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~soda-lite
Big squishy collie in charge of sewing big squishy plushies.
Mid 20s, He/him
Hobbyist maker of hand-made custom kigurumi and inconveniently enormous plush for the better part of a decade, operator of my "Paradise Patternworks" custom kigurumi project from 2020. Draftsman of from-scratch sewing patterns and embroidery art. Fan of soft, toony critters and all their curves and edges. Collector of obsolete electronics and vintage computers, superfan of Sega's classic arcade racers, builder and enthusiast of PCs and junky import cars, clinger-on to physical media. Often caught idly rambling on for paragraphs with a torrent of debatably useful factoids on topics he's passionate about.
WIP photos on plushmaking and machine embroidering can be found in my scraps gallery!
Plush and kigurumi commissions closed for now, I'm gearing up to try and make posts several times a week of all my old material while I get established and catch up to what I'm up to today! Thanks a ton for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon!! 🌠
Adorable wiggly icon by sparkleworm !!
Featured Submission
Stats
Comments Earned: 103
Comments Made: 93
Journals: 1
Comments Made: 93
Journals: 1
Recent Journal
Hi there, thanks for stopping by!!
10 months ago
I'm a maker now in the Indianapolis area who has always daydreamed of sewing full suits one day, but got distracted making cuddly kigurumi and enormous plushies along the way! I love big, round, squishy, fuzzy plushes second only to pushing the limits of my techniques, machines, and creations to make things bigger and better each time; I especially enjoy finding neat ways to bridge the gap between digital designs and the physical world to make sketches and ideas soft and squeezable.
A few could know me as the one behind "Paradise Patternworks," my custom kigurumi commission project from 2020, which was a ton of fun for me! I was able to use my spare time to share some of my cuddly work with the world while challenging myself with new and exciting designs and techniques, and I had the pleasure of connecting with a wonderful host of commissioners along the way. I hope to continue the hobby of Paradise again some day soon for not only kigurumi but also custom plush once I get settled again. In the meantime, I'm going to do my best to post finished photos and old progress shots of some of my old work here until I'm all caught up to what I'm making today, so I hope you stick around and send a note now and then; I can't wait to meet you!
The most exciting part of plushmaking for me is challenging myself to work wild and oddball features into my designs, from exotic fabrics to embedded LED lights, articulated joints, fully 3D mouths, interactive electronics and sensors, needlesculpted paws and noses, rhinestones and jewelry, follow-me eyes, removable accessories, and more. I also find it fun to push scale to the extremes too since bigger plushes are always better plushes! In addition to making a seriously huge statement, these ridiculously gigantic, chunky plushies I make present all kinds of interesting challenges to solve, like getting their bulk and proportions patterned just right at such a large scale and making sure they're built strong enough to support all that weight, and are that much more satisfying to see finished! In the future, I think my biggest goal will be to keep learning more and more to the point where I can make the jump to making full plushsuits: that'd be a ton of fun in more ways than one and would definitely demand my entire set of skills plus a bunch more I know nothing about yet! If you're an owner or maker of these kinds of huge cuddly friends, I'd definitely love to get in touch to hear all about what the whole process of bringing them to life has meant to you and would be grateful for any advice on how I can work up to pulling them off myself!
As for Sodalite here, he started out as a demo kigurumi I had practiced faux fur, buttonhole, and interfacing techniques on (who got named after a rock, of all things) but grew on me and ended up being way too cute to even consider ever parting with; Soda has ended up a loveable goof of a tricolor collie who's the face of a big part of me now, filled with plenty of endearing novice gaffes and skipped stitches that I'd like to think add character.
Thanks for making it this far! (Writing a blog like this has made me feel like it's 2008 again...) I've found a lot of fun in the hobby for myself and have sure waited long enough to start a page here, so I can't wait to share all the good times I've had along the way and also make new friends going forward! Hope to be in touch! 🌠
A few could know me as the one behind "Paradise Patternworks," my custom kigurumi commission project from 2020, which was a ton of fun for me! I was able to use my spare time to share some of my cuddly work with the world while challenging myself with new and exciting designs and techniques, and I had the pleasure of connecting with a wonderful host of commissioners along the way. I hope to continue the hobby of Paradise again some day soon for not only kigurumi but also custom plush once I get settled again. In the meantime, I'm going to do my best to post finished photos and old progress shots of some of my old work here until I'm all caught up to what I'm making today, so I hope you stick around and send a note now and then; I can't wait to meet you!
More about all my work
Lately, I've made lots of custom plush for both myself and friends, including a whole team of life-size large Pokemon and a smattering of other assorted critters. My creations feature custom toony embroidery art tailor-made to each one, all hand drawn then machine stitched. The custom sewing patterns that make them all up are drafted and designed by me from scratch as well. Despite the fight this material puts up, I sew my plushies from the ultra-soft, looped plush fleece that you likely know best from big fluffy fleece blankets. I use plush fleece instead of minky or standard brushed fleece as it is extra soft, silky, and flexible and has a luxuriously fluffy pile without being shaggy like faux fur. These features make for unbeatably cuddly plushies that strike a good balance between posable, huggable, colorful, and durable; I pride myself on avoiding rigid foams, hard armatures, paints, hand stitching, or glue joints in my work for this reason too. Everything I make is more than tough enough to even be machine washable! I've got a lot left to learn though, so I can't wait to build new skills of my own and continue learning from the advice and tutorials of friendly faces around the web as well.The most exciting part of plushmaking for me is challenging myself to work wild and oddball features into my designs, from exotic fabrics to embedded LED lights, articulated joints, fully 3D mouths, interactive electronics and sensors, needlesculpted paws and noses, rhinestones and jewelry, follow-me eyes, removable accessories, and more. I also find it fun to push scale to the extremes too since bigger plushes are always better plushes! In addition to making a seriously huge statement, these ridiculously gigantic, chunky plushies I make present all kinds of interesting challenges to solve, like getting their bulk and proportions patterned just right at such a large scale and making sure they're built strong enough to support all that weight, and are that much more satisfying to see finished! In the future, I think my biggest goal will be to keep learning more and more to the point where I can make the jump to making full plushsuits: that'd be a ton of fun in more ways than one and would definitely demand my entire set of skills plus a bunch more I know nothing about yet! If you're an owner or maker of these kinds of huge cuddly friends, I'd definitely love to get in touch to hear all about what the whole process of bringing them to life has meant to you and would be grateful for any advice on how I can work up to pulling them off myself!
As for Sodalite here, he started out as a demo kigurumi I had practiced faux fur, buttonhole, and interfacing techniques on (who got named after a rock, of all things) but grew on me and ended up being way too cute to even consider ever parting with; Soda has ended up a loveable goof of a tricolor collie who's the face of a big part of me now, filled with plenty of endearing novice gaffes and skipped stitches that I'd like to think add character.
Thanks for making it this far! (Writing a blog like this has made me feel like it's 2008 again...) I've found a lot of fun in the hobby for myself and have sure waited long enough to start a page here, so I can't wait to share all the good times I've had along the way and also make new friends going forward! Hope to be in touch! 🌠
User Profile
Accepting Trades
No Accepting Commissions
No Character Species
Border Collie
Favorite Music
City pop, J-fusion, tracker music!
Favorite Games
Deep Rock Galactic, MHW, OutRun 2, Gunfire Reborn
Favorite Gaming Platforms
PC, Amiga
Favorite Animals
Working dogs, big cats, otters, kangaroos, wyverns
Favorite Foods & Drinks
Bibimbap
Favorite Quote
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway.
Inflatofloof