Gallery: Original

Style: Purple Dog
Item: PSP case
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2006 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: We made a lot of handheld game cases that year, and among them was this puppy-faced PSP case with lavender lining.

Style: Purple Cat
Item: Purse (about 8" wide)
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2007 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This fuzzy plush kitty purse is lined with white polyester lining and inside pockets. The "front" and "back" ears attach together with Velcro to keep the purse closed.

Style: Various (in this picture are, from far left, an original character, a Lolita with pink hair, a Metal Slime [Dragon Warrior], rat-Yuki and cat-Kyo [Fruits Basket], a White Bunny [from Aranzi Aronzo's Cute Book], and three Puyos [Puyo Pop].)
Item: Felt stuff (keychains, pins, barrettes, mini-plushies, and just "stuff")
Made by: Em and Sarah
Date: 2007 (Tsubasacon)
Notes: We generally have a lot of downtime in Artist's Alleys. At Tsubasacon '07, we tried a new way to pass the time - bringing along sewing supplies and felt and making small items at the table. Some were outfitted with keychain hardware, mounted to barrettes, etc. We continued this at future cons, later adding Lolita accessories to the mix. In addition to being influenced by Aranzi Aronzo's Cute Book (recommended, along with their Cute Stuff), we chose felt because it doesn't unravel, making it easy to use in small pieces.

Style: Butterflies
Item: Wallets & change purses
Made by: Em
Date: 2009 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This one kind of splits the difference between "cute" and "elegant/cultural," really. These butterfly-patterned wallets are constructed in a few different styles, some with Velcro closures and some with zippers.

Style: Various (clockwise from top left: flame print, cow print, plaid print with star button, cherry & strawberry print, cherry print, koi print)
Item: Wallets
Made by: Em
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: Some of these wallets are trifold with Velcro closure, some are one-fold (see the flame wallet in the top left), and all have card pockets that fit US-sized ID/credit cards.

Style: Emoticons
Item: Pillows (for scale, the orange one is about 4" wide, and the blue one is about 10" tall)
Made by: Em
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This colorful quartet of pillows is made of fleece with appliqued emoticon faces. :I is yellow, :> is light blue, :) is orange, and XD is red.

Style: iPawd
Item: Cat toys
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2010 (I Made It! For the Holidays)
Notes: This was Em's idea, starting with an iPhone and mutating into an iPod Classic-inspired kitty parody version replete with bad puns. The back opens for a catnip stash. Nonfunctional, except as a catnip delivery device.

Notes: A closeup of the iPawd/Cat Version screen.

Style: iPawd
Item: Dog toys
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2010 (I Made It! For the Holidays)
Notes: The dog version is about 50% bigger and contains a squeaker instead of a catnip pocket. Yes, I consider it no offense at all that my embroidery is going to eventually be covered with dog spit. That's why they were made, after all.

Notes: A closeup of the iPawd/Dog Version screen.

Style: Construction Barrel
Item: Plushies
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2010 (I Made It! Market)
Notes: It's a Pittsburgh event. And I have a lot of screaming orange fleece. - Of course! Pittsburgh's roads are perennially under construction. What better way to take out your frustration than by cute-ifying the object of your ire? (Don't answer that.)

Style: Road Cones
Item: Plushies
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2010 (I Made It! Market)
Notes: Of a piece with the construction barrels, as they often are. The cones were made in two sizes, about 3" tall and about 5" tall, both more or less sized to route traffic around your desk.

Notes: Two more barrels from the 2011 batch, with some more of the face variations.

Notes: These are larger (~8") cones, added to the mix in 2011. The bases are stuffed with 1"-thick high-density foam, so they are squishable yet keep their shape. Dubious Face (upper left) turned out to be one of my favorites.

Style: Riceballs/onigiri (with plums and with nori)
Item: Coin purses
Made by: Sarah and Em
Date: 2006 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: These little coin purses were among our first batch of projects. If memory serves, they were made of bottomweight cotton with polyester lining, and closed in the back with Velcro. (The top right-most one is flipped over to show the closure.) Some were made with "nori" vinyl wrap, and some with polyester satin "plums."

Style: Edamame
Item: Plushie
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2008 (Tsubasacon)
Notes: Just one of those little passing ideas: an edamame plushie. The face probably was subconsciously based on Rejected. All I could think to do with its facial expression was "Yay! I'm delicious!".

Style: Sushi Print
Item: Lunch bags
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2009 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: These two lunch bags, one medium and one large, are made out of an adorable green sushi print (called "Chopsticks, Please!"), lined with clear vinyl, and closed with Velcro.

