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Total matches for plush: 19
Kabak
Despite looking wholly aquatic, these particular dragon-related creatures very much prefer lounging around on dry land. They're warm and soft and very flexibly floppy, so they appreciate companions who take them around to see the sights, or just to snuggle up and play another level. Read another page. Watch one more episode. Kabak isn't going to tell anyone.
I have had the body portion pinned and in various drawers or boxes for years with the intent to get back to it, and every Halloween that passed felt a little more terrible without me having finished this project that came from clearance fabric and the desire to just make something big and ridiculous. At long last: Kabak! ...Yes it does mean "pumpkin"/"gourd" in Turkish. ...I love it, okay, but the point is: I finally finished and I am happy and I cannot overstate how warm this fuzzy fabric is. Also not overly heavy (under 2 pounds), with a flat-ish "barely stuffed" body consisting mostly of old acrylic sweaters that had lost their fuzz but were the perfect internal materials for this (sewn to internal bits for minimal shifting, to be clear). The fins are soft crushed velvet on one side and "some kind of shimmery spandex", reinforced internally with scraps from a pair of old cotton pajama pants. Everything's been washed to reduce the fuzz and "sparkly flecks" that I'd been dealing with while sewing this together, and after one last long lint roller session, I think the fuzzies have at long last been vanquished. Finished off with a pair of artificial amber eyes because how could I not.
Also to be explicitly stated: intended to be wearable. Or just a snuggle-able plush, if desired. I define this as a "scarf" or a "stole" and while the model is of smaller stature, it's still wearable with broader shoulders. There are a lot of nice soft textures and, again, so warm.
Available for snuggling right now.
Fuzzy Baby Dragon Squad
While Desert Bus for Hope 2021 was going on, I decided to indulge in a project I'd been wanting to get back to for over a year: justifying buying a bunch of fabric playing with a little plush dragon pattern and seeing what subtle changes to the construction might bring. So, I marked and cut fabric during the marathon. I marked and cut a lot of fabric. Then set it aside to get some other things done first, because that is My Way.
Total construction time per dragon, from the initial fabric marking to the final stitch: 7 hours. That translates into about a week "working while living a semi-functional life" time. This whole project took 8 weeks. That is... difficult for me to grasp. Each and every dragon is fully hand-stitched once to actually get pieces together and then reinforcing stitching is used to keep them together. The soft fuzzy fabric is an astonishingly luxurious acrylic fleece, and the belly/accent fabric is either cotton or "rainbow foiled cotton". All eyes are acrylic safety eyes from 6060 on Etsy, with only the silver sparkle eyes on the last dragon hand-painted by myself as a very successful experiment. Each dragon is very much different and the pattern itself was abandoned at various points to let their individuality shine through.
It's been really nice to have this pile-o'-dragon around, but I think they'd really prefer to spread their soft fuzzy goodness around. Currently unclaimed:
Minty Green with Hearts, White with Hearts, Blue with Rainbow Leopard Print, Vibrant Pink with Skulls and Crossbones, Hearts and Camo, Black with Skulls and Crossbones, Hearts and Camo, Rainbow Stripes and Checkers with Sparkly Rainbow Reptile Print
Luxie
Luxie's part of a grand tradition, stretching back to ancient times: once a child has reached the age when they want to go off adventuring, a grandparent figure will make them a plush chocobo to go with them, protecting them from harm and keeping them company until they return. They're very good listeners, these chocobos, lending an ear in exchange for head scritches and hugs. This one in particular has chosen Luxie as their name, and would love to accompany an adventurer of any age!
Look, I legitimately did something simple. ...Simpler. No wire, okay?! But really, I wanted something simple and straight-forward and succeeded even though I gave in and did more for the tail than I was intending, but it all worked out and became one piece eventually. I wanted to revisit some old styles while applying techniques I'd learned over time, and a sitting chocobo seemed like the best way to do that. Plus I got a discount on the yarn and the polyfil, so bonus.
Congrats to sheikun07, and thanks to everyone for raising $1,842 for this chocobo!
Orange Fire-Bellied Dragonlet
Dragonlets are a breed of "house dragon" which were bred specifically for small spaces and apartment life. They ultimately don't get much bigger than small dogs (think pug or dachshund, depending on the type) and tend to have a varied diet so they're not overly difficult to care for. While they do develop scale patches when they get older, dragonlets retain their "fuzziness" for their whole lives and enjoy the occasional chin scratch or tummy rub. In all, a perfectly reasonable magical pet with a slightly questionable slogan: "Dragonlets, the city wizard's pet."
This particular dragonlet is just a baby of the fire-bellied variety. They're actually relatively rare, as far as type goes. That may have a little bit to do with the possibility of producing flames from their mouths while snoring, but if the proper precautions are taken to fire-proof their bedding, certainly there is no danger to be had. Still, you may want to keep them away from things like hair spray when they're sleepy. Safety first.
This little critter is the result of some self-imposed challenges (1.) can I make a reasonably simplistic plush that's interesting?; 2.) can I actually manage to use NO BEADS?), velboa scraps, fleece I've had around for 7~ years (which is discontinued, argh), and safety eyes that I've been holding on to for a little longer than even that. No wires, no "fancy stuff"; the pattern is my own, everything was sewn and reinforced by hand, stuffed with polyfil, and it's super soft and a little bit fuzzy.
I kind of greatly underestimated the massive "cute factor" when designing the head/face, though. I was not prepared.
(For Sale)
Link-bo and Zelda-bo
Best rainy day activity for kids and chocobos? Totally dress-up. Grab some fabric, make some props, make a mess (...then clean it up...), and have a blast!
