Thursday, April 17, 2008

Jenny Harada Interview

If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting Jenny Harada then you know how awesome she is. I finally got to meet her last summer at Renegade Craft Fair and then was lucky enough to hang out with her at the Etsy Labs this past December. And as cheesy as this might sound, Jenny is seriously like a ray of sunshine. She's passionate about her work, her family and helping Plush You to be a success. I think Jenny kicks ass and I think you will too. At the end of the interview are the details of her awesome giveaway! Don't forget to leave a comment.



S- Were toys the thing that got you into sewing or had you mastered the art of sewing before?

JH- I wouldn't say I have mastered sewing yet, even though I have been sewing for 28 years. The first things I ever sewed were clothes for my dolls. Stuffed toys soon followed because my dolls (and me) needed little friends. I pretty much started sewing because my mom was doing it and I wanted to do whatever she was doing. It was fun, so I stuck with it.

S- What drew you to making toys in the first place?

JH- I was a kid when I started making them, so it was just natural that I wanted more toys! What better way to get more toys than to make them yourself? I never really stopped since then. I don't want to grow up. Then I studied toy design in college but decided to persue animation instead of toy making. Is wasn't until years later that I began seriously making lots and lots of my own toys all the time.

Read here for the full interview.

Giveaway details are:
Jenny will make a custom plush for the winner based on their two favorite colors and two favorite animals, so leave your choices in the comments! The rest is up to her. It will be a surprise! Please leave a comment on the full interview. Winner will be chosen on April 30th

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay enter me in the giveaway!!
Olive green, fushia
Owls, goldfish
danielle.luke@yahoo.com

Heather K Ross said...

How cute are those! I really enjoyed checking out Jenny's work and the interview. :)

my two favorite colors (right now) are Blue and Orange, and my two favorite animals are Dogs and Cats. :)

Unknown said...

Oooh. <3 plushes.

My favorite colors: blue & silver.
Favorite animals: tiger & dolphin.
:D

Anonymous said...

hi Jenny! ...my two favorite colors are blue and purple (cause when i where it, it makes me feel sassy). my favorite animals are Boston Terriers and owls! have a great day!

Eva said...

what a cool giveaway! fun interview too- i loved seeing all the different monsters jenny has made ;)

my 2 fave colors: salmon & light blue
my 2 fave animals: owls and lions

Victor said...

wow! so very lovely!

my favorite colors: black and pink
my favorite animals: dogs and parrots

Unknown said...

Great interview!

Wow, favorite colors - Pink and Turquoise

favorite animals - Monkeys and Panda Bears

Anonymous said...

Colors: purple and red
Animals: cheetahs and hedgehogs

(I am VERY curious to see how this combination would look!)

Anonymous said...

Enter me! :)

Purple & green (& blue)

Penguin & polar bear

Anonymous said...

totally fun. favorites are greens and blues. daschunds and monsters.

greetingarts said...

These interviews are great, I love reading all the background and getting a feel for the designers. Thank you!

Favorite colors: pink and lime green... favorite animals: ladybugs and giraffes.

Girl_Industries said...

I found you via craftzine.com and really enjoyed the interview and looking at your work.

My favourite colours are red and green, my favourite all-time animal is the red panda, and penguins are a close second.

girl.industries@yahoo.co.uk

emily said...

I love Jenny's work!

My two favorite colors are black and green. My favorite animals are cats and birds.

ekra at etchouse dot com

Anonymous said...

Weird fun critters!
Two favorite colors: Purple and Teal
Two favorite beasts: Hermit Crab and Hedgehog
owlbirds@earthlink.net

Anonymous said...

Weird intriguing critters!
My favorite colors: Purple and Teal
My favorite beasts: Hermit Crabs and Hedgehogs
owlbirds@earthlink.net

Anonymous said...

How cool! I love plushies. My fave colors are black and magenta. My fave animals are elephants and bumblebees.

magenta1000@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

So awesome!!!
pink & orange
owls & monkeys

Anonymous said...

Whee! I like pink and red, bunnies and dogs. =:3

Ginny said...

My favorite colors are pink & yellow & my 2 favorite animals are cat & monkey

P-Lilith said...

Cool,

well i really tapiers and octopus.

I am big fan of olive green, and eletric blue. Bit of a clash but i love the idea :)