About the materials and tools I prepared when I made my first 'oshi-nui' (fan plushie)
The other day, I made an 'oshi-nui' for the first time. I am writing down the materials and tools I prepared so that I can refer to them when I want to make another one.
※If there were different items for the same purpose, I sometimes considered and selected one, but I have omitted that consideration process.
※Excludes clothing materials.
※The gray background is relatively low-importance small talk (not a quote).
The plushie I made
It took one week from copying the pattern to completion (5/4–5/11). I think the actual work time was about 3 to 4 full days.
Progress on the night of the first day of work
Progress on the night of the second day of work
The bangs and costume were made over several days while buying additional materials.
References used for making the plushie
(Book) Handmade Oshi-Nui Book
I used the accessories included with this book for the plushie body pattern. It is an 11cm size pattern called 'Nylex Nui (Small)'. Medium and large patterns are also included.
(Video) Takyute's Channel
I referred to YouTube for tips on tasks that were hard to understand from the book alone. I watched many, but Takyute in particular teaches advanced skills in words that even a middle schooler can understand. Thank you as always. *Thwack* (sound of pinning)
They also make plushies of Tanu and Ran-chan.
Plushie materials
Fabric
Skin: Nui Cloth Sakura Milk (Nuigurumi no Kijiya-san)
While I was debating whether or not to try making a plushie, I happened to stop by a craft store and stumbled upon a "plushie corner," so I resigned myself to the task and decided to make one. I bought the skin-colored fabric and stuffing there.
Hair: Soft boa, pale pink (from Nui-gurumi no Kiji-ya) 20cm
Hair (for backing the bangs): Nui-tricot, pale pink (from Nui-gurumi no Kiji-ya) 20cm
I bought 20cm of both, and I have almost all of it left over.
The fabric called soft boa used for the hair is fluffy, and the cut edges fray. If you only use soft boa for bangs that are left with raw edges, the edges will fray.
Therefore, I prevent shedding by bonding it with Nui-tricot before cutting. By the way, it seems you can also bond two pieces of soft boa together, or even just use a single piece of soft boa and apply fray-check liquid to the edges as another method.
Embroidery floss
I used COSMO size 25 embroidery floss to embroider the face (eyebrows, eyes, mouth, and mole).
There are so many colors of embroidery floss. It was fun looking for the perfect colors at the craft store.
You can find the COSMO embroidery floss color chart here.
The numbers for the threads I used are here.
・Main lines: 312 (dark brown)
・Eye highlights: 500
・Dark blue for eyes: 2412
・Light blue for eyes: 411
・Pink for eyes: 2480
【Vaguely remembered stitch notes】
Basically using one strand.
・Backstitch
Eyebrow outlines, double eyelid lines, mouth, colored lines for the left eye (from my perspective)
・Outline stitch
Eyelashes, eye outlines, colored lines for the right eye (from my perspective)
・Satin stitch
Filling in eyebrows, eyelashes, and eyes (also used two strands)
・Straight stitch
Mole
※Although I started the eyelashes with an outline stitch, it was so detailed that I got confused, so I used a backstitch as well.
※For the colored lines in the eyes, I used different stitches on the left and right because I thought, "It's a prototype, so why not try both?" The outline stitch on the right (from my perspective) looks more natural.
Stuffing
Purchased at a craft store.
Sewing tools
Making the pattern
Pattern: Copy paper or scrap paper
Chaco pen: Chaco-Ace extra fine blue (Artist)
I used this to trace the pattern onto the fabric.
I later found out that I should have used this for the sketch of the face embroidery as well. Note to future self: be careful. (I used a fine brush pen for writing, which lightly dyed the eyes black)
Double-sided tape: Personal item
Regular stationery. Used to fix the pattern so it wouldn't slip off the fabric.
Fabric scissors: Sewing kit from my student days (hereinafter referred to as sewing kit)
Craft scissors: Cutwork Scissors 115 (Clover)
10cm plushies have small parts, so I used smaller scissors than the fabric scissors for the detailed areas. They are agile and cut very well. It seems there is also a faction that uses craft cutters.
Sewing the fabric
Sewing needles: Sewing kit + my own one-touch needles
Sewing thread: White for the skin (sewing kit), pink for the hair (my own)
Straight pins: Sewing kit
The needles in the sewing kit were rusty in places. The passage of time.
And then, two items for "sticking" instead of sewing.
Craft glue: One from a 100-yen shop
I used this when sticking the bangs to the head. Note that there is also a method where you don't stick the bangs on, but sew them in together when sewing the main body.
After the plushie was finished, I was worried about stains on the eyes, so when I washed it by rubbing it with hot water and detergent, the bangs came off (it was my fault, not the glue's), so if I have another chance, I would like to positively consider sewing the bangs in.
Craft adhesive: Saiho Jozu Stick (Konishi)
I used this to bond the cross boa for the bangs and the plushie tricot together.
