amazing even this little itty bit. I AM SO EXCITED OK

Also how you managed to finish this fast is BEYOND ME OK. I was sitting here thinking today like hm I wonder if the material is in already or hm I wonder if the pattern is being made AND INSTEAD YOU JUST FINISHED?? ALL OF IT?????

BEYOND ME WOW

haha hey i’m not kidding when i say this is a full time job! (do i say that i forget)

but yeah i work at least 40 hours a week on plush ^^ i always kind of let them build up a bit before posting pictures, a. because that means less trips to the post office and b. i don’t want people thinking i’m rushing their plush when i’m finished like… two days after i open commissions XD

PICTURES ARE UP NOW THO enjoy :>

OK HERE ARE THE PICS haha this is pepino, mackaroon’s...

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:49:19 -0600

OK HERE ARE THE PICS haha

this is pepino, mackaroon’s cutie jolly monster :>

that pink is still lava hot, somehow it’s just as bad to photograph as black. and all these pictures have the saturation turned DOWN a bit haha.

also i have one other plush to post but the pictures turned out prETTY AWFUL and idk there are...

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:01:57 -0600

also i have one other plush to post but the pictures turned out prETTY AWFUL and idk there are rumors that if you make a photoset and then edit it it also edits all the posts that were reblogged, but i just did that to a photoset and checked it and it seems like they didn’t change

and i don’t want people to be stuck with a crappy photoset on their blogs with awful too-saturated colors that look like instagram or something when tomorrow i’ll have a better version ugh.

BUT I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH NOTHIN, MACKAROON so

i mean look at those pinks my eyes are bleeding, thnx a lot camera.

i think this one and the horse one were the best ones, but i’ll probably re-watch the...

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:42:23 -0600

i think this one and the horse one were the best ones, but i’ll probably re-watch the episode to see if there are any others i could use

i was kinda hoping the “channing” and the “i’m ready for you”...

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:38:53 -0600

i was kinda hoping the “channing” and the “i’m ready for you” would all be in the same frame with the guy on a horse, but i take what i can get.

screenshotting while i’m trying to figure out this gif thing.

everyone was all into these pokemon fusion things, especially...

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:27:03 -0600

everyone was all into these pokemon fusion things, especially fusing cubone with things, so i make my own, plush style:

leetle heatmor dude

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:23:17 -0600

leetle heatmor dude

Plush of itsgrindtime’s cutie character Draggin

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:21:00 -0600

Plush of itsgrindtime’s cutie character Draggin

skulspliter replied to your post: hey who knows a free way to make gifs out of a downloaded video?...

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:19:19 -0600

skulspliter replied to your post: hey who knows a free way to make gifs out of a downloaded video?
you can use Photoshop CS6 to import video and make gifs, might want to use a program like windows movie maker or something to split the video into smaller bits tho @3@ so..you have less to load..

:< i don’t have photoshop. i want to get it eventually, but i already used up my trial, and i used my very last day of the trial to make this gif:

a work of art, i know. :’)

mackaroon answered your question: hey who knows a free way to make gifs out of a downloaded video?

hahahaah what a hilarious situation! I don’t know anything about gifs though but I hope you find an answer and then post funny gifs here yes

hey thanks! if i manage to make some i will definitely post them here. and probably use them to refer to myself so much that they get annoying haha

sweetkumiho answered your question: hey who knows a free way to make gifs out of a downloaded video?

imgflip.com/gifgene…

idk if that’s gonna post white or what, my replies wacked out.

but i’ve never used that website before, i’ll see if i can get it to work! thanks! :>

hey who knows a free way to make gifs out of a downloaded video?

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:59:32 -0600

i only ask because there was an episode of psych recently where the victim’s name was channing and there are a lot of great quotes i could use to my advantage, one of which was a hot shirtless guy on a horse saying something to the effect of “mrs. channing, i need you with me” or something i don’t remember exactly what he said.

but yeah they said my name a thousand times and it was funny and also who doesn’t want a bunch of gifs that they can use to refer to themselves?

also i’m asking on here because more people follow me on this blog. i will pay you back by posting a bunch of plush pictures in a bit.

Hi Channing! :) I have a sewing tip Tuesday question! (Well 2 really!) You've made a lot of spiffy dogs recently (Daisy, Madison, Palette) and I was wondering it their head a normal 4 piece sphere w/ muzzle or do they have gussets too or something? I can't get my head around trying to draft a pattern for one! Also, when you sew on ears, do you put them into the head piece seams and sew them in, or do you hand sew them to the completed head? Thank you!! :D

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:08:07 -0600

i went over heads a couple weeks ago, here’s the link: http://sewgoods.tumblr.com/post/49856768481

Daisy i made with just a teddy bear style head, with just the two side pieces and the gusset, and then madison and palette i made a kind of hybrid style, with each side of the head being two pieces, but also with a gusset. (i use that style when i want the sides of the head to be more rounded than just a teddy bear style, but i still want the head to be long like a dog instead of round)

i kind of drew out a picture of how i would draft that pattern in the link, but if there’s something about that that still doesn’t make sense, let me know and i’ll try to clarify ;)

and with ears i always just sew them onto the completed head, mostly because i don’t ever plan ahead enough to make a pattern for the ear before i start sewing the whole thing, and usually make them as an after thought XD it would probably be best if i started drafting patterns with seams that i can stick ears into because it sure is a lot easier! for some reason ears and tails are my least favorite things to do and i always put them off for as long as i can :B

linaevelovesyou replied to your post: Hi!! I was wondering, do you think felt is an okay… To...

