N: I made a Gasai Yuno plushie for myself, because she’s my waifu I love her (laughs). I still have her? T: What about your first paid commission?

T: What was the first plushie you every made?

How’d you get into making plushies? It’s a different angle from most fan artists.I’m not that great at drawing. Well, I have to be somewhat OK because I make the patterns. I like cute things, and I wanted to make cute things. (laughs) I don’t know, I’m sorry. I found that with plushies, you see the design in your mind and then interpret it into a 3D form, and I really like that process, so I started sewing a long time ago. I’ve been sewing since 2011, and started making plushies in 2012. The first thing I ever made was a shirt, and I actually make my own clothes too.

T: How long into this hobby did you realize that it could also serve as a business

N: Well, it kind of still is a hobby for me. I know that conventions usually have artist alleys, so I started doing them, and people wanted commissions. Then my friend Lexii got me into selling things live at events. She inspired me to get out there. [Note: I was unfortunately unable to interview Lexii at G4, but follow her on Twitter! Click that link! Do it!]

T: Is smash your main fandom?

N: Yes. Well, technically most of these are Fire Emblem characters. I love Fire Emblem, and I do a lot of Fire Emblem stuff (laughs).

T: What makes a plushie technically difficult?

N: The patterning is the hard part. I might have to do it 3 or 4 times to get it to work the way I want. To me, the sewing part isn’t really complex, but taking the design for the pattern—taking a 2D concept and making it into a 3D object— as well as making it look good and in proportion, that’s the difficult part. (Holds up measuring tape) This is my bestie. Once I’m done sewing a new piece up, I’m just amazed when it does work. It’s an amazing process. I don’t know how to explain it. The feeling’s like, “Man, I hope this turns out how I want it to!”

T: That’s true! You never know what it’s going to look like until the process is finished, which is very different from painting.

N: Sometimes it looks much different on paper than the final pushed out version, and the shape doesn’t come out correctly depending on the angles, and you have to do a lot of alterations.

T: Who’s your main?

N: Pit, because I love him. I love Pit. I played him in Brawl, and Brawl is the game that I really love for some reason. I don’t know why, but I just love Pit. I love his arrows, and I love him. It’s kind of like how when some people love Marth, they LOVE Marth. I love Pit the same way.

T: Do you have any favorite pro players?

N: Nick Riddle! Is he pro, is he considered a pro player?

T: Yeah! I’ll put that in though.

N: NO! (laughs)