Meet Plush You! artist: Kiriki

I took a pic of these on instagram and boy oh boy did they garner a lot of attention as they should!  So magical!

Tell my readers a bit about yourself
I'm a printmaker with a serious passion for embroidery and travel.  I grew up in Toronto, Canada and after graduating with a B.F.A from the Ontario College of Art and Design I headed to Venice, Italy for a few years to work at a printmaking studio.  While in Italy I became enamored with the fine needlework I saw on traditional garments and proceeded to watch a ton of youtube videos to learn surface embroidery.  Early this year I began working on my own patterns for plush toys, which will soon be available as D.I.Y. Embroidered Doll Kits.

What do you love most about making plush toys?
I love the moment when the final stitch is sewn and the doll transforms from a labour of love to a simple play thing.

Is this your full time job?
Not yet -- but working on it!

What sites do you look at for inspiration?
I look at illustration blogs, like pikaland, for colour and design inspiration.  My most valuable resource is Mary Corbet's Needle 'N Thread, though!  Her ecclesiastical embroideries are breathtaking but I like to use traditional stitches on my own contemporary pattern designs.

Did you do anything fun for the summer?
Camping and canoeing near the La Cloche mountains in Ontario