But Wait, There’s More!

Hello there, Beastie readers! Now, any of you who tuned in to my previous post would be forgiven for thinking that all the accessories I showed off last time around would be plenty to keep even the most active Beastie occupied. But as the title says – there’s more!

Much, much more.

First of all, let’s get a proper introduction to this little felted sweetie who made a brief appearance at the campfire cookout a couple of weeks back:

Beastie Campfire Cookout - Handknitted bespoke monster with dog, frying pan and campfire by CrawCrafts Beasties

Hello there, Mini-Sadie!

Needle-felted dog - Handmade by CrawCrafts Beasties

Mini-Sadie is a needle-felted miniature of Cindy Beastie’s human’s own canine companion. She’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and she has a penchant for dressing up, as you can see.

Miniature needlefelted dog- CrawCrafts Beasties

Unfortunately, she doesn’t walk so well… But that’s ok, because she has THIS!

Beastie, Dog, Tail Wagon - CrawCrafts Beasties

Hop right in, Mini-Sadie! Let’s take a stroll together.

Beastie dog in tailwagon, bespoke handmade gifts by CrawCrafts Beasties

Good girl! And awaaaaaay we go!

Wheeling the burley - Bespoke Beastie Creations by CrawCrafts Beasties

Mini-Sadie’s “tail wagon” is made from felt, and features net windows so she doesn’t get too hot.

Tail Wagon Side and Back - CrawCrafts Beasties

For extra realism, those wagon wheels really turn, too… And that ended up being the trickiest part of the design! I raided Dublin’s toy and charity shops in search of suitable pre-made wheels, but they were all the wrong size. After much experimenting, the winning solution turned out to be home-made – a thick wire axle, with button wheels held in place with tubular beads. And I think the embroidered felt “spokes” fit in better with the woolly, fuzzy Beastie design aesthetic as well!

So, that’s walkies done for the day… What’s next?

How about a spot of sewing?

Beastnina Sewing Machine - Bernina for Beasties - CrawCrafts Beasties

Cindy Beastie’s human counterpart is a quilter and fibre artist, so obviously only a top-of-the-range Beastnina sewing machine would do! Let’s get it set up…

Beastie sewing machine on the table - Miniature monsters and accessories by CrawCrafts Beasties

…And then she’s ready to stitch!

Beastie sewing studio - Handmade monsters and accessories by CrawCrafts Beasties

Human Cindy’s artwork also inspired an extra addition to her Beastie’s wardrobe. When I began her Beastification, she was creating a series of miniature art pieces, using small segments of fabric embellished with embroidery. You can see some of them on her website, here. Miniaturising already-miniature artworks seemed like a non-starter, but incorporating this idea into an item of clothing for a little monster? That might just work!

Custom Beastie Jacket - CrawCrafts Beasties

I used pieces of felt, printed cotton and ribbon, and the design continues across the back and over the sleeves!

Miniature felt appliqué and embroidery jacket - CrawCrafts Beasties

The jacket fastens with snaps in the front, so it’s removable as well.

Jacket closes with fasteners - Commissions by CrawCrafts Beasties

Surely that’s everything now though, right? Nope! Not quite. I’ve one more final touch to add to Cindy Beastie, as requested by Human Cindy.

Felt Beastie Glasses - Miniature Bespoke Accessories - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snazzy yellow specs!

Beastie wearing snazzy yellow felt and clear plastic specs - CrawCrafts Beasties

I love how fun and bright these are… Don’t they complement her lovely pale blue complexion beautifully?

And phew! That’s everything accounted for! Thanks to Cindy for this awesome and challenging Beastification project – it really expanded my monster-making skills in all kinds of new directions. And cheers to all you readers if you made it this far… Next time, I’ll be introducing you all to a simpler (but no less special) Beastie friend. See you in a couple of weeks!

PS…

You may have noticed that my Beastie store is looking a little empty these days.

But fear not! A fresh crop of woolly monster friends is assembling as we speak, and will be landing on the 22nd of this month at 10m Irish time. Set your alarms… Or, better yet, head to the Store and sign up for restock updates!

Beastie Accessories Galore! CrawCrafts Beasties

Beastie Accessories Bonanza!

Hey there everyone! It’s a rainy old day here in Dublin, but even blustery showers can’t dampen my excitement about today’s post. This is essentially “What I Did During Lockdown, Part 1″… A monster haul of Beastie accessories for a very special woolly girl.
tierneycreates Beastie Face Closeup - CrawCrafts Beasties, Beastie HQHey there, tierneycreates Beastie!

For anyone who hasn’t met her before, tierneycreates Beastie lives with Tierney of tierneycreates.com. She regularly pops up in Tierney’s blog posts (she recently took a trip to the library) and occasionally takes on the task of writing them herself when her human counterpart is busy.

Like a lot of people, tierneycreates Beastie went a bit crazy ordering stuff online while we were all sheltering in place.

Ordering online - tierneycreates.com
tierneycreates Beastie indulging in a little retail therapy, borrowed from tierneycreates.com

Since the only person making Beastie accessories is yours truly, this meant I really had my work cut out for me!

First of all, she ordered some refreshments. And with many of my local off-licences offering home deliveries at the time, I decided it might indeed be a good idea to get in on that racket. Two bottles of Hop Monster IPA (a favourite Beastie tipple) coming right up!
Hop Monster IPA - Beastie Accessories - CrawCrafts BeastiesWith libraries closed, getting her paws on some reading material was also high on tierneycreates Beastie’s to-do list. Human Tierney loves books about craft