Hello everybody! Wow, can you believe we’re nearly at the end of June already? It’s really flown in… But I figure we have just enough time to squeeze in another new Beastie post before we fully jump into July! So, allow me to formally introduce my latest Beastie commission – tierneycreates Beastie!
Some of you may have met her already – she’s been very active on Tierney’s blog from the moment she arrived in her new home! But this project had me trying my hand at some new/long-neglected techniques which I’d like to share with you… And besides, it’s pretty much traditional to give every Beastie commission their 15 minutes of fame on the BeastieBlog! Now, on with the show!
Let’s start with the outfits, shall we? This little monster lady has a choice of two ensembles – a hand-stitched felt t-shirt in a burgundy shade that goes beautifully with her delicate orange complexion, and a cosy handknit Aran sweater for cooler days and possible return trips to her Irish homeland.
Beautifully modelled, tierneycreates Beastie!
And like many of my recent commission pieces, she’s rocking an excellent pair of Beastie-size specs! Those are removable, by the way.
My Mum also suggested that I start using props in my accessory photos to give you all an idea of their actual size. She’s full of good ideas!
Next, let’s talk hair. Oh, this hair! You see, I went a bit over the top trying to copy Human Tierney’s very awesome skinny dreads. Early in the Beastification process, I decided that the chunky wool I planned to use was entirely the wrong texture. But I figured that if I needle-felted it, it would become dread-ier… And I’d have an excuse to do some needle felting. Double win! Unfortunately, post-needle-felting, my crazy eyes detected too much fuzziness and uneveness in the strands. “I know! I’ll wet felt them to even them out!”
And once I’d started down that road, I couldn’t very well turn back. Cue several cycles of felting, waiting for the pieces to dry, attaching them and then realising I’d need more. Fortunately, we had a minor heatwave as my deadline approached, or I would have had to send tierneycreates Beastie out the door with wet hair!
That said, all this practice has really honed my wet felting technique… Something I plan to make use of in future projects! Oh, and here’s how those dreads turned out…
Also pictured is tierneycreates Beastie’s hand-knitted slouchy beanie hat, inspired by one Human Tierney recently made for herself, but with one slight difference – strategically-placed earholes to help hold it in place on her head!
Then, to complete the top-to-toe ensemble – check out those natty little Beastie boots!
The yellow stitching is modeled on my own beloved DM boots, but I chose a nice sky blue for the Beastified version to add a pop of colour!
Phew! Are you still with me? Because that’s not all.
This Beastie needs a bag!
Human Tierney is a very talented quilter, and I wanted to reflect this in one of her accessories. So I selected some fabrics, cut teeny-tiny squares and pieced them together to create a miniature quilted panel, which I then stitched onto the exterior of a felt bag made to my usual pattern. This is the first quilting I’ve done in about 20 years – although the less said about my teenage efforts (which remain in my parents’ attic to this day) the better! And now tierneycreates Beastie can carry around her trusty laptop and library card in style!
So, that’s everything, right?
Not quite! I think we forgot somebody…
They’re a schnauzer household chez tierneycreates, so it only seemed right that this Beastie should have her own canine companion! And because the humans in the home already have a miniature schnauzer called Mike, this miniature miniature schnauzer has been named “Mikelet”!
Ready for walkies, Mikelet?
And of course, there’s always time for a cuddle!
You can see where tierneycreates Beastie and Mikelet went on their walk in Tierney’s latest Beastie-based post… And don’t forget to join us again on Friday when I’ll be sharing a Beastie adventure of my own!
See you then!