Style: Cupcake
Item: Pillow / giant plushie (about 24" high)
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2009 (commission)
Notes: This giant cupcake was a fun project. It was based around a high-density foam core, like most of our giant plushie type projects, with extra batting and stuffing in the top. The outside was all fleece of various types, with some machine embroidery on the "wrapper" and glass bead sprinkles.

Style: Assorted - Clockwise from top left: tamago maki (sushi); Love Lab flask (Rhythm Heaven); Pocky; Onigiri, with nori; Onigiri, with umeboshi; small onigiri with nori; Japanese flag; larger onigiri with umeboshi
Item: Dog & cat toys
Made by: Em
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: We are pet people, end of story. So, for an addition to the "small, fun stuff" part of our table, Em made a bunch of dog toys (with squeakers) and cat toys (with catnip).

Style: Cupcakes
Item: Quilt / wallhanging
Made by: Em
Date: 2010 (Matsuricon)
Notes: Combining a traditional quilt style with Teh Cute, Em put together this sashed quilt of pink and blue cupcake print with yellow bows. It's about lap quilt size, 41" x 49".

Notes: A full view of the cupcake quilt.

Style: Gothic Lolita with Mini-bear
Bear Type: Premade, about 14"; mini bear is about 4"
Clothes & Styling By: Em (main bear), Sarah (mini-bear)
Date: 2007 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: For our first original Lolita bear, we thought it would be fun to give her a mini bear to carry, like a bear version of a dressed-up BJD. She also has patent leather (actually vinyl) Mary Jane shoes, a lace-trimmed petticoat, a lacy vest, and an epic hair bow (see photo below).

Notes: A back view of Lolita with Mini, showing off her hair bow. You can also see her lace-trimmed socks better in this shot.

Style: Various
Item: Lolita-style headbands
Made by: Sarah (I think?)
Date: 2008 (Tsubasacon)
Notes: Wendy, a Lolita-fan friend of mine, showed me how to make these ribbon roses at around this time - and I put them on everything I could. They're just so fun to make. Out of this trio of headbands, two are rose-ified: one wire and one fabric. The third is a pink fabric headband with lace.

Style: Various
Item: Chokers and barettes
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2008 (Tsubasacon)
Notes: Clockwise from top left: two ribbon & bell kitty chokers; a set of two ribbon rose barettes; a blue elastic ribbon rose choker; another set of ribbon rose barettes. All of these were made in late '09 to diversify our stockpile of fluffy accessories beyond headbands.

Style: Gothic Lolita
Bear Type: Premade, about 4"
Clothes & Styling By: Sarah
Date: 2008 (Tsubasacon)
Notes: This bear's outfit was made at our table at Tsubasacon '08, which also means that it was completely hand-sewn. Bears this small can be hard to dress, so the overall shape of the outfit is simplified - but there was still room for a little petticoat and lots of lace, including a lace and ribbon headdress and cuffs.

Style: Gothic Lolita (Black & White)
Bear Type: Premade, about 10"
Clothes & Styling By: Em
Date: 2009 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This bear had a natural head tilt, which gave her a sweet, quizzical expression. Her outfit is a bloomered dress with ribbon roses and lace, and a lace and ribbon headdress.

Style: Various (from left: lavender satin with roses; lavender satin; pink ribbon and white lace; pink ribbon and white lace with butterfly; pink gingham)
Item: Lolita headresses / fabric & lace headbands
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2009 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: These headbands/headdresses are variously decorated with ribbon roses and beads, and tie with ribbon. The fabric/lace part of each is about 6" long.

Notes: An assortment of our Lolita stuff from '09. Clockwise from top left: lavender headband with bows; orange headband with black lace and ribbon roses; blue headband with butterfly beads; lace cuffs; beaded butterfly headdress; lavender satin headdress with ribbon roses.

Notes: Another frilly explosion from '09. From left: purple headband with bows; orange headband with black lace and bows; blue beaded headband (same as above); yellow headband with ribbon and bead daisy; orange headband with black lace and ribbon roses.

Style: Sweet Lolita with Strawberries and Cherries
Bear Type: Premade, about 12"
Clothes & Styling By: Em
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This super-soft bunny is turned out in an adorable ensemble of strawberries and cherries, red and polka-dot ribbon, and lace. Check out the tiny heart buttons on her bodice, too.

Style: Strawberries
Item: Drawstring purse
Made by: Em
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: Part of Em's series of Lolita-ish purses in spring '10, this one has a strawberry print, lace edge and red drawstring. Like all of the series, it's also lined with a removable bottom support.

