Hey there everybody, and happy Friday to you all! Now, earlier in the week I promised you new Beasties… So, new Beasties you shall have. And not just a couple, either… There’s a whole family of them waiting to meet you!
This project started when I met Lino from Olivieri’s Fine Italian Foods at a market just before Christmas. We got chatting, and I mentioned that as well as the gang of little knitted monsters hanging out on my stall that day, I also do requests. Fast forward a few months, and I’m sure you can imagine how delighted I was when he got back in touch and asked me to Beastify his entire family AND their faithful pooch!
I should probably introduce you to the man himself – or at least his Beastie counterpart!
I used a wool and alpaca yarn for his hair, and dressed him in a smart blue felt t-shirt and grey shorts.
And what’s that in his paw?
It’s a Beastie-sized bottle of olive oil! Lino has been running his family’s olive grove and farm in southern Italy since 2010, and he brings the oil he produces there back to Ireland to supply specialist food stores and restaurants across the country. His oils were even listed as being among the best available in Ireland in this article in The Irish Times last year! Definitely an achievement worthy of being celebrated in felt and teeny sewing, I’m sure you’ll agree. I made sure to include his company logo on the bottle’s label – accept no substitutes!
But hey, where’s the rest of the family?
Let’s meet the girls first, starting with… Florence Beastie!
This sweet little monster lady seems to have a real way with animals… In many of the photos her dad sent me, there was usually a four-legged friend in there somewhere too. At his suggestion, I went hunting for a dress fabric with an animal print… And wow, that’s a tricky thing to find! Many of the fabrics I liked had an oversized design that would be totally lost on a Beastie-sized outfit. In the end, I found three designs that fit the bill, and this was the pick of the bunch – cute without being babyish, and the little pink birds sit nicely alongside her candy-coloured complexion.
I also had fun styling her hair!
And let’s take a proper look at that dress, too.
I changed my dress pattern up a bit for this project – I opted for a circle skirt instead of pleats, and I really like the neater line it gives. The dress closes with my new favourite hook-and-eye fastener, too!
Meanwhile, Beastie Florence’s sister Sophia Beastie is sporting an outfit that shows her love of dance! This was a first for me…
…Voilà ! One Beastie-sized leotard!
Perfect for a day at the studio, or her next big stage performance! She looks happy, anyway.
And let’s not forget their brother, Lucca Beastie!
He’s looking sharp in a tailored button-down shirt and boxy-framed glasses.
And after seeing a set of headphones in one of my reference photos, I thought I’d better Beastify those too!
And, last but not least, meet Lino Beastie’s partner Lynn Beastie!
This is another new dress design – a sweet sundress inspired by one of the reference photos I used. It’s cut on the bias with a cute A-line shape, has a halterneck (well, as much as I could manage given that Beasties don’t have necks) and fastens with a ribbon at each shoulder.
Then a pair of snazzy sunglasses completes her look!
Oh, and who’s this?
Well, I did mention there was a dog! Hey there, Beastie Lego!
Heehee! I think he likes you.
Now, let’s get everyone together in the Teeny Photo Studio for a group shot!
Lovely!
But this isn’t the end of the story for this monster family! Stop back in on Tuesday to find out where these Beasties are going, and why they have special feet…
… See you then!
Holy hunk of wool! What an amazing job on an amazing Beastie family!! I have to say Lucca Beastie is quite the handsome fellow. And those Velcro feet look a bit more handy than the loops of tape I’ve resorted to on occasion. Still, Lego’s sticky-out tongue takes the cake (maybe literally). :))
Heehee, quite possibly! 😂 And I got the sticky feet idea from fellow Beastie buddy Tierney – after her Beastie nearly lost a shoe on a day out, she used velcro to make sure they were firmly attached! Thanks for stopping in, Tammie… Enjoy your weekend 😀
Yay! Yes my Beastie girl has velcro on her feet and inside her little boots and that resolved the random shoe loss during Beastie-Adventures issue!
It was a really good fix! I never like to make shoes too tight, because then they can’t be taken off, and they make the Beastie’s legs look weird and squished. I’ll definitely be offering the velcro option to future boot-wearing Beasties though!
Well, I can’t blame her for wanting to ditch her footwear….hate wearing shoes! Still, great idea (although I probably still would have resorted to using tape). 😜
Tape is also good! I’ve started using it in the making process too – it’s the best way to hold small template pieces in place to get the most accurate cut. I think I might need to do a post soon about sneaky fixes to make Beasties behave themselves on photoshoots! 🤔
I resorted to clothes pins the other day. Please don’t report me to PETA for beastie cruelty.
