How Do I Decide What/Who to Make?

Patterns in-process

My Etsy shop has a really weird amalgamation of things. Pokemon. Star Wars. Star Trek. Politics. Science Icons (coming...). Feminist symbols. With more being added as they strike my fancy or I get requests.

Why are the things that are there...there?

For lack of a better reason: Because I like them (and also because I made a gift for someone).

I've had a few requests: Can you make so-and-so? Well...maybe?

Here are the criteria I use to decide what to design:

It fits with my personal philosophies in some way (or, at least, I'm neutral on the matter).

My dad suggested that, to pair with the Ruth Bader Ginsberg ornament, I should make an Antonin Scalia ornament. . . . Nope. Not going to happen. Hours of energy go into designing an ornament and making it. I'm not going to spend that much time and effort on someone I'm philosophically opposed to.

The person has a distinct, recognizable look.

There are a lot of awesome, but very generic looking, people in this world. I wanted to make an Elizabeth Warren pattern, but Elizabeth Warren (though I love her) looks kinda like generic soccer mom #5. (FOR THE PURPOSES OF FELT RENDERING.) The same goes for Sonia Sotomayor. She is fab, but isn't instantly recognizable in felt form. Susan B. Anthony sort of has the same issue.

It helps to have a unique phrase/quote. 

Michelle Obama didn't turn out that distinctive-looking. This is my failing as the designer and speaks to my artistic limitations, surely, but still. However, she had a great quote that helped aid in being recognizable. Quotes, unfortunately, also have to be quite short and pithy. "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum." ["Don't let the bastards grind you down."] from Handmaid's Tale was, necessarily, shortened to "BASTARDES".

It brings me some sort of joy.

The things I make are mostly (with the exception of gifts I've made for nieces/nephews) things I really love. It gets to be a pretty eclectic spread. I love Bill Nye the Science Guy. I love powerful, strong women (I have a Notorious RBG maternity shirt). I love Star Trek. And Monty Python. And Firefly. And Julia Child. And RuPaul. And Doctor Who. And a bunch of geeky pursuits. So what I love is what I make.

It has to be able to be rendered in felt.

I don't have my Busy Book patterns up yet, but as I was going through those--taking scenes from things I loved--part of the challenge was to figure out how to render them in felt. A friend suggested I show a Romulan Warbird uncloaking. Awesome! How do I do that...in felt? There's a similar challenge with people--they have to be recognized with simplified features. (Too complex and their faces turn into a big ol' hot mess.)

 So what's coming up, as of right now?

Patterns made, crafts made, awaiting instruction-writing:

• Bill Nye (The Science Guy!)
• The Golden Girls 
• Weeping Angel 
• Crest of Hyrule 
• RuPaul "Werk" 
• Firefly Finger Puppets
• Busy Book: Monty Python Holy Grail
• Busy Book: Monty Python Flying Circus
• Busy Book: Star Trek TOS

Patterns made. Crafts and instructions not yet made: 

• Neil Degrasse Tyson
• Frida Kahlo 
• Lucille Ball (winkin' and drinkin' Vitametavegamin)
• Calvin and Hobbes [Gift.]
• Link (from Legend of Zelda) [Pattern made. Need to make craft and instructions.]

Patterns, crafts and instructions yet unmade: 

• Tina Fey "Bitches get stuff done" (if I can figure out how to render her in felt...she is going to be problematic, I think.)
• Jem (of Jem and the Holograms)
• She-Ra
• Opus 
• Paul Wellstone "We all do better when we all do better"
• Busy Book: Firefly (this has been started, but not enough to count)

Things I'm considering, but seem less likely:

• Elizabeth Cady Stanton/Susan B. Anthony
• Che
• Something Barack Obama
• Dr. Cornel West
• Malala

It's a lot of things! But I'm always open to suggestions--so feel free to send me an email/message if you see a void in the world that must be filled by felt crafts.