Meet Plush You! artist: Feltmates

I LOVE the work by Feltmates...so magical.

Tell my readers a bit about yourself
Hello!  My name is Yoko Nomura and I call my work “feltmates”.  I am originally from Kyoto, Japan.  Now, I live in a small town in Wisconsin with my husband and our 11 year old dog.
I studied ceramics in college.  After graduation, I worked as a designer for a company which produced handbag lines in collaboration with well-known designers.  I learned many important skills from this experience.  I was involved in the entire process, from concept and design to making the patterns and the sample handbags.  In the late 1990’s, I became acquainted with some felt artists.  I was inspired by the idea of making your own material in which to work with. I started to design my own work with my own material, felt.  

What do you love most about making plush toys?
It makes me smile and happy!  It really works even the days that I’m not in a good mood.

Is this your full time job?
Yes.  I do volunteer work sometime besides this.

What sites do you look at for inspiration?
I look at real animal pictures on Google.  But, I get off track often because the images are often too cute to look at.

Did you do anything fun for the summer?
I ate a lot of fresh local vegetable and fruit from area farmer’s markets.  This is one of my favorite things to do every summer in the Midwest.  I also had the chance to meet with friends from Seattle who were visiting Chicago.