17 questions with: Demiveemon

Feature time, everybody! This week, I bring you the wonderful work of Demiveemon aka Michelle. She put in quite a bit of effort into her answers, so read carefully and learn how she plushes the way she does. Newbies, pay special attention to the hints and tips section (question 4), because this lady will lay some XP on you! To see more of Michelle's work, you should stop by her gallery

demiveemon.deviantart.com/

or her Etsy store

etsy.com/shop/kleinDemi

1) How did you first get into making plushies?
 
I remember that my mom brought home some creme colored scrap fabric once. Since it was velour fabric, it was a wee bit furry and I decided that I wanted to make a floppy plush kitten, based on one I knew from a children's story I always adored. It failed miserably and afterwards there wasn't enough fabric left for a second try. Unwilling to throw the scraps away, I eventually began turning them into tiny animals, that I sold to the teachers at my school. They were very make-shift to say the least, poorly held together by stitches, loops of thread and sometimes even glue. Sometimes I would use markers to color the critters, which made them feel more or less.... well, inky.
 

Some time later I saw an official Pikachu plush in the toy store and thought that it was looking quite horrible, not at all like in the television show. I didn't know back then, that it was based on the original design and as such, was looking pretty much the same. Either way I was convinced that I could do better and it prompted me into wanting to make one myself, so I bought some fabric and made a life size one. Thinking back, it wasn't any different than those tiny critters. The pattern was really coarse and the intended shape was given afterwards with loops and stitches. looking at it from below would show some pretty messy stitching there...
Either way, being a perfectionist, those attempts awoke an interest to learn a bit more about plush making and sewing in general. When we got to pick some extra classes in school, I would go for plush sewing classes or similar if available.

2) Do you have any art-related plans for the future?
 
I hope to make a name for myself and my creations one day. Until then I'll keep plushing and see what happens.
3) How do you coordinate your making time with the rest of your life?
 
I feel most artistic and at ease in the evenings, after the everyday chores have been dealt with, so that's when I'll get started. Usually I'll work well into the small hours and resume again the next evening - until the plush is finished. Since I don't want to lose the joy of plushing, I only plush when I'm in the mood for it (unless it's a commission, then it becomes a top priority)

4) Any hints and tips you’d be willing to share?
 
Get to know the basics of sewing. I wasn't particular fond of textile class in the early years of school, but looking back, I'm ever so thankful that it was mandatory. Knowing the basics will help you plan your sewing-project better and avoid many of the pitfalls. It will give you a solid foundation to build on. If you didn't have textile class (or slept during it), Internet is a great place to look in. There are lots of sewing forums, tutorials and tips and tricks out there. Many fellow crafters are willing to answer general questions too, as long as it doesn't concern any of their trade secrets.

Never buy fabric over the Internet, unless the seller offer samples that you can get before hand. Photographing fabric is very difficult, so the color on the photo may look very different, from what you're actually getting. Another benefit from samples, is that you can see and feel the quality.
If you order from another country or over seas, you need to be wary of the shipping cost and customs that may add onto the price.
Tools that are nice to have:

 FrayCheck - This is a great product that stops your fabric from fraying along the edges. Depending on what you're making, leaving a sufficient seam allowance isn't always an option. FrayCheck secures the edges of the fabric, so that they can't unravel. The treated areas get a bit stiff, but the glue becomes invisible and is wash-proof. If it wasn't for FrayCheck, I wouldn't have been able to make the fins on my pufferfish the way I did.

Another cool product from the same brand is LiquidStitch. I wish I would have known about these two a lot earlier...

Gel-pens - A God sent when you need to transfer your pattern to the backing of your furry fabric. So much easier, than using crayon and textile markers. Make sure that the gel-pen doesn't bleed through the fabric though!
 
Pliers - Sometimes it can be very hard to get the needle through a particularly dense layer of fabrics. Do your hands a favor and keep a pair of pliers next to you. It's so much easier and you wont run the risk of damaging the ligaments in your hands and wrists.
 
