Figuring Out A Plush Pattern And Making It

Good day, all.

With the dawn of the deadline for the N&S project creeping at a concerning rate, I have become busier than ever before. However, at the same time, for whatever reason I feel an odd sense of calm.. Not sure if I'm actually not stressed or am I that stressed that my brain has put me under this trance/false sense of security to protect itself? Could also just be the calm before the storm but for my own sake, hopefully not.

This post won't be too long as I will only be covering my process of creating the plush. There isn't much of a process as most of it was just me winging it to be honest, the only thing I really thought through was the base of the plush as well as the craters scattered around it. Before I start getting into the process I would just like to note that I have never sewn anything before, only ever done some embroidery but that was nothing compared to the nightmare that was sewing, haha. I'd say for a first time - the end result is not too bad but it can always be better. I suppose the fabric used didn't really help out my case either as it is very delicate and fragile, most time the ends would come loose and the fabric would start falling apart, making me have to leave the ends exposed as opposed to stitching in a way that would make them be less visible. Another thing - I am not too familiar with the terminology associated with sewing so some terms may not make too much sense, so bear with me!

Without further ado, here is the semi-finished plush!

I say semi-finished as at the point of writing this I still have not attached the little bulbs to the threads which come out of the crater. However, I have figured out a way on how to do it - by cutting up some sponges so that they would be at least a bit spherical, then dipping them in latex a few times so that it would form a sturdy latex shell, sprinkling it with some talcum powder and making it stop being sticky.

The first part consisted of figuring out the separate pieces of the plush and how they would conjoin with one another. This is where I was able to use some of my Pepakura knowledge to make a pattern that would work out in the end. For those unfamiliar with the term - Pepakura is the craft of making paper models. I have never created a single pattern but in my years I was able to create a few models using patterns which I downloaded off of the internet, one of which I was able to turn into a planter using the paper model, paper mache and some plaster of paris! Sadly, I don't have a picture of it right now. But back to the current project.. I think overall I did a good job figuring out how I should go about it but in retrospect, I could've edited some bits so that it would not look as awkward in some areas as it does right now, most notably - the craters, specifically - the rings that connect the crater to the ball.

The size of the crater was quite honestly perfect for the concept, only a single finger fits into it so it will be quite the struggle to pull the bulbs out of it, which is very reminiscent of what it's like to do that in real life - sometimes it takes more than one pick, but when you start, you simply cannot stop until it's out. Then you move towards the other pore, then the other, then another one, and another one, and another one, all until you're satisfied or can't take the pain anymore.

Next was the shell itself and it was very tedious of a task as I had to think how to apply the craters in a way that it would not be hard to reach/attach the following one. Generally I think I handled it quite well, but there were some points where I felt like setting fire to the orb. 

Next came the face itself and that was also quite difficult, especially because I did not sketch any of the pieces out and fully winged it. the only thing I did make a quick pattern for was the nose and even then it was just so that I would have at least some power over how big it would end up being. However, I made a small oopsie and ended up making a rabbit snout instead of a human nose. Though, it doesn't really bother me to be honest, I think it looks even better that way, a lot more stylistic. A bit contradictory to my initial idea as I wanted to make it resemble my face, but I really don't think it's that big of an issue, besides, the way the face turned out is kind of what I see myself as at some points, usually once I have shaven my facial hair.

And finally, last night, I was able to stuff it and seal it off fully! In hindsight, I wish I had planned out where I would be finishing it off. I made the face section last and it is the last wall that I needed to attached to the ball itself, therefore the closing is on the right side of it and it looks rather rough around the edges, next time I think doing it on the very back on the plush would be a much better shout.

But! Alas! It is finished nonetheless! The pores pull out and are possible to push in, the face turned out rather well and it goes so well with the interior of the box somehow. The colour of the fabric compliments the maroon/burgundy latex well.

It would probably be smartest to do the zine a similar colour and limit the overall project palette to Brown/Burgundy/Yellow/Beige. I'm so glad I managed to finish at least 1/3rd of the box's objects, will have to pummel some more in order to finish the rest, but I feel like the plush was the one that required the most time and effort and the rest are rather simple in comparison and have a sort of foundation that I can work off of already. Feeling ok but honestly not too confident just yet. Hopefully the tutorial tomorrow will help fix that. So excited to finish this finally!

UPDATE 04:47 (12/03/2021) - I have finished the bulbs!

And with that, I shall end the post! I know I said it would be short but trust me, the images sure did add to the length of it, it's really not that long, haha. If you made it till here, thank you for reading up! I imagine most of you come from Instagram anyways but in the odd chance that you stumbled upon this blog through google, I'd recommend following me on Instagram to be up to date with my progress as I make live updates on there! Thank you once more and I am excited to be back to show off the final product in a week's time! Until next time.