Behind the Scenes...
Creator, Erin Froehlich, on "Strange But True" Creations...
Q.How long have you been sewing?
A.I've been interested in sewing from a young age and I actually taught myself. My mom used to have this little Tupperware container with clothes she was meaning to alter or mend plus some remnant fabric, and I would use that to make dresses for my dolls. I guess that's where it all started.
Q.Why sewing?
A.Well, I've actually dabbled in many forms of visual art - drawing, painting, crafting, macrame, collage, and sculpture. That's one of the things I like about sewing, especially plush art, it allows me to combine many different techniques and keep things interesting. It's sort of like magic, I start with piles of fabric, I cut it all up, then I sew it all together, and voila! I've turned a materials into a 3 dimensional character, with weight, and mass, and personality. It's a very good feeling.
Q.Where does inspiration come from?
A.So many places. Sometimes I'll just look through my fabric and that will give me an idea, other times I'll doodle until I have something I like, others I'm inspired by others plush work or a particular technique they used, and a lot of times I'm inspired by characters from stories, movies, and songs.
Q.What is the most difficult part of making plushies?
A.Finishing them! I'm the sort of person that loves to start new things, but as I'm making them I'm already thinking about the next project and feeling anxious to start that. Or sometimes I'll reach a snag where I'll need to go back and fix something and that can be really frustrating. Ideally I like to try and focus on one thing at a time , but if I'm feeling really frustrated rather than stop sewing completely I'll start a new project and work on that until I'm mentally ready to tackle the one that was giving me trouble.
Q.What do you see in Strange But True's future?
A. In terms of creations - I would like to make some more practical items - pillows, purses, hats, maybe even clothes. Of course I still plan on making more plush. In terms of business - I would like to do some art shows. Expect big things.
A.I've been interested in sewing from a young age and I actually taught myself. My mom used to have this little Tupperware container with clothes she was meaning to alter or mend plus some remnant fabric, and I would use that to make dresses for my dolls. I guess that's where it all started.
Q.Why sewing?
A.Well, I've actually dabbled in many forms of visual art - drawing, painting, crafting, macrame, collage, and sculpture. That's one of the things I like about sewing, especially plush art, it allows me to combine many different techniques and keep things interesting. It's sort of like magic, I start with piles of fabric, I cut it all up, then I sew it all together, and voila! I've turned a materials into a 3 dimensional character, with weight, and mass, and personality. It's a very good feeling.
Q.Where does inspiration come from?
A.So many places. Sometimes I'll just look through my fabric and that will give me an idea, other times I'll doodle until I have something I like, others I'm inspired by others plush work or a particular technique they used, and a lot of times I'm inspired by characters from stories, movies, and songs.
Q.What is the most difficult part of making plushies?
A.Finishing them! I'm the sort of person that loves to start new things, but as I'm making them I'm already thinking about the next project and feeling anxious to start that. Or sometimes I'll reach a snag where I'll need to go back and fix something and that can be really frustrating. Ideally I like to try and focus on one thing at a time , but if I'm feeling really frustrated rather than stop sewing completely I'll start a new project and work on that until I'm mentally ready to tackle the one that was giving me trouble.
Q.What do you see in Strange But True's future?
A. In terms of creations - I would like to make some more practical items - pillows, purses, hats, maybe even clothes. Of course I still plan on making more plush. In terms of business - I would like to do some art shows. Expect big things.