Style: Pastel Stripes
Item: Drawstring purse
Made by: Em
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This purse goes toward the springtime / feminine side with pastel stripes, pink lace, and button details.

Style: Flames
Item: Drawstring purse
Made by: Em
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: ...and this one goes for flashy, with a flame pattern and yellow ribbon drawstring.

Style: Cherries
Item: Drawstring purse
Made by: Em
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This one switches out the usual lace with an edge ruffle and drawstring of cherries on a white background, contrasting with the main print of cherries on a black background. Sweet!

Style: Cherry Blossoms & Fans
Item: Drawstring purse
Made by: Em
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: The fifth purse in this series has an Asian-inspired print with cherry blossoms and fans, and an elegant cord drawstring.

Notes: The 5 drawstring purses (above) in a group shot.

Style: Sweet Lolita
Bear Type: Premade poodle, about 10"
Clothes & Styling By: Sarah
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This was a case of combining what I had in my fabric/crafting stash - a fluffy pink poodle seemed like a fun fit for the style, and the hot pink dotted swiss fabric was waiting for a good use. Combine that with a puffy petticoat and some ribbon, lace, and beads, and we have a Lolita poodle.

Style: Lolita/Sweet Lolita
Item: Hats
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon & Matsuricon)
Notes: A themed group shot (less randomness, how about that!) of some of our Lolita stuff from 2010, namely a set of straw hats. From left: Yellow mum hat; mini sunflower hat; lace hat; apple blossom hat. Some of these attach with ribbons (visible here), and some with hair clips.

Style: Sweet Lolita, mostly
Item: Headbands
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2010 (mostly Matsuricon; some may be from the Tekkoshocon season)
Notes: For a while I got into a groove of watching Spaced on DVD (thanks, Netflix!) and making Lolita headbands. That's a pretty dire mismatch of crafting and entertainment, but the headbands turned out fine anyway. From left: Strawberry, Hearts, Cupcakes, Fall Leaves (later retooled to include flowers rather than ribbon), Sunflower.

Style: Lolita, or maid-style
Item: Bunny ear headbands
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon and Matsuricon)
Notes: Why bunny ears? We found these before we got around to trying kitty ears, and also our #1 reason for anything: "Why not?".

Style: Raver
Bear Type: Premade, about 16"
Clothes & Styling By: Em
Date: 2011 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: Raver Bear is decked out in kandi beads, fur legwarmers (actually feathers), and yarn hair falls along with her colorful outfit.

Style: Steampunk
Bear Type: Handmade, about 20"
Clothes & Styling By: Em
Date: 2011 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: Steampunk Bear was quite an undertaking, but one that we'd wanted to do for a while. This is one of the concepts that let us be creative, and Mr. Steampunk ended up with a top hat, fully lined brocade vest, and of course, a mustache and monocle.

Notes: A closeup of Steampunk Bear's vest (waistcoat!) and watch chain.

Notes: Sir Bearington of Steampunk's top hat decorations.

Style: Various (cupcakes, flames, nautical, lace...etc.)
Item: Flu masks
Made by: Em
Date: 2011 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: Small accessories that people can wear around cons are always fun to make, and Em came up with making surgical/flu masks in fun prints. (Not actually up to health code; people just wear them around conventions and such. Don't ask us, we didn't start the fire - errr, fashion.)

Style: Woman in Kimono
Item: Framed fabric collage
Made by: Em
Date: 2006 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This partly-3D shadowbox collage is constructed out of fabric and paper, with a woman in a kimono with a parasol and a flowering tree branch. Overall, it's about 5" x 7" framed.

Style: Brocade with butterflies
Item: Wallets
Made by: Em
Date: 2006 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: These pink and green brocade wallets were among the first we offered. Some had button & loop closures, and some had Velcro.

Style: Brocade
Item: Bear (about 12")
Made by: Em
Date: 2006 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This is a bear pattern that we don't use much (not for any particular reason), in the form of a fancy purple bear.

Style: Kimono Bear
Bear Type: Premade, about 14"
Clothes & Styling By: Em
Date: 2007 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This seafoam-green bear wears a koi-print brocade kimono with shimmery blue trim, and a pink obi (see detail below). She also has real polished wood geta - bear-sized, of course - made by Sarah and Em's Dad.

Notes: A rear view of Kimono Bear (above), with her obi bow.

Style: Ninja
Bear Type: Premade, about 6"
Clothes & Styling By: Sarah
Date: 2007 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: Ninjas are originally historical, even though this pop-culture version of ninja is not so historical... Anyway, the fun part with this little guy was having him lurk around the table in strange spots, like poised on top of our purse display.