When I used glue to bond them before getting this, my application was poor, creating stains like a Holstein cow, and the whole thing became stiff and hard, so I used a stick-type adhesive. This one has a soft finish and sticks well.
Also, I think the common method for bonding fabrics together is to use double-sided fusible interfacing that you stick on with an iron. I spared myself the trouble of going to buy double-sided fusible interfacing.
Fray check liquid: Pique (KIYOHARA)
I used this for the clothes, not the main body. I applied it to the ends of ribbons and sleeves that were left raw.
Stuffing the fabric with cotton
Craft forceps
I heard that having forceps is convenient when turning the main body inside out or stuffing it with cotton, so I bought them. I was able to use them to grab the fabric properly when turning it inside out, but I couldn't grab the cotton well, so I put the cotton in with my fingers and pushed it in with the tips of the forceps. Poke.
For plushies, you sew around the edges with the fabric right sides together (inside out), and finally turn it inside out.
Embroidery tools
These are for embroidering the plushie's face.
Embroidery needle: Felissimo kit + Yuzawaya
This Felissimo kit also came with an embroidery needle in the first shipment.
I wanted more needles that could be used for single-strand and double-strand embroidery, so I placed an additional order for needles from Yuzawaya.
In the first place, the reason I thought about making a plushie was because I had been using Felissimo's embroidery kits.
When watching embroidery tutorial videos on YouTube, videos on embroidering plushie faces are often suggested. While looking at those thumbnails, I started to think, "If I can do embroidery and a little bit of sewing (*at most, backstitching), can I make a plushie...?" and I actually ended up making one.
Embroidery hoop: 10cm (personal item, Clover)
Something I had bought for the Felissimo kit.
Embroidery tracing sheet: 100-yen shop
↑ It's expensive at the link, but the same thing was sold for 100 yen.
An embroidery tracing sheet is used when you cannot draw a design directly onto the fabric; you draw the design on the sheet, stick it to the fabric, and embroider over it. Finally, when you wash the fabric with water, the sheet dissolves.
This sheet is thin, and when you place it over a design, you can see the design through it, so you trace it with a water-based pen.It is best to trace it with a water-soluble marking pen.Do not use a brush pen. As for the feel of using it, my hands and the needle got a little sticky. I couldn't do the "bring out -> pierce" motion of the outline stitch in one go, so I had to separate it into "bring out" and "pierce." Once I got used to it, I stitched mindlessly (it seems that doing embroidery is called "stitching").
Single-sided fusible interfacing: 100-yen shop
To avoid fabric shrinkage, I apply fusible interfacing to the back of the area to be embroidered before stitching. Refer here for how to apply it.
Embroidery scissors: Petit Scissors Curved Blade 65mm No.8192 (Misasa)
Something I had bought for the Felissimo kit. The blade tip is curved, so it's convenient when you want to cut embroidery thread right against the fabric.
Bonus: To my future self, watch out for this
These are all the materials and tools I prepared for the plushie.
From here on, I will list the points that you (I) noticed while making the plushie. Things to be careful about next time you make a plushie (for my future self).
1) If possible, use existing patterns
If you try to make your own patterns, a completely different kind of difficulty arises. Not only does it take time to create the pattern, but the level of completion is low. In fact, existing patterns aside, while the jacket I modified turned out okay, the skirt I made from scratch falls off immediately. If there is an existing pattern, you should actively use it.
2) Draw the sketch as line art with a fabric marker
Facial embroidery is nothing more than a sketch. The sketch and the embroidery are not like a rough draft and line art. The sketch is the line art and the embroidery is the fill. Draw the line art carefully, clearly, and with a single line.
And make sure to draw it with a fabric marker. Do not use a brush pen...!
Also, if the ink is a color similar to the thread, you won't be able to tell how far you've stitched, leading to frequent missed stitches, so use an ink color that is not similar to the thread. I thought I was going to go crazy using dark brown thread with black ink. When you stitch while going crazy, it looks like the photo.
It's hard to tell in the photo, but there are gaps in the eyebrows, eyelashes, eye outlines, and mouth. I stitched them additionally. Also, the way I stitched the eye outlines by intuition is different on the left and right (the right side facing me is backstitch, the left is outline stitch, and the right is thinner). I unpicked the right side and restitched it.
3) Look carefully at which parts to sew together
I sewed the ears in the wrong direction and the face and forehead in the wrong direction. Look at the pattern carefully and align the marks before sewing. However, even if you make a mistake, you can just unpick it and sew it again, so this is not a big deal. (It is harder to partially fix the embroidery.)
That is all the advice for the future.
Only after trying to make a plushie did I feel like I understood the feeling of people taking their fan plushies out and taking pictures of them. This is a precious life...
I don't know if I will make another one, but I still have plenty of fabric and stuffing, so I will go forward with the strong feeling that "I can make a plushie if I really have to".
いいなと思ったら応援しよう！
ごきげんオタクライフに使わせていただきます🌱