Final Iteration

Hello Fellow Bloggers

As you know, this is my final iteration for my plushies. My first preview of my process

The first thing I did was to make a sketch of my projected project. Although I am not doing this particular shape, I am using this as a reference of what I want to achieve.  What I did for my rough sketch was draw in pencil and then cut that it with scissors

After cutting them out with scissors, I then proceeded to cut the fabric according to the reference parts. I felt natural at this because it was easier to refer to from my second iterations. 

 After sewing both sides similar to my second iteration, I then proceeded on to stuffing it with fabric. One thing I did not do differently is stuffing enough fabric for it to be hard. I felt that in my second iteration, I did not stuff enough and therefore it became flimsy.

In an attempt to hide the open up fabric of both parts, I made a patch not only to hide the open fabric, but to provide an interesting attempt of detail behind it. The first thing I did was made a jean type pattern and then a purple type pattern on the front of the plush. Here are references below:

This is the back: Jean Fabric

This is the front: Purple patch

After an egregious time of sewing, I finally managed to sew all of the arms, legs and body with the exception of the head.

An early start to my process.

I then proceeded to attach all the parts on the body. What I did differently to attach is instead of sewing the parts on the outside, I sewed it on the inside of the body in an attempt to improve and work on my craft. I actually found this process difficult because I could not see where I was sewing and that I had a higher risk of making a messup.

This is halfway through my process.

Finally, completing my stitching of all four parts.

Now, onto the head. I actually found the head more difficult because the sewing of the eyes and nose required much careful sewing. Having thought of my process for my final iteration, the head was the most difficult to do in terms of how many components there are in one part of a plush.

Having attached all of the parts, I finally felt accomplished by finishing my iteration after eight to ten hours of endless sewing.

This is the shirt I used to make the purple stitch of the belly, hands and feet  and nose.

Now although I have finished the body, I felt that it's time to add some more personality to my plush. In this case, I am using fabric paint to add detail and to make better differentiation on the body parts (Note this was suggested by a student and I totally agreed with it).

 All Done yay.

Hey everyone,

This is going to be my second iteration on making my own plushies. As you can still see, I am still using the same material in order to get a hang of myself before I actually start the real deal.

To reflect on my process, i felt that it was actually more comfortable than before since I knew what to do. I have used the same method as last time, except that I tried to make my sewing much neater than the first. Some of the things I still struggle with in my sewing is trying to hide all the lines which makes it seem unprofessional if I were to work in a sewing factory. However, I am improving as the process goes along.

First, I had made the arms and legs of the plush. I used the same method of stitching similar to the previous iteration. What I had done differently however is to try and improve on my craft.

Now for the head, I used jean fabric to cut up four parts of fabric like leaf parts to make the head. What i did to sew them on was attaching two parts of fabric together and then the other two afterwards

Then what I did was attaching both parts together to make the head as seen below.

We need some more personality in this plush, so I bought some googly eyes from dressew. I find that these were a good fit by how they were easily sewable. However i decided to glue them on with superglue to avoid being flimsy.

Next, I bought some polyester stuffing to stuff my plushie. I find this an important component of making a plush by how it provides softness toward it. It certainly was better than using tissues by how the tissues had a rigid state while the stuffing has more control over it.

After sewing on the arms, legs and head. I then proceeded on gluing the eye.

What I did after that was to attach all the parts together to make a plush that would hopefully be standing. I find that this was the most time consuming part by how much stitching I had to do.

All done, generally an improvement over my last iteration

A bit camera shy eh? Well, stay tuned for the next iteration tomorrow.

1st Iteration

Hi Bloggers. This is my first time making a plush.

First:

I started off with materials I didn't need to use. In this case, I used an old pair of jeans from American Eagle and a sewing kit from my mom's.

But first, here is some inspiration for some of my plushies: Elmo from Sesame Street. I find him interesting by how clean the sew work is on every part of his body. I hope to achieve that or at least to in the process. 

Now that I've considered my intention of making my project, I went ahead to start cutting the fabric and using a single stitch technique (is it? I dunno, not an expert in sewing)

 After cutting the fabric, I then proceeded to fold them in half and stitch around the fabric leaving only one side open to put the stuffing: which was tissues

Now that all four sides were done, I went ahead with the body

 When I finished cutting, I then proceeded to sew the edges leaving the top and the bottom open

 I then proceeded to sew one side to hold it together. Again, I'm not pro at this

After that was done, I used tissue to stuff the fabric and then sew it together using the same method as with the legs of my original creation

 Now that it's almost done, I then proceeded with making the eye

All done!!

There you have it folks, my original creation of a plush. The total time this took me to finish it was around 4 hours of stitching back and forth and trying to find the needle. What I can take away from this experience is to use more advanced methods of sewing, to make my stiching more professional by trying to avoid exposing open fabric, and to use better materials. However, I am going to say that this was a test, as I plan to make my 2 other iterations more complex in terms of materials used, technique and craft.

Introduction

My name's Angus and i'll be undergoing the process of sewing my own plushies. I think that making my own plushies will provide me a challenge as I have never sewn before. Some things that inspired me to make my own creations is that I feel these inanimate objects are not only cute, but they also produce a sense of comfort by how soft it is. As a result, I will plan to make my plushies more sophisticated as time permits. First, i will do one without legs supporting it, the second one I will consider the use of a sewing machine and will use legs that stand and the last iteration will incorporate the techniques I learned myself, but will increase the size and complexity of materials used. My proposed timeline for this project is to get everything done until next Tuesday, but good thing I have done the first iteration today.

Moreover, it is time to discuss the sources used for my project. First, although I question that this would be an appropriate source, I find that this is a good source for the historical context of sewing. During the early ages of sewing, the tools used for sewing consisted of "animal bone and wood" while later used more durable materials such as "bronze and steel" (Askaroff). I find this information intriguing because makeshift tools were used in the process of sewing while I use metal sewing needles for my project. It shows how people had to make do with the given materials to sew; whereas I have access to more durable sewing materials which reduce annoyance and a sewing machine which makes the workload faster.

Askaroff, Alex. "A brief history of sewing threads". Home of the Sewalot Site. n.d. May 31 2014 http://www.sewalot.com/sewing_machine_threads.htm. Web.

Second, I find that this source is a useful source because it describes how the sewing machine has impacted tailors from across the world. The sewing machine was a product that was exorbitant in cost, but faster in processing of materials (Perkin). Some early designs of sewing machines included "lighter, smaller machines with ornate materials and fine wood" (Perkin). More information on this can be found here:

Perkin, Joan. "Sewing Machines: Liberation or  Drugery for women?. HistoryToday. 2002. June 1st 2014. http://www.historytoday.com/joan-perkin/sewing-machines-liberation-or-drudgery-women. Web.

More to come so stay tuned