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:50:28 -0600

linaevelovesyou replied to your post: Hi!! I was wondering, do you think felt is an okay…

To practice plush-making I would get cheap polar fleece remnants from a local fabric store. The cost is nominal but the plushies turn out relatively nice, I find that it’s a good beginner material to work with.

i second this! polar fleece is great if you eventually want to get into bigger plush/minky plush.

Just wondering, is the quality of theminkyboutique's smooth minky up to scratch? It's pretty cheap at only $13.90 per/yard (or really $11.90 with the sale) Thanks! :)

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:05:05 -0600

definitely! i’m pretty sure all the stuff you can get online is good (except you can’t be sure on etsy and stuff like that)

the only time i’m wary about prices is with stores in real life. usually the good stuff is high priced, and found in little quilt shops and stuff, and the lower quality stuff is in bigger stores like joanns. (i think i’ve found good minky at hancock though so not all bigger stores are bad)

but yeah you’re pretty safe buying it on the internet ;)

Hi!! I was wondering, do you think felt is an okay material to try and make plush with? I have no experience with making plush and I just bought a couple small sheets to practice with. If you have any experience working with it, any tips would be great! Thanks in advance!

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:03:07 -0600

the only problem with felt is that it’s pretty stiff. anything you make won’t really round out that much when you stuff it like minky and polarfleece do, since those two are stretchy and felt is not. so anything you make will have to be pretty structured to make sure you get what you want.

it’s ok for miniature/small things, not as great for bigger things, basically ^^

ok so i was saving this to do an answer with pictures, but...

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:13:18 -0600

ok so i was saving this to do an answer with pictures, but i’m afraid if i wait any longer i’m just going to forget it.

SO i hope this will suffice!

this could mean a couple different things, but i’m going to assume you mean sewing a cylinder type shape. if you’re having trouble pinning a rectangle type of thing around a circle because it gets bunchy and doesn’t seem to fit around the circle quite right, your main problem might be that the circumference of the circle is longer/shorter than the length of the fabric you’re sewing around it.

now forgive me, you get a math lesson. i’ve actually found more and more than if you want to have a well-fitting pattern, there really is a bunch of math involved ^^:

so here is a perfect instance of practical application of all of those pi and circumference formulas. here’s a refresher course if you don’t know them by heart (nobody does)

so to get the circumference of a circle (this is if you have a circle piece and you need to make an outside piece that fits it), c=2(pi)r, r being the radius, or in other words, from the center point of the circle out to the edge. A cheater/easy way to find this length is to fold the circle into quarters, and the straight edge is the radius. So say the radius is 3 inches (which would mean the diameter, or all the way across the circle, is 6) you have the equation C=2(pi)3, put that in your calculator, and you find that the length of the fabric that’s going to go around your circle needs to be 18.849555921…. or to round it off, 18.9 inches. you could even just make it a tiny bit less than 19 inches, you don’t need to be THAT exact. so if you make the fabric that’s going around the 6 inch across circle 19 inches, and you pin it, it shouldn’t be wrinkly, it should fit just right (so long as you account for seam allowance and all that jazz.

NOW if you have a fixed piece of fabric that you need a circle to fit into, you’re basically using the opposite equation, which is c/2(pi)=r

if your circunference is 18.9, then the equation is 18.9/2(pi)=r (you’re going to want to solve 2(pi) in your calculator, which is about 6.283, and then do 18.9/6.283 in your calculator to get your radius or you’ll get funny things) and then the radius you get is 3.008, which is almost exactly three.

and to draft a circle that has a radius of 3, you can draw a point, adn then measure out three inches radiating out of it (see that’s why it’s called a radius!) kind of like the spokes of a bike, until you have enough points that you can kind of connect the dots and make a circle.

THAT’S how you get a circle piece that fits your pattern exactly.

(you could also go by diameter, and the equations for that is c=(pi)d, and c/(pi)=d. which is probably easier, and then you can divide your diameter by two to get your radius, which is easier to use to draft patterns with in my personal opinion. it’s probably generally a lot less messy to use the diameter, sorry i used the radius in my examples XD)

ok now if you have a circle and you have fabric to wrap around it and they don’t quite fit but neither piece is negotiable, what i usually do is i find the center front and center back of both pieces, and pin those points. then i go to the center between those points on either side and then pin that. and then i keep going into the center of two pins and pin that. they still won’t fit quite right, there’ll still be some bunching, but this way it’s evenly spread out, so you don’t have one or two spots with giant clumps of fabric.

oh, and to that anon, it also helps to google bulldog plush or something like that and see if you...

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:09:45 -0600

oh, and to that anon, it also helps to google bulldog plush or something like that and see if you can pick out how other people have make that shape of head to kind of give you a starting point on your pattern. i do that a whole lot ^^