Steff Bomb Gives away her Sole

I discovered Steff Bomb when I started carrying her toy, Mr. Lertchman. She makes monsters and who can't appreciate that? I was so glad to see that she had applied to this year's Plush You show (which is next Friday btw??!!!!!). Leave a comment here with your contact info for your chance to win her Sole.



S- First tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into making plush toys?

SB- My name is Steff Bomb & i like making things? ha. i guess that pretty much sums it up. my favorite food is vegetarian corn dogs, my favorite color is brown, i love my boyfriend (his name is Evan & i think he is a dreamboat), and umm...i am allergic to cats (but i will snuggle them anyway).
i got starting making plush toys a few years ago when i lived with a bunch of friends back in Philly. i read about an all plush show called Plushtastrophe, in Pencil Fight #2. the show was amazing and oddly enough, it never dawned on me that you could do something like that. i have been drawing all of my life but never had a medium that i felt comfortable with...but after reading that article, plush just made sense. the next day, i bought a cheap sewing machine from a wholesale liquidator and i have been sewing ever since.
so, i guess, thank you Bwana Spoons. as it turns out, he is the 100% indirectly responsible for who i am today.



S- You haven't updated your site in awhile. What have you been up to since Oct. 2007?

SB- oh...you noticed that too, huh? heh...
i've realized that i am much better at keeping up with myspace than i am with my website, because i can update it on my own. i have never really been good with computer stuff. my friend Meghan Ansbach has been kind enough to offer to help me spruce up my website and even make the "news" section more of a blog...so that even with my lack of computer knowledge, i will be able to update it regularly.
i've been up to a lot, but its all sewing. actually thats pretty much all i have done since...but i am definitely not complaining. ha. i've also very very recently moved from Philly to Chicago. before this year, i have never even left the east coast. i have to be honest, as much as i love living in Chicago so far...i love Philly pizza much better.



S- One of your toys, Mr. Lertchman had an international release through ESC-Toy. How did that come about and how did that change your plush making career?

SB- oh man, it changed everything. completely and totally. late 2006-ish, i received an email from Erick Scarecrow basically saying that he likes my work and was wondering if i ever thought of mass production. coincidentally around that time, i had starting researching mass production because i wasn't able to keep up with orders. i thought it over, decided "what the hell", and starting saving. by April 2007, i had enough money to pay for the production costs. i know it's not the the best toy in the world...but i collect toys too, so it was surreal to actually see mine in stores all over the world, on the same shelves as Friends With You and Uglydoll's. it's opened so many doors for me too. i still cant get over that i get to be in awesome art shows...let alone alongside people that i have admired for years. i am not going to mention any names (cough cough Heidi Kenney cough cough)...but i still get all giddy about that stuff.



S- You also do crochet. What are your favorite crafts right at the moment?

SB- if eating junk food, snuggling, and napping are crafts, then they are my favorite. i am not so good at crocheting, but i do knit. every winter, usually after the holidays...i need a mini-brake from sewing, so i will pick my knitting back up for a bit. also, before i moved, i rented out sewing space in my friends' print shop. so from time to time i would screen print on work, like the top & front of a pizza box i had stitched.
...but no matter what, sewing will always be my number one favorite.



S- Where are you selling your work these days?

SB- hmm...i know that Jinxed in Philadelphia carries my toys, along with Rotofugi in Chicago...but i am not too sure where else off of the top of my head. i will admit that after the Mr. Lertchman release, i totally googled "Mr. Lertchman" to see where he was being sold. i have a webstore but its kind of half-assed. that will definitely be updated too.



S- I am writing these up while I watch Project Runway. Where do you find your biggest inspirations?

SB- my friends. hands down. they inspire me and keep me motivated, even when they are currently 12 hours away. i love them and wouldn't be where i am today without their constant help and support. that and food. all i think about is eating. that's why most of the things i sew are food related. i'm just hungry.



S- You have had some great press. How do you contact folks to tell them about your new work?

SB- i am a big wimp & i am very easily intimated, so i usually don't...with the exception of
Plastic and Plush, sometimes i will write them an email if i sew a new product. they are super nice. i also just started to post new art on the Rotofugi forums, but that's about it. generally, i have been really lucky with all of this. i am still shocked whenever someone else is interested in what i do.



S- What are you goals between now and the end of the year?

SB- ooh...finally catching up with all of my work would be amazing, updating my website finally, cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner, and surviving my first Chicago winter.



S- What are the top 5 albums in your player while you work?

SB- currently it's:
Belle & Sebastian - "Dear Catastrophe Waitress"
The Notwist - "Neon Golden"
Into It Over It - "52 Songs"
Tristeza - "Spine & Sensory"
Engine Down - "To Bury Within The Sound"



S- Would you like to share anything else with are readers?

SB- if you love Tyra Banks animated gifs as much as i do, you can send your favorites to steff@steffbomb.com & i will send you a funny one of Arnold Schwarzenegger eating a carrot or something equally as amazing.


Don't forget to leave a comment here with your contact info for your chance to win her Sole.