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live at the Great Wisconsin
Quilt Show with insights to

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this year's event. I'm joined
by Yaya Han.

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>> Hi everyone.
>> Welcome, Yaya. I'm sure you

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all know Yaya, Yaya Han is a
cosplay maker.

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>> Yes, I make costumes. I also
design fabrics and cosplay

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focused materials and tools and
machines. Apparently. So you're.

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>> A cosplay? Not only a maker
but entrepreneur.

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>> Yeah, you could call it that.
I feel very blessed that I get

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to, you know, be in this very
creative space. And my whole

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life has revolved around
dressing up as characters,

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designing characters, and
making costumes. It's really

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fun.
>> When did you get into it?

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>> Well, I've been doing
cosplay for almost 30 years. My

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first convention was back in
1999. An anime convention,

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because I grew up being a huge
anime and manga fan, and I saw

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people dressed up in costumes
of the characters from the

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anime, and I was like, I want
to do that. So.

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>> So costumes weren't readily
available for purchase, so you

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decided to.
>> No, no. Oh gosh. No, no.

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Back in 1999, the early odds,
you could not buy costumes at

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all. Like if you didn't make it
or knew somebody who could make

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it for you like a family member.
You didn't have a costume. And

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and I was in America without
the rest of my family. So I had

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to actually learn how to sew
because of cosplay.

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>> How did you teach yourself
how to sew?

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>> I learned with one of my
anime club members who showed

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me like how to use a very
cheapo sewing machine. I have

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no idea what machine it was
very bare bones. You know, one

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of those. Now equivalent? Yeah,
definitely an entry level

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machine. And honestly, all I
knew was like the straight

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stitch and I knew how to go
backwards and that's it. So

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yeah. And that's how I made my
first several costumes until I

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upgraded, I think to a brother
at some point. But yeah.

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>> And now you have a brunet,
your own. Brunet brunet sewing

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machine, Brunet 7979. Yeah,
yeah. Hand machine. Yes. And

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the brunet.
>> 383838 absolutely. Yeah.

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It's been a crazy wild ride to
work with Bernina and Brunet.

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And there's such an amazing
company and just like so

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focused on quality and. Oh, I'm
just so happy that they're here

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to support cosplayers because
cosplayers are sort of the new

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generation of sewists. You know,
a lot of young people, they get

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into sewing because of their
desire for fashion and for

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fandom. So cosplay is sort of
the perfect, you know, entry

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way. And so it's really
important to have good,

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reliable sewing machine
companies supporting the new

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beginners, you know, so that
they have something really to

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start with. Yeah.
>> They have success.

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>> Right. So yeah, this costume
was entirely made on the, on my

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Burnett 38 and the embroidery
was done on my. Burnett 3079.

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Wow. So yeah, it was like my
whole sewing room was matching.

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It was so great. Everything was
purple. I loved.

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>> It.
>> It's fun. And your

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accessories with Oliso irons
are also purple.

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>> Yes.
>> That's a new collection that

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came out this year, and Oliso
is another fantastic company.

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Again, such dedication to
quality, but also so whimsical

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and fun. I was like, can we do
cherry blossoms? And I expected

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them to be like.
>> Oh, maybe.

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>> A little. And they were like,
sure, what do you what do you

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have in mind? So I submitted a
few different ideas and we went

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with like the midnight Sakura
theme.

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>> Beautiful, beautiful. And
this, the costume you're

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wearing has a title.
>> Yes. So this is my original

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character. So I designed the
character. I made the full

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costume. It's called moon
Blossom.

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>> Moon blossom.
>> Yeah, yeah. Because you can

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do that. You don't always have
to do recreations of canon

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existing characters. You can
design your own. Yeah.

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>> Well, great. You're such an
inspiration to so many makers

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and, and entry level sewers and.
>> Oh, thank you so much.

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>> That's what I want. I just
want to inspire people to sew.

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And, you know, be it, be it a
costume, be it clothing, be it

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a quilt, whatever it is that
they want, just get on the

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sewing machine because it's so
therapeutic. It's just so nice,

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such a good activity to pass,
you know.

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>> And to take flat fabric and
turn it into a beautiful

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creation.
>> Absolutely.

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>> It's yeah, you said it's.
>> A great feeling. Yes. So

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you're here at the Great
Wisconsin Quilt Show Thursday

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only.
>> Yeah. Because I have to run

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off to another convention on
this weekend.

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>> You're a busy woman.
>> No. Well, it's convention

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season right now.
>> And at 1015 today, you'll be

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on the main stage with an
interview and audience Q&A with

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Yaya.
>> Yes, yes, please come and

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bring your questions. Yeah,
yeah.

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questions, I'm sure.
>> Good.

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>> And then after you're
finished at the stage, then you

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head over to the booth.
>> Yes. I'll be hanging out

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with the Burnett booth. I can
do demos. I can answer

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questions about the 79 and 38
and maybe some other machines

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too. And yeah, I'm also
available for photos of work

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costumes. So, you know, happy
to take photos. So and also I,

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we have the booth for a little
bit today as well. And just

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happy to meet everybody, you
know, and, and celebrate my

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products and celebrate sewing.
>> I love that. Thank you.

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Thank you for joining us and
thank you for celebrating

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sewing and quilting with us. Of
course, it's a joy to meet you.

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>> Thank you. Thanks for having
me.

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you for tuning in and to learn
more about this year's event

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and next year's event, head
over to Quilt show.com.

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