Style: Brocade Butterflies
Item: Quilt (lap quilt size)
Made by: Em
Date: 2007 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This was the first traditionally pieced quilt featured at our table, and was one of our biggest projects yet at the time. it featured a butterfly design in various colors and patterns of brocade against a blue background. It was about lap quilt size, or something along the order of 3 feet by 4 feet.

Style: Brocade Koi
Item: Quilt/wall hanging
Made by: Pattern by Em, construction by Sarah
Date: 2007 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This quilt was about wall-hanging size (2 x 3 feet or so), with an applique pattern of swimming koi made out of brocade, and a koi brocade border.

Style: Calligraphy
Item: Matted calligraphy cards
Made by: Em
Date: 2007 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: Rather than take the usual, peaceful route of "dream" and "love" and such, we went for words like "refrigerator" and "disaster." They still look inspirational, which is the fun of it. Each is about 3" x 5", matted and enclosed in cellophane.

Style: Woman with Parasol in Kimono
Item: Cross-stitch, framed
Made by: Em
Date: 2007 (Tsubasacon)
Notes: Technically the first cross-stitch piece at our table, I think! This piece is about 5" x 7" plus the stand-up frame. It was also entered at the art show at Tekkoshocon 2010.

Style: Little Kimono Bear
Bear Type: Premade, about 8"
Clothes & Styling By: Em
Date: 2009 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: This sweet little bear is outfitted in a pink and blue kimono with a koi theme, and a pink obi. She was a bit too small for our bear-sized geta, this time...

Style: Calligraphy (Morning, Night, and Dream)
Item: Pillows
Made by: Em
Date: 2010 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: These fleece pillows are appliqued with, well, pillow-related words: Dream, Morning, and Night, left to right in the photo.

Style: Otaku/Fanboy Bear
Bear Type: Premade, about 14"
Clothes & Styling By: Em
Date: 2006 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: Otaku Bear started out with a set of con paraphernalia including a tote bag, con program, and mini DVDs. We added more con paraphernalia every year (see below).

Notes: Otaku Bear 2006's stuff, including two DVDs and a con program.

Notes: For the Tekkoshocon 2007 version, Otaku Bear got a set of cat ears. That's right... a bear in cat ears.

Notes: The Tsubasacon 2007 addition to Otaku Bear was a collection of con badges, based on cons we'd attended.

Notes: The final addition to Otaku Bear, for Tekkoshocon 2008, was the con accessory that had become ubiquitous by this point: a Naruto headband.

Style: Anime/Fandom
Item: Magnetic poetry
Made by: Em & Sarah
Date: 2006 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: (This is a mockup rather than a real picture; the set didn't photograph well.) This set of "magnetic poetry" style magnets featured a bunch of normal-ish words along with anime/fandom words like "transform" and "MMORPG."

Character: Mitsuki, Tsubasacon Mascot
Bear Type: Handmade, 18"
Clothes & Styling By: Sarah
Date: 2007 (Tsubasacon...duh)
Notes: This was an unusual, and very fun, project. The character is Tsubasacon's mascot, then unnamed, later named Mitsuki, as she appeared in the 2007 logo. We got permission from the con and the fanartist who created the art, then made two Mitsuki bears, with feather wings and Lolita-esque school uniform. One was given to the fanartist; the other was given to the con, and wound up in a prize bag at the cosplay competition.

Notes: This design had a lot of fun details. Here's Mitsuki's back and (main) wings.

Style: Able Sisters Fan Crafts
Item: Hockey jerseys
Made by: Sarah, design by Jay
Date: 2009 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: In "real life," Jay and Em are both big hockey fans. (Penguins fans, specifically.) We made these hockey jerseys in our "studio colors"/pattern for something fun to wear at conventions. So far, there's only been one "what are you cosplaying?".

Style: Zombie Nurse
Bear Type: 12" handmade
Clothes & Styling By: Em
Date: 2010 (I Made It! For the Holidays)
Notes: This set of zombie bears - "zombears," because it portmanteaus easily like that - were created for I Made It! Market, Pittsburgh's nomadic indie crafts fair, and our first foray into craft fairs proper. Faced with an audience older, hipper, and less geeky than our usual crowd, we searched for common threads. It's Pittsburgh! Zombies. Of course. Em created this zombie nurse, just a notch less creepy than a Silent Hill denizen.

Style: Zombie Santa
Bear Type: 12" handmade
Clothes & Styling By: Clothes by Sarah, distressing/painting/zombification by Em
Date: 2010 (I Made It! For the Holidays)
Notes: IMI!FTH fell in early December, which made zombie Santa a natural choice. That is, if anything concerning zombie teddy bears is a natural choice.

