PRIMARY TOOLS & MATERIALS:
FELT, DIE CUTTING MACHINE

Additional Tools & Materials: die cutting software, embroidery floss, sewing needle, xacto knife, scissors, polyester stuffing, camera

This mashup was under Fibers + Digital Cutting. I took the letter X from Gotham Black, duplicated it, and then using the shape drawing tool in my die cutting software I created the eight rectangular panels that would join the two X sides to make a stuffed felt letterform. I first joined the eight panels to one X using needle and embroidery thread, which created something that looked like an x-shaped tray or box. Then I stitched the other X panel on, leaving a 1" section open for stuffing. Once it was sufficiently stuffed I sewed up the gap and tied off the thread. 

The results are bumpy, irregular, and rough to the touch. The X is slightly lop-sided, causing you to want to twist it into the right form. I stuffed it because I wanted the letter to feel puffy, and as though it had weight to it. I also wanted all the panels to fully expand, which looked much cleaner than the droopy "shell" before stuffing. 

This letter has a comical feel. Somewhere between a baseball, a dog toy, and a voodoo doll. I could see an alphabet made this way serving as an excellent teaching toy for toddlers learning their ABCs.