Making Happy Stuffed Animals / Beloved Handmade Items

Making happy stuffed animals

It was over 10 years ago, but after seeing a woman I admire making beautiful clothes and bags herself, I thought, "I want to try that too!" and bought my first sewing machine. Soon after, I became obsessed with dressmaking and dedicated almost all of my free time to making clothes.

Ideas for things I wanted to make kept popping into my head one after another, and I enjoyed searching for patterns and browsing fabrics at craft stores... After that, I even went to sewing classes, and I think I spent about two years just making clothes until I was satisfied.

Lately, the passion I had back then has subsided, but I still enjoy knitting at a leisurely pace, dabbling in needle felting, and making small items for my personal belongings.

What I enjoy most is making stuffed animals, often using my dog ​​or other familiar animals as motifs. Besides making the stuffed animals themselves, I also add zippers to them to make pouches, or sew semi-three-dimensional stuffed animals onto tote bags. I love the time I spend looking at the various materials I have at home, such as fabric, yarn, and ribbon, and letting my imagination run wild, thinking, "It would be so cute if I used this material here...!" Then, once I've written down a rough design and instructions in my notebook, my mind is filled with the desire to start making it right away. I concentrate on my work more than usual, make time for it, and work away with my hands, enveloped in happiness in front of cute craft materials and my sewing machine.

Unlike clothes or bags, stuffed animals aren't very practical and might seem pointless. But I think there's something wonderful about them—they're useless and meaningless, but simply adorable. I find great satisfaction in making such things myself.

Macko
I'm an illustrator living in Kyoto. I create illustrations for books and advertisements. My hobbies are playing the piano, handicrafts, and supporting the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. I live with my husband and our corgi, Gabu-chan.

Instagram:@macco.illustrator