Full of Fluff Interview

This will be the second year Carey Huffman of Full of Fluff has participated in Plush You! I LOVE her work! It's amazing, sells really quickly and each piece has tons of personality. This year's pieces are AMAZING!! I am so glad we finally were able to learn more about the woman behind this work. Enjoy!



S- First tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started Full of Fluff.

FoF- I started Full of Fluff a year or so back while I was working in my first job as a graphic designer right out of school. I needed more creative stimulation than what I was getting at work and I thought that blogging would force me to do more crafting and write about my work. I have always loved toys and I started making more and more just before starting the blog. Toys are fun and a great way to make art where the only standard is how warm the smile of the viewer is. I chose the name Full of Fluff because toys are literally filled with fluff and my intent is that the blog would always be light and fluffy no matter what I am making.



S- What is your favorite organizational tool?

FoF- Pegboard. I love that thing. I can quickly look at all my craft tools and find what I need. I like how there is no right and wrong place to put everything, most everything tends to go on the closest hook to my hand when I am working.



S- How much time do you get to dedicate to your crafts?

FoF- It never feels like enough but I am sure many would think of it as too much. I work a full-time job but most evenings and weekends I cram in some craft time. I also try to carry a small working project in my purse. It can be surprising when you have some unexpected down time where you can get some work done. I also come up with a lot of my ideas while in meetings.



S- How do you promote your work?

FoF- I keep a blog and use flickr and craftster. People also love free stuff so whenever I post a free pattern I get a ton of traffic to my site.



S- What has been one of your most popular characters?

FoF- My biggest hit is my crocheted pacman but that is not an original character of mine. People like my Kitsume and what I am now calling my imps.



S- How long does it usually take you to make a guy from conception to final product?

FoF- That depends on the project. My fast time was about 3 hours where I made a sleepy kitty one lazy morning but it took me almost a year to make the right whale.



S- What is your favorite craft supply?

FoF- I have a real soft spot for cotton anything. Maybe it is the Georgia girl in me. I like how cotton does not pill or fuzz and looks nice and crisp. One of my favorite tools is a nostepinne, also known as a ball-winder-stick-thingie.



S- What is one of your biggest guilty pleasures?

FoF- I think I visit cuteoverload a thousand times a day.



S- Where do you see Full of Fluff in the next 2 years?

FoF- I hope to be more productive. I want to start making more toys and selling them on a regular basis. I also want to start writing more patterns so people can make their own toys and other fun stuff.



S- Any news you would like to share with our readers?

FoF- I hope to have my first for sale pattern up on my site soon.

Ana Paula Rimoli Interview

I have mentioned before that I am a huge fan of amigurumi. Once I discovered my love for crochet, it was all over. I really wish I had more time for it these days. I am so glad people like Ana exist. She was a wonderful person to work with for the Plush You book, she has always been very generous and most importantly, her creations are adorable. Any age would love a treat from Ana OR from you as you can make your own. You can get her patterns on her Etsy shop or purchase her new book, Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet. The title sums it up. You can also leave a comment here (with your email or way to contact you) and possibly win your very own signed copy directly from the creator herself!



S- When did you begin making amigurumi toys?

AP- I started making lots of them when I was pregnant with Oli (5), but I had made some (without knowing they were "amigurumi") when I was little (I started crocheting when I was 6 or 7)



S- Were you a huge hit on etsy right away? How did you try to increase your etsy business?

AP- At the time I was working full time in an office type place, and wasn't taking Etsy that seriously. Once Martina was born (she'll be 2 in September!) and I was in maternity leave I started making a lot more toys & patterns and posting a lot more and finally realized that I could Etsy full time, and I quit! :) I've never done too much advertising, but I did join Flickr right away and started posting in different amigurumi/craft related groups. I think that's helped a lot!



S- You have an awesome book out recently that I will get to more later, did a publishing company contact you or did you contact them?

AP- I had been thinking about the possibility of a book for a while, and I finally wrote a proposal and sent it to Martingale. I was super lucky and they contacted me right away :)



S- How has Etsy helped you as an artist with exposure, etc?

AP- Etsy has been a great way of showing what I do/getting exposure. It's an easy way to get seen by tons of different people from all over the world that appreciate handmade stuff, crafting and the arts. I would have never thought about the possibility of writing a book if it hadn't been for all the nice people that wrote, bought so many patterns and were so nice and encouraging.



S- Do you ever teach crocheting? If no, would you?
AP- No, I've never tought. I tried to teach Oli a couple of times but she's left-handed and it was difficult for me to show her, we're going to try again, though :) I would love to teach a little ami class, and I'm kind of planning one. Hopefully in the summer I can start :)



S- How often do you update your site with patterns?

AP- I try to post a new pattern or toy at least once a week, but right now I'm working on a couple other projects, so it's been difficult. I'm hoping to get back into that in September, with good news to share :)



S- Do you feel like you try to keep a certain demographic in mind when working on a new piece or you just feel the mood to do something new and do it?

AP- Not really, but I think most of the toys work for everybody :)



S- How long did it take you to work on your book from start to print?

AP- Most of the patterns in the book were already in my Etsy shop, so I just had to make the toys and take the patterns from the Etsy shop. I think it took a couple of months to have them all done and ready to go, and then around 7 months for the book to be out. I guess it was pretty fast :)



S- Do you have any favorite moments since the beginning of your amigurumi career?

AP- My favorite part are the nice, nice people I get to meet, and the letters!.
I got one from a mom that works full time and has little kids. She told me that following the patterns she can crochet a little bit here and there, in her lunch time or late at night, and make toys for them :) That felt so good! I know how difficult it is to work full time and have little kids and knowing that I'm somehow helping moms makes me happy. I love the feeling of seeing Oli & Marti play with toys that I make for them, and I imagine that happens to everybody.
Lots of people are saying that they're learning how to crochet just to make the toys, or with the help of the toys, and that's great too. Crocheting has been the old lady/toilet paper cover of the crafts for way too long, and I love to be a tiny little part of bringing it back.



S- What is on the horizon for you and your business?

AP- I hope I can continue to do what I love, and that I can grow, get better and try different things too. I hope this doll-making thing lasts forever. When I was little I used to always think how cool it would be to just make toys all day, and here I am! I don't think it can get much better than this :)

Thanks Ana! Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet!