Accessories made from the heart

I met Ana-Maria Matefi because of her special talent, a talent that made me understand what the passion for hand-made creations means. Every time I make a toy or an accessory I see every second spent to turn a thread into something very, very special. This is a beautiful story that I want to share with you. 

WOW: When did you start crocheting and how did you come up with the idea to create animals?

Ana-Maria: I started three years ago in September 2015 when I made a pair of slippers for converse babies, but the activity of crocheting toys for children started in September 2016 when I made the first toy by this method. Basically this passion came from the desire to surprise my nephew Patrick who was crazy about dinosaurs, but he already had a lot of plastic and I didn’t know how to surprise him. That’s when I came up with the idea to look for a model for a dinosaur. I tell you honestly that when I saw the happiness in his eyes as a child at the meeting with “Dino” I decided not to stop here and slowly I started to make a toy for each event that involved children around me. Later I made a Facebook page and so the orders slowly started to appear either through the page or directly from acquaintances or friends.

WOW: Can you explain in some detail what the technique is about? 

Ana-Maria: Amigurumi is the Japanese technique for making crocheted dolls filled with various materials. The word “amigurumi” derives from a combination of Japanese words, “ami” which means crocheted and “nuigurumi” which means stuffed / stuffed doll. Amigurumi are usually animals, but you can also make various animated characters, or very cute figures, used primarily as decorative objects, but also for original gifts. They are made with a crochet hook, starting from simple models that can be made entirely or more complex models that are made modularly, then the component elements are sewn together and assembled. The history of these dolls is very vague, one hypothesis is that the technique was brought from China where crocheted dolls have been made since ancient times. In the 80’s the Japanese national station NHK organized a show called “AMI” and so the madness “amigurumi” was born. In 2002, the Amigurumi Association was born, which has an important role in promoting this technique.

WOW: How do you choose your materials, do you have to orient yourself according to the model? 

Ana-Maria: Regarding the thread from which the toys are made, I can say that their choice depends on the child’s age. For the very young, for example a baby, I always choose a special thread that is antiallergic, and for the older ones I use mercerized cotton or cotton combined with acrylic. The filling consists of special anti-allergic balls. 

WOW: What inspires you and what do you like most about reproducing? 

Ana-Maria: I like animals the most, but I can say that babies are also children, and the favorite animal is the horse. But of course I don’t stop here, I try to satisfy any customer request, be it an animal or a cartoon character. The most difficult thing was when a friend asked Draco for her little girl. I didn’t find a model exactly anywhere and so I combined several models until what he wanted came out. I can say that it turned out really well. 

Thanks to the orders that Ana Maria has to honor, the Facebook page for these creations was also formed. You can view Trikot Bebe with confidence. This year Ana created for me a special purse that I wore as an accessory at the Untold festival and was admired by many people. I decided with her to organize a giveaway for the little ones, a very nice backpack (I admit I wanted to keep it) to give as a gift to the children.