Plush-o-Rama: Curious Creatures for Immature Adults by Linda Kopp


Plush-o-Rama: Curious Creatures for Immature Adults
Title : Plush-o-Rama: Curious Creatures for Immature Adults
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1579908780
ISBN-10 : 9781579908782
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 128
Publication : First published November 28, 2006

What’s the big new phenomenon, with legions of devotees? Making lovable stuffed monsters! Influenced by the popularity of Japanese animé and video game culture, urban illustration and design, and the do-it-yourself craft movement, these designer plush toys are everywhere—even museum stores. Yet they’re simple to sew. Just take fabric, a needle and thread, and stuffing, combine a touch of cuteness with a dash of utter weirdness, and you’ve got one of the oddest, most irresistible creatures ever. And these 30+ projects—including furry, green-lipped Monkey; Greggles, who sports a coif of tentacles; and flirtatious Polly, who has her three eyes on every guy—are as much at home in a trendy loft studio as in a child’s room. They’re unabashedly handmade, but bold, colorful, and very modern. A thorough Basics section provides all the fundamentals, from fabric selection to stitches to the ins and outs of the construction process. And, as a bonus, there’s a handful of profiles of select plush designers with photos of their work.

Plush-o-Rama: Curious Creatures for Immature Adults Reviews

  • Kelly (Maybedog)

    This is a very random book of stuffed toys and that's why I like it. The creatures in it are really strange and vary from a Monsters Inc. type standard monster to something you can't even look at straight. There are twists on "normal" items in our world, for example we have Llorie the Bipolar Cloud, a cloud that is light and happy on one side, dark and angry on the other and grouchy Catzilla. There is also the gingerbread men, each of whom has a bite taken out of it. There's a duck with pig legs, a two-legged ice cream cone, and an apple tree. There's a monkey that looks like a child's drawing was taken and then sewn together. Then there are the random Gregoire whose mouth makes him a handbag, gremlins, and Felix Von Schnapps who looks like random bits of fabric were sewn together.

    Most of the creatures are cute and would make any imaginative child happy. A few are really more for adults, and then there are a couple where I was just left thinking, "hunh?"

    If you like to sew alternative types of things this is a book you might enjoy, although truthfully, once you read it if you have any creativity you could come up with fun ones of your own. If you are more mainstream and like your elephants with two ears and four legs, perhaps this book isn't for you.

  • jess

    i love this book. the creatures are adorable, the tips are useful, and the patterns have room for infinite variation and creative embellishment. it's contextually situated in the pop-art plushies phenomenon without being pretentious or taking credit for inventing this style of plush design. the patterns are suitable for a variety of skill levels, material types, and occasions.

  • Mab

    I enjoy the idea of making ugly cute plushies and this book is a good idea maker. It is one of the those books that makes you see things differently. It was an ah-ha moment when I realized i could make the plushie how I really wanted to. So cool!!!

  • Greta is Erikasbuddy

    cute cute cute!! But I wish it told us what % to enlarge patterns.

  • Emily

    *sigh* I love the idea of this book. I really do. It has some delightfully quirky plushies. However, the anthology format leaves a lot to be desired, especially since most of the plushies included are pancake dolls and rely solely on the quirky design to add interest. They're cute, but there is very little in this book that couldn't be achieved by getting your weird friend to draw something and using that drawing to make a flat felt softie. Moreover, many of the plushies rely on exposed seams or felt to create their quirky shapes, and anyone who's made even a few plushies will be entirely beyond this book's technique limitations.

    There are exceptions to this, of course--the apple tree softie is a charming use of material and its triangular base gives it a lot of personality--but overall this feels more like a sketch book than a craft book.

  • Missy

    This was given to me as a gift, I probably would never have bought it for myself. I am learning a lot about sewing little friends together and wishing I had a sewing machine...and time...and rad supplies! I have yet to start my first plushie though...I cannot decide what to make first or who to make it for. Would it be TERRIBLE to keep the first one for myself?

    PS: In case you want to know to gage if this book is for you....I have some sewing knowledge, I am confident sewing a button and mending clothes. I have made pillows and bags that are not heirlooms but served their purpose.

  • Erika Mulvenna

    Love the creatures in this book! The only drawback is that the patterns have to be enlarged, a definite PITA step. I have to make time to try some of these projects - they really are loveable misfits.

  • Andi October

    As soon as I buy my sewing machine (later this month!), everyone who knows me can expect to receive strange plushies.

  • Sally

    I thought it would be weird fun, but it was a little too weird....

  • Jocelynne Broderick

    Yeah, that's right. This book rocks!

  • Ian

    Some of the ideas in this book are really cute, but for the most part the designs are slightly terrifying!

  • Lindsay

    A lovely soft toy book full of inspiring creations and some very clear general instructions.