How losing my brother got me started making World of Warcraft plush

I wasn't sure if I was going to write this- wasn't sure if I could.  But this has a lot to do with some of my creations, and I think I owe my brother the recognition for his part in their making.  My older brother, Jeff died 1 year ago on Oct. 28th.  He was only 39 and his passing was sudden and unexpected.  It hit me hard, and I still have a hard time believing that he's gone.  His passing caused my mother and I to reconnect after many years, and through her I learned about a side of Jeff he didn't always share.  I knew about Jeff's love of fantasy, of course, that went back to the days of Dungeons and Dragons, but I didn't know that he had traded D&D for the World of Warcraft.  My mother and younger brother played too, and through them I learned about some of the different characters and their roles in the game.  Jeff had a Tauren character.  When Mother saw some of the work I was doing, she brought up the idea of making plush World of Warcraft characters.  She's also the one who found ArtFire and sent me the link (THANK YOU Mommy!).  As a way to honor Jeff, I decided the first characters I would make would be Taurens.  It took weeks of study about Taurens, and even longer testing out patterns, changing, adapting, and trying again before I came up with a Tauren I was willing to put up for sale.  These patterns are created completely by me, and each character is one of a kind.  The Taurens measure between 14" and 18" and are stuffed with polyester fiberfill.  They're dressed in leather and carry polylmer clay (sculpted by hand) weapons.  I think Jeff would be proud of them.  Recently I've started making Murlocs.  So far I've created 3 different patterns, with options to customize each one.  These monsters measure between 12" and 17" tall and are stuffed with polyester fiberfill.  They have jointed arms and legs, and I use pipe cleaners in their fingers, making them completely poseable.  If Jeff were here, I'd give him one for a pet.  He always liked my comical fantasy sculptures- my Christmas presents always made him laugh.  As I get time, I'll be creating new characters, and delving deeper into Jeff's World of Warcraft.  These are the plushies I have available at the time of this post, however, I'm working on another Murloc right now, and will be listing new characters as I complete them.  Thanks for reading and browsing.

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Happy Birthday Jeff

This would have been my big brother's 40th birthday. He died last October. It's really hard to see that in print- I still have a hard time believing he's gone. Jeff had Leukemia, and was in the hospital due to complications. It wasn't the first time he'd had issues with his medication, so although I was concerned, it looked like they'd be able to switch medications, and he should be fine. In fact, he was responding well to the new medications, but he was having problems breathing. I called him at the hospital, and although he was only able to talk for a few minutes I told him I loved him before I hung up. I am so glad I did. The next day he was moved to ICU, and the day after he passed away. I really expected him to get better. I thought I'd be able to call him when he got home and we'd chat about his cat and dog, reminisce about Anne, his cat who had passed away several months earlier, and just BS about whatever. I wish I could have seen him more. He lived in Washington state and I live in Ohio, and neither of us could afford to travel. I wish he could see what I'm doing online right now. Jeff was an amazing computer programmer. He knew a computer like nobody else. You had a tech question, you called Jeff. He also loved fantasy. I remember him playing Dungeons and Dragons when we were kids. At that age I didn't know much about the game, but I did like looking through all his D&D books with the cool characters and beasts. Once World of Warcraft came out he became a huge fan. This was perfect for Jeff- it combined computers, a huge online community, and fantasy role playing. Jeff is a big reason why I started making plush World of Warcraft characters. It's a small way I can share a piece of his world. He always enjoyed my artwork and encouraged me to keep at it. There's so much I want to share with him. He was way too young. He could have accomplished so much in this world. Not only am I incredibly sad that he was taken from us, I'm angry that he was never allowed to reach his full potential and live the life he deserved.
He was good big brother. I remember him walking me home from kindergarten, and all his friends were teasing him about it. He completely ignored them and walked me home from school every day. I felt a lot safer with my big brother by my side. He used to take my little brother Mike and I out trick or treating every Halloween. He would try to plan the best route so we'd get the most candy before we got too tired. He was so special- I only hope he knew that. He was very protective of me, Mike, Gramma, and later BJ, my youngest brother. Not many people knew Jeff really well, but those who did were privileged enough to know him personally were lucky indeed. I love him, I miss him, and I still mourn for him. I hope he knows he is not forgotten, and he MATTERED.
Happy birthday Jeff, from your little sister.
-Michelle