Cutter and a cutting board - If you work with furry fabrics, the most effective (and least messy) way of cutting out pieces, is to place the fabric (fur down) on a cutting board and use a cutter. Don't forget to add seam allowance around the shapes and do not press too hard. You just want to cut through the backing layer of fabric, not the fur below. Oh, and speaking of fussy fabrics. Whenever it has been cut (for example at the store), make sure to remove any lose fur along the newly cut edges. that way you won't have loose fuss floating around everywhere, every time you handle your fabrics.

5) Or inspiring words for those just starting out?
If you have an idea, give it a try! If you fail miserably, try again! Don't view it as a failure, but as a learning curve. The experiences you've made will guide you towards better solutions and help you become aware of pit holes you may never have considered and dealt with otherwise.
Whenever I make a new plush, I start out making a felt prototype. Felt doesn't fray, you can draw on it with markers (good for making corrections to the pattern), it's easy to come by and it's cheap.

6) What do your family and friends think of your plushies?
 
They've always been very positive and supportive about my creations.
 
Special thanks goes to my mother, who has bought several of my plushies over the years and who always encourage me, that I shouldn't sell my work too cheaply. Also to my beloved and his family, who always offer their full support and even got together to give me an embroidery machine for my 30th birthday.

7) Do you like commissions and why?
 
With few exceptions, I'm always open for commissions on one of my earlier creations and enjoy doing them. I get to use one of my patterns again, which is nice, since I spend a lot of time developing them. Making a plush I'm already familiar with also makes it easier for me to estimate the time I'll need, how much it will cost and if the materials are still available to me. Living in Denmark, means that the available range of colors and qualities of fabrics suited for plushies is very limited, along with high prices and shipping costs.
 
Due to this I'm a lot more reserved when it comes to custom commissions A custom plush means a big investment of time and work for a pattern, that I'll probably only be able to use on that one occasion. It might also include custom materials, that will first need to be found and then bought. It's hard to make any estimates that hold true and pricing a custom plush is something of a gamble. It's hard to make it worthwhile, unless the commissioner is fine with the prospect, that the initially given price estimate might sky rocket, as the plush turns out to be more troublesome than originally thought...

8) Have you ever done any collaborations and if so, how was it?
 
Nothing plush related, no.

9) What scale do you prefer: making small or large things? Or somewhere in the middle?
 
I like making fairly small things, but it really depends on what kind of thing I'm making and what for. When it comes to plushies, I like to keep them small, as it's more practical. They take less materials, don't take a lot of space and are easier/cheaper to ship. On the other hand I fancy the idea of making a large mammoth plush someday. But I have no clue what I might need to reinforce it with, for it to be able to keep its pose and it would also be a rather impractical plush to have it sitting around somewhere. Tempting as it is, it will probably just remain a fun idea.

10) Do you have a theme that goes through all your work and if so, what is it?
 
Not really.


11) How important is the Internet in your work?
 
It's very important. The Internet is where I put my art and creations on display. Browse for information, materials, compare prices and it's how my customers get in touch with me.

12) What is your favourite cartoon? Why?
 
Hard to say. I've seen a few animes that I like to watch over and over, since they were so well made, but it's hard to pick one over all favorite. Maybe Digimon 02. Not so much for the quality, but because it played a big part in my life. Digimon introduced me to a thriving anime community in Germany and through it I made friends, some of which are still here with me today.

13) Favourite artists: dA and otherwise
 
LisaAP - A very talented plush maker, who makes the most gorgeous, and realistic looking animal plushes with close to invisible seams.

Avanii - A fellow European plush maker, who makes high quality and very charming forest animals.

KittenBlackUA - A talented artist, who specializes in needle felting lifelike dogs and cats, among other critters.

Mangakasan - An awesome artist and crafter with a keen eye for details. Traditional, digital, clay - You name it. She's tried it all and the results are always stunning!