Story of my life: I hadn't really meant these to turn out quite so large... or with so many accessories... but things happen and I'm really, really happy with the result. I don't even know if anyone else will love these as much as I do, but I am remarkably hopeful. The chocobo bodies themselves are redesigned from the inside out, with a much more solid structure to allow more stability, and feature fully wired and poseable toes, legs, wings (along with the first three primary feathers of each wing; the rest are un-wired for easy folding), necks, heads, and feature limited articulated top and bottom beak-jaw-things.
And then the costumes, oh boy. Initially I'd had the idea to do just a couple of super-fancy accessories for each of them, but I just kind of... kept coming to the thought, "Remember when dress-up used to be fun, and cosplay wasn't about exacting proficiency?" So, I decided that I would do something "simple" and make it look at though excited, unpracticed hands made these things. ...I was, at that point, not aware of how insanely difficult it would be. I mean yes, lots of things got simplified, and it was a lot of fun putting it all together! But. That came with figuring out how to make everything look super-simplified while also making them stable and ultimately well-made. I think I finally fulled it off, anyway. And of course they can swap outfits. I mean, come on.
Thank you burningdragoon for your generosity with a final bid of $719.00!
Peaceful Bavi
What you see before you is a Peaceful Bavi, bringer of peaceful dreams and soft, slow awakenings. (Also lovers of tummy rubs, in case you'd like to know.) Bavi are dream spirits, more or less; entities from the Great Dreaming who pass into mortal dreams at their whim. In general, they're quite friendly, content with just a hello (though not saying hello after you've recognized one is considered rude, and you may wake up with a numb limb as a consequence), however if you choose to feed one, then they will continue to find you from time to time. They're playful entities, and a little mischievous; though if you are knowingly, directly harmful to one, the consequences will likely be severe. They do protect their own, much as they will protect those who are kind to them.
So I wanted to take a shot at further editing the pattern for the Daydream Bavi. The plan was definitely to come up with one that represented peaceful dreams, so a blue and slightly off-white color scheme seemed appropriate. Beyond that, I just kind of wandered. I knew I wanted something a little "incoherent", dream-like but soft, and I think I managed. The Bavi themself is soft and fuzzy fleece with cotton embroidery floss detailing (further sparkled-up with iridescent blue pigment and fabric paint afterward), the patch of "scales" on their rump smooth beads. The mask is a strengthened and reinforced papier mache-type base, horns left accented but bare, while the rest was coated with handmade paper and then accented with beads and chain.
(For Sale)
Daydream Bavi
Bavi are dream spirits, more or less; entities from the Great Dreaming who pass into mortal dreams at their whim. This happens to be a Daydream Bavi, a rarer sight since humans are always being told that they shouldn't daydream, and so miss out on the opportunity to see these creatures. In general, Bavi are quite friendly, content with just a hello (though not saying hello after you've recognized one is considered rude, and you may wake up with a numb limb as a consequence), however if you choose to feed one, then they will continue to find you from time to time. Some have even struck up quite a rapport with a Bavi, learning even to directly communicate with them. They're playful entities, and a little mischievous; though if you are knowingly, directly harmful to one, the consequences will likely be severe. They do protect their own, much as they will protect those who are kind to them.
This... wasn't actually supposed to happen. I'd made a quick test pattern and used some old white felt in order to test it on fabric so I could edit the pattern accordingly, with no plans to keep it in one piece... but I'm me, and I should have known better. Ultimately, I was inspired quite a bit by Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli films, where there are creatures both strangely enchanting and just a little... unnerving, in a way. Something that maybe most humans aren't meant to know very well. I've also had these face and sun cabochons for years and finally found just the right use for them.
(Sold.)
Mage's Familiar
The truth of the mage's familiar (at least in Rideum) is a little different than what standard tales will tell. It's not a "real animal", and it's not some entity disguised; but a mage's familiar is certainly a companion that they keep with them when they are to take a long journey away from home. It is their connection, their reminder, and indeed many times in the past it has served as the power to bring them back home. When a mage is either selected to, or elects to, use their gifts for some benefit of family or kingdom, then their family (and not merely by bloodline relations; magic cares not for blood, but for heart) gathers together to construct a familiar. No matter what skills they may have individually, from youngest to eldest, they contribute a part of building the familiar so that every stitch, every bit of paint, every bead so very carefully placed will be bound together with one will: to return the mage safely home. Some familiars have been stuffed with patches of clothing from every family member, while others have been decorated with beads from necklaces passed down many generations. Still others are simply constructed of socks and sawdust. (Magic cares not for material wealth, either; the value of will cannot be counted in coins.)
Between you and me, I'm fairly certain this little familiar will get the journey of a lifetime--and safely see their mage home.
So I sketched out a little pattern. Inked it, cut it out. Had some of this almost micro-suede fabric (it's not technically micro-suede, but it feels almost exactly like it; so soft) and decided to oh so carefully transfer the pattern lines and do a test with just a plain, simple, traditional plush. I should have known better. I was all the way through cutting out the pattern when inklings of this story, this creature's origin, started coming to mind. I had already sewn the back and belly when everything was becoming more clear and then... well, it should be more rustic, right? Out the window go the old plans, stomping straight into the front door come the new ones, and... here. I've been wanting to try that old-style "rustic" doll articulation, anyway. And I wanted to play with the idea of little stiffened/reinforced fabric "scales" here and there. So I can't really complain. Just sit back in awe and wonder what happened as usual.
This lovely critter cannot and was not intended to stand on its own, but drapes over one's hand or lap very easily. I mean, this is really soft fabric. And really smooth beads. And is seriously just a nice tactile experience. Entirely hand-sewn, no machine, because I continue to be insane and questionably intelligent. Wings are "unfilled" and "un-wired", but do swivel. Hips, shoulders, knees and elbows are all articulated. I'd intended for the head to turn too, but... the mock-up just did not look right. I like this better, anyway. (For Sale)