There's an indescribable joy I find in plush toys. Just the thought of them right now is flooding my mind with pure and utter squishy, soft happiness.
The kind of happiness that makes you want to hug everything in sight. Unfortunately, not all things are huggable. And that's where I began.
Hi there! I'm Jane. Founder, designer, maker, etc of Janie XY.
I wanted to find a project where I could teach myself to sew without the intimidation of the expectations of friends and family because of my parents (my dad has 30+ years working in the garment industry so there's a lot of pressure there to make beautiful clothing and my mom has had a lot of experience sewing clothing and has even dabbled in upholstery).
Toys looked to be the best answer. It seemed like the best outlet to teach myself pattern making (and I really mean teach myself... I didn't have any reference books and my parents never had the time to teach me how to sew or make patterns due to their busy schedules) as well as good practice for controlling the industrial sewing machine that sat in our garage--used mostly by my dad on weekends.
One summer afternoon in 2009, I scoured the internet for a toy pattern. Any pattern. I came across a pattern for a ball. Only this ball had 8 panels to it, which seemed like too much, but a light bulb went off in my head and I magically understood how to create 3D shapes from scratch.
I started with a 5 panel ball which naturally looked to me like an orange, so I stuck a fleece leaf and stem atop, sewed on a face, and gave it a personality.
I then went onto more complicated patterns like a whale, pear, and I haven't stopped since!
I love creating huggable food, but I'm also working toward creating plush versions of every day items you just wish you could hug.
I see the world in plush toys (and food, lots of food) and that's what fuels my drive to keep creating.
That, and the never ending support I get from a surprisingly large group of friends and family. (Thank you all!)
I hope that my toys bring at least a fraction of the happiness that they have brought to me creating them.