karakanani
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meet tomi! 🐯
🕑 Added 2025-06-11 00:32:49 +0000 UTCHello patrons!
Something super exciting that has been in the works since January...
I made a plush keychain!!! Meet Tomi tiger 🧡
Tigers hold a special place in my heart because I was born in the year of the Tiger and when I was little, my uncle in Canada shared the same zodiac. So the family would call us "Big Tiger" and "Little Tiger". The more I drew this character, I had to make him my first plushie product!
♢ The Process ♢
The making of Tomi took a lot of back and forth communication between me and the manufacturer. We went through 3 different prototypes and I was limited to a certain amount of revisions. The hardest part to communicate was the overall shape, I wanted Tomi to look round and petite! I had a general idea of how I wanted Tomi to look and it was fun to see the plush being translated from digital to physical form.
Sample 1 🐯
There was misunderstandings and some roadblocks along the way on what was/wasn't possible due to sizing and binding capabilities. Below are photos of the prototype process starting with the first sample:
The first sample, they embroidered my lineart for Tomi's snout. I didn't want it to look too drastic with a brown outline, so I drew on top of the photo example the manufacturer sent to show them what I was looking for (I also wanted the arms to be slightly shortened):
Sample 2 🐯
Since the manu didn't have the best materials to work with for a bowtie around Tomi, I decided to take this task on my own. There was a specific color and ribbon pattern I had in mind, and I feel like it was the safest option for me as I was already putting in so much to make sure I got these plushies right. The second sample excludes the bowtie. I loved the body shape of the second sample! This left the manufacturer to sew in the snout in the final sample.
Sample 3 🐯
Annnnd Tomi is finished!! :D
Once they sewed the white snout, Tomi was complete. Around his neck looked a little empty, but I knew that tying a ribbon around him would help this.
Once the final revisions were made on the prototype, I was finally able to approve of the sample and they mass produced it! As a courtesy, my manu added on brand tags for me. I just had to communicate where I would like them to be sewn on the doll.
Below is how it's been going!! I have been tying bows on all the Tomi's day by day. I cannot wait to share some photos that I took of Tomi... and another friend that I will post about soon (o:
Tomi tiger will be included in the upcoming shop update! I am so so excited to share him with you, so thank you for reading about my journey in creating my first plush. This project is near and dear to my heart because I love collecting plush products myself and creating my own feels so surreal. 🧡
Comments
Kara Makishi
Thank you Dorci!! This makes me excited to think about all the adventures Tomi will go on with others! <3
Kara Makishi
Thank you so much Jamie!! I am working on updating shipping for UK and EU as I am completely transitioning to the webshop instead of Etsy. So yes, I do plan to ship to the UK and will provide an update (o:
dorci
aaaaa he is adorable!! 😭💕 can’t wait to hang one on my bag!
Jamie
Too cute!!! Is it possible to ship this to UK?
