Introducing Star Wars to a world of craft and cakes
The closer Star Wars: The Force Awakens gets, the dizzier Star Wars fanatics are starting to get.
In fact, with the space opera's latest installment's upcoming release just round the corner, even non-Star Wars fans have started to get excited.
However, homemaker and mother of two, Lim Mei Sze, is way ahead of the game, having created Star Wars 3D masterpieces of her own, both edible and non-edible.
Thanks to her husband, Star Wars is very much part of her household.
With large a collection of Star Wars collectibles that include the Millennium Falcon, X-Wing starfighter, R2D2, The Ghost, TIE-Advanced and even a full Stormtrooper armour that has yet to be assembled, Star Wars is truly a part of their daily lives.
“The Force is strong with this family. Both my sons are into Star Wars lego,” she said.
She has two sons, Joshua and Marcus are aged four and two respectively.
The Malaysian who now resides in Melbourne first started crocheting back in 2002, when she was still an undergraduate.
“It was my late aunty Jane, who first introduced me to crochet.
“I practiced making flat scarves with double and single crochet stitches, but she didn't show me how to get straight edges so most of my practice scarves were wavy with crooked edges and certain sections bunched up due to uneven tension.”
After some time, Lim gave up, until she chanced upon a basic instruction card available at a craft store in Melbourne.
“I was hooked since then, and made scarves and blankets for myself, family and friends.
“However, I quickly grew bored of making flat pieces so I stopped crocheting altogether for the next five years,” she said.
Then one day in October 2010, Lim attended a craft expo and found a book on amigurumi, a Japanese-originated craft of making anthropomorphic 3D creatures with yarn.
And that was the genesis of the many pieces she has created and which she puts up on her Facebook page, Rolzy Polzy.
“I noticed there aren’t many realistic looking Star Wars amigurumi works out there, as most are small and cute, so I decided to create my own.”
Each character she crochets is about 25-30 centimetres tall.
Lim who also enjoys cooking and baking, put both her creative mind and baking skills together, and has cakes that are almost too gorgeous to consume.
“Food plays a very special role in my heart. I grew up in a family that loves food, so that interest in cooking and baking was already instilled in me when I was in primary school. I would attempt to bake and cook whatever I could.”
Through the years, Lim has made cake designs that include the Millennium Falcon and R2D2, as well as various fondant cupcake toppers like Darth Vader, Yoda, R2D2, Death Star, C3PO bust, and Stormtroopers.
“In 2011, I received my very first 3D fondant designer cake order for Lightning McQueen, for a kid's birthday and all of a sudden, moms started contacting me for their kids' birthday cakes,” she said.
Word went around, and Lim soon started getting many more requests, including wedding cakes.
“I can’t complain as I love food and I love art, so creating novelty cakes allows me to marry the two – art in the edible form,” she said.
Depending on the design, each cake takes her from three to 10 hours to make, and Lim says she often turns to YouTube to learn new techniques.
Five years later, Lim said she has plans to bring her pastime further, selling her amigurumi patterns on Etsy, as well as finished items.
“For now, I just take commissions for crochet plushies.
“On the baking side, I hope to one day have a commercial kitchen, or marry the two and have a café centered on yarn crafts while providing good quality comfort food and coffee!”