I’d probably have to turn myself in as well if that was an issue… Although I should mention that using sewing pins is totally ok and cruelty-free, because Beasties are firm believers in the therapeutic benefits of acupuncture.
It’s a thin line between monster acupuncture and voodoo doll, though 😆
Ha! Yes… And you’d better believe that Beasties know the difference! 😆
A-mazing!!!!!!! Phewfff this looks like a massive amount of work – but what a result! I am especially impressed by the leotard. And those cute dresses! And the pup, of course. Which was the most challenging bit? Beastie Lino is also weirdly…. attractive? I think it’s his Italian hipster vibe… and I can’t resist a man/Beastie carrying a bottle of olive oil. Awesome job, once again!!!!!
Hahahaha! You have a very particular type, Weekes! 😂 Sorry, I mean “thank you for to your lovely comment”! As for the trickiest bit, making the Beasties themselves was fine… At this stage, looking at my to-do list in the morning and figuring out what to tackle next was the hardest part. But this project did have an extra twist, and trust me, you’re going to hear all about the REALLY challenging part in tomorrow’s post! Cheers for stopping in 😀
Hhahaha. Ugh, I certainly get that about the to-do list… it’s always a hard gamble to determine an order to making order! Oooohh looking forward to reading about your challenge and turmoil! Just kidding, I’m hoping it has a happy ending 🙂
Thanks Weekes! Spoiler alert – I think it all worked out ok! But hopefully there were enough hiccups along the way to satisfy your appetite for drama! 😀
Wow! They look fabulous! What a great family of Beasties. And it sounds like you had fun too!
Thanks, Catherine! I always do… It’s hard to resist smiling back at those little monster faces as I sort out their wardrobes and recreate their favourite things in miniature! Then again, this is a project with an extra twist, that really pushed me to think outside the box – you can hear all the gory details in tomorrow’s post 😆 Cheers for stopping in!
Dear Helen, thank you very much to introduce my Beasties family to your followers. i have to say that i was very impressed with Helen work and i want to have a different family portrait. i will high recommended Helen for her work, she is an artist. thank you! All the Best. Lino
Hi Lino! Thank you for stopping in to say hello, and for your kind words! It’s been a real pleasure to meet and Beastie-fy your family. I hope your little monsters keep you smiling for years to come! All the best, and thanks again! 😀
Oh oh oh, this is remarkable. I don’t know how you create these miniature masterpieces. The details are mind boggling. BTW I am in love with Lego little.
Thank you, Mariss! That means a lot coming from a fellow craftsperson! And I do love me some mind-boggling details 😀 I didn’t get the chance to meet Big Lego, but his miniature counterpart was so much fun to make… Turns out I had just the right yarn in my stash to capture the look of his curly woolly coat. Cheers for popping in! 😀
Whaaaaaaaaaa…this is a Beastie Family Masterpiece! I love the leotard, the little olive oil bottle, the headphones, all the Beasties themselves and of course the DOG! Oh my goodness the detail on the dog is amazing. Oh no another one of my friends wants me to connect you, so I am sure you will be backlogged through next year with all your amazing talent!!!!!
Hahaha! A backlog? That definitely counts as one of those good problems! 😀 I don’t know how I’m going to thank you for all you this excellent PR work you’re doing, Tierney! Thanks as well for all your kind words about this latest project… I thought that dog might appeal to you 😉 Cheers for stopping in!
Loving this Beastie-family, Helen – you did an amazing job translating and expressing everyone’s individuality into monster-sized goodness! I don’t know which detail I enjoy the most – between the little olive oil bottle with detailed logo, the A-line sundress with the clasps (so handy), the little felt headphones, and the wonderful tresses you’ve braided. This is seriously amazing work!! Bravo! 😀
Awwww, thanks Shirley! I think I’m a little addicted to making teeny bottles now 😀 It was also fun to stretch my dressmaking legs a little and come up with some new designs… I’m definitely going to be using those again! Cheers for stopping by!
Amaaaazing! I can’t decide if I like the teeny bottle or the headphones best! The miniscule logo is just brilliant. And Lego looks so fluffy, I’d definitely have to give him a stroke and scratch behind his ears.
Thanks, Hannah! I’m definitely having a lot of fun with Beastie dogs and miniature bottles lately… I can’t get enough of that needle felting! Cheers for stopping by 😀