Notes: Santa's sack of goodies includes a severed arm, a gnawed bone, a brain, and some unidentifiable bits of entrails. Just what you've always wanted!

Style: Zombie Bride & Groom
Bear Type: 12" handmade
Clothes & Styling By: Clothes by Sarah, distressing/painting/zombification by Em
Date: 2010 (I Made It! For the Holidays)
Notes: Zombie bears are all about crashing together cute and disturbing, so let's add elegant and dainty to the mess! Why not? Zombie Bride has a detachable (Velcro-attached) arm and leg - watch out for that bouquet throw, it's a killer. Meanwhile, Zombie Groom spills his guts. Hope he can keep it together for the big day.

Notes: Oops?

Notes: A closeup of ZomGroom's yarn guts (and blood-spattered corsage, as a...bonus?).

Style: Zombie Pirate
Bear Type: 12" handmade
Clothes & Styling By: Clothes by Sarah, distressing/painting/zombification by Em
Date: 2010 (I Made It! For the Holidays)
Notes: Zombie Pirate has weathered storms and sea battles and keeps on sailing, with a not-yet-severed head and "peg"leg.

Notes: The zombie pirate's parrot is also a zombie, of course.

Style: Zombie Ninja
Bear Type: 12" handmade
Clothes & Styling By: Clothes by Sarah, distressing/painting/zombification by Em
Date: 2010 (I Made It! For the Holidays)
Notes: Pirates require ninjas to restore the balance of the universe. Also, I had a lot of black fabric around. The scarf was partly inspired by the video game n+ and partly inspired by the need to break up all that monochrome.

Style: Zombie Rocker
Bear Type: 12" handmade
Clothes & Styling By: Clothes by Sarah, distressing/painting/zombification by Em
Date: 2010 (I Made It! For the Holidays)
Notes: Zombie Punk/Rock Girl allows us to add something else to the "things you never thought you'd make" on the list: a zombie teddy bear with a nose piercing. This one was fun.

Notes: A better view of Zombie Punk's jewelry and one of her tattoos.

Style: Zombie Frat Boy
Bear Type: 12" handmade
Clothes & Styling By: Clothes by Sarah, distressing/painting/zombification by Em
Date: 2010 (I Made It! Market)
Notes: This party is, like, totally awesome, brah...aaaaains...

Notes: Zombie Frat Boy started out with one of the more disturbing deconstructions, one bead eye dangling from a length of embroidery floss.

Style: Zombie Chef
Bear Type: 12" handmade
Clothes & Styling By: Clothes by Sarah, distressing/painting/zombification by Em
Date: 2010 (I Made It! For the Holidays)
Notes: So when you craft, your craft room (OK, my dining room) piles up with things left over from projects, such as 9/10ths of a set of tiny plastic cookware. Bon appetit!

Notes: Mmmm. That patterned felt was very useful. It claims to be "cobblestone," but I can only see random squishy bits now. Likewise, someone could probably knit something lovely out of that pink yarn, but that someone is not me.

Style: Zombie Muncher
Bear Type: 12" handmade
Clothes & Styling By: Clothes by Sarah, distressing/painting/zombification by Em
Date: 2010 (I Made It! For the Holidays)
Notes: Chow time! Really, I just wanted an excuse to try some stuffed props. The original idea was a brain, but a leg better fit the space between the bears' paws.

Notes: A closeup with a better view of Munchy's barbecue bib. Gotta keep tidy, after all.

Style: Studded vinyl
Item: Portable game system cases (GBA-SP, DS, and PSP)
Made by: Sarah
Date: 2006 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: We made a bunch of portable game system cases that year, and I had a bunch of metal studs and black vinyl on hand. Could I manage to make a GBA-SP case look bad-ass? Time will tell.

Style: BFE "vacation" style
Item: Vinyl stickers
Made by: Designed by Em; we had them made.
Date: 2007 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: We considered Tokyo-3 and Seireitei for OBX-style stickers, but went with BFE. Turns out that we're some of the few "kids these days" who use this phrase, which is F-bombing slang for "the middle of nowhere" (try Urban Dictionary...).

Style: Gold brocade (also in the photo is the Chocobo backpack, listed under Final Fantasy)
Item: Drawstring backpack
Made by: Em
Date: 2007 (Tsubasacon)
Notes: I didn't file everything we made out of brocade in Cultural, OK? Anyway, this pair of drawstring backpacks includes this one (on the left) in gold brocade.

Style: Various
Item: Cell phone cases
Made by: Em
Date: 2008 (Tekkoshocon)
Notes: An array of phone cases from '08, including black vinyl/skull and brocade.