Each plush doll is sewn by hand, using no machines, and their patterns are of my own design. All fabrics used are dyed by hand from white. Every doll has a poly-pellet beanbag inside their bodies and limbs to create a pleasing flop factor: these little friends will melt into the hands that carry them.

The stitch used to create these dolls is called nami nui, meaning “wave stitch”. In the West, this is known as the running stitch. Nami nui was the first stitch I learned as a child. It was taught to me by my Japanese mother, who learned it from her own mother, as it went on for many women before them. My heritage embeds itself into each stitch.

It is essential that my hand is present in each step of the sewing process, as it is the hand that most fluently speaks the language of dolls. Hands create them, hands hold them,  hands care for them, hands repair them, and hands love them. 

The surface of the dolls are furry to the touch. It is velvety smooth against your skin, easily succumbing to the graze of your fingertips. If you give the dolls a squeeze, they hold almost no resistance. Your clutch compresses their material inward, pulling the dolls into their own core. But when you release that pressure, they will spring back.

Because for a plush doll, forgiveness comes easily and love grows naturally.