14) Favourite ice cream flavour
 
You can never go wrong with traditional vanilla & cream. <3

15) Worst sewing injury
 
While I was working on Willy the pangolin plush, I had to put him on hold for two months. The strain, from assembling him, cutting out massive amounts of scales and stitching them in place, became too much for the ligaments in my hands and wrists, so I had to let them heal, before I could resume. All in all Willy took a half year to finish.

16) What is the best super power to have and why?
I've never given that question a thought before. Hm, if I could pick one, then I would want the ability to restore life. I would like us to be able to undo the damage humanity has done and is still doing to everything living on our planet.

17) Song that always makes you feel better?
That would be "Balto" from Xenogears. For me it represents joy of life and has never failed to lift my spirit when I'm feeling down.

Duck + Tweezers

Let's pretend it's Thursday!

Also, if you're vegan: LOOK AWAY NOW!

Last week was "Asian week" in Lidl. There were colourful dips and friable bits, coconut ice cream and unripe mangos. Of course, whenever there's a "special" week, people swarm down like locusts and consume the things I like. In this case a set of multi-use chopsticks. But plenty had been left over and I started browsing. Slowly, like a meet-cute in a romcom, I saw it: Duck! Asian Week Special! 2.99euros/kilo! I didn't give it a second thought. Into my basket the duck went and I happily skipped to my car, looking forward preparing this for the first time. Not once did I think about why it would be so cheap. Even chicken is more expensive, though far more common in these parts. No, no, I was in a duck-haze, floating on cloud duck, or really any other expression I can maul by using the word "duck" in it.

Came home, started browsing. Some recipes were simple: Pop duck in oven, bake 20 minutes per pound plus additional 20 minutes. Nah, that can't be right. It can't be that simple! If it were that simple it wouldn't be duck, it would be chicken! I found one I liked finally. It was fairly long and I followed the logic of "If it sucked, nobody would put this much time into it, so it must be good!" I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jessie Cross (aka TheHungryMouse) for the amazing roasted duck recipe. But more on that later.

I was about to find out why my duck had come to me so cheaply.

FEATHERS! EFFING FEATHERS EVERYWHERE!

property of http://fernbank.edu/

More precisely, quills. The long, fluffy bits of feather had been removed and the strong, sharp bases remained. I couldn't just shave the duck, like you would a pig (or so I hear), since the quills went about a centimetre or even more under the skin. That would make the skin kind of gross to eat, wouldn't it? Crunchy, but gross. I stared at them. Defiantly, they stared back. Should I throw it away? No, that would be wasteful. There aren't just kids starving in Africa, there are kids starving everywhere. We don't throw food away. Okay, okay, just breathe. I really wanted to ragequit this whole duck adventure. But the Scrooge in me would not let this bird go to waste. After a few futile attempts at removing the quills by hand, I decided that my tweezers would have to be sacrificed to the hairy duck gods. 

And so I set to work.

After three hours of this mind numbing work, I could swear the damn duck was alive and growing extra quills just to mess with me. The work was never-ending. Also, word of warning: If you happen to have severe trypophobia, this is not work for you. Especially around the tail. I have it mild, so I could just suck it up, but seriously, don't do this if you have a problem with holes.

My mum would occasionally stroll by, giggle unhelpfully, ask me why I don't just give up. I do not give up! I will not be bested by a dead duck! THIS IS WAR, WOMAN! Don't you see?!

Yeah, I get ridiculously intense about weird things.

After three hours, I was exhausted and cross-eyed from plucking. I had about enough quills that, had they been whole feathers, I could have stuffed a decent pillow. Here's some advice: If you, like I, fall for the cheap duck ploy and need to do your own bit of plucking, have a bowl of water close. It's much easier dunking the tweezers into water as a means of removing quills than trying to do it with your fingers.

Another two hours on the next day and my duck was now as smooth as a smooth duck should be. HungryMouse's recipe, though in theory simple, required a lot of time. Four and a half hours, to be exact. In the end: Worth it. It was everything it promised. Crispy skin, beautiful, tasty meat. And duck fat from the extra skin! Who knew you could do that. If you, like me, are not a native speaker, the process is called rendering. Here's a nice recipe on how to do it by TheBittenWord.

Waste not want not, right? I felt bad about wasting the duck innards, so after some searching, I came to Hank Shaw's page, Honest Food and found a recipe for dirty rice, a dish unknown to me until that point. It turned out amazingly well and I can suggest that, if you make this, you put in both the green and jalapeno peppers. Gizzards turned out not to be my thing - too firm and too chewy, but the rest: heart, liver and unidentified darker organ (I used the neck for soup), were simply delicious and went well with the texture of the rice. Turns out, my mum loves gizzards and here's why: She grew up in the country and whenever they were good, they would get gizzards as a prize! In those days, you weren't picky about your food and getting extra meat was next to being declared a saint.

And that is all! My duck was roasted and then decimated in two days, I still have some dirty rice and a cup of lovely duck fat, which people keep telling me I should use for roasting potatoes. Once again, tweezers save the day!

Until next time!

Love,
LaDIY Tasha

P.S: Did I mention I was humming the Ducktales theme song the entire time I was preparing this bird?

[Rant] Why "Cook, serve, delicious" should be mandatory

Imagine this: It's a hot summer's day, you're standing in line at the post office/bank, waiting to pay your bills. The air-conditioning is broken, and all you nice people, who just want to do your civic duty, are boiling and melting within your own skin. You lean sideways, to see how many people are in line before you and count them again. Hm... still 17. It's been 17 for a half hour now. What's the hold up? Once you reach the window, you figure it out. It's the person taking your money!

Has this ever happened to you? There's a person sitting there, staring at the screen to check your data, and then at the keyboard, awkwardly punching one key at a time with one finger of one hand. They do this at a speed which makes it seem as though they have only head stories of these mythical "keyboards" and have never used one for themselves. But! These are people who have years of experience under their respective belts. So how is this possible?

Part of it is probably due to being bored out of your skull, I won't deny that. The second reason, though, it would seem, is that they just can't be bothered to speed up their typing. They're suffering there, in their tiny booth, so why shouldn't you suffer with them?

It is inefficient, annoying and just plain mind-numbing for all parties involved. Here is what I propose: much like welders, various tellers should re-qualify every few months! They would need to be capable of doing quick and precise data entry in a somewhat stressful environment.

This is where Cook, serve, delicious (CSD) comes in. CSD is a brilliantly paced typing game. You are required to enter specific key combinations which correspond to the recipes that the patrons of your restaurant order. Sort of like entering account numbers.... See where I'm going with this. As you progress, the combinations become more complex and there are more impatient people to deal with.... like you would find in a line at the bank. Who ever claims this is a girly, mom-type game that middle aged people play during work hours has obviously never played CSD.

When re-qualifying, a teller would be given a day or two to prepare then when testing comes around, they would need to deal with a three star restaurant at 100% buzz. Buzz determines how often people stop by your restaurant and 100% would make for a constant flow of orders. I picked 3 stars because that is the furthest I've come in the game. It's right at the point where a novice like myself starts clenching her jaw because of the focus and speed required. I believe that for a veteran of keyboard-fu, this should require less effort than it does me.

Gamification has been popular for a while now. Giving anybody who was at least 7 when Pong came out should keep them more interested in the task more than a standard test would. On top of that, some folks have a nasty competitive streak and would just love the opportunity to outshine their coworkers/friends/mum. The game would provide the stress, the scoring and a curve-ball of random combinations, making tellers prepared for anything!

Now imagine a world where your papers and data and money are dealt with quickly and efficiently. Isn't it beautiful?

Until next Thursday!

LaDIY Tasha

P.S: Hey, I'm not picky, it can also be Typing of the dead!

Disclaimer: CSD is property of Vertigo Games, ToD is property of Sega (I think) and all the images from the games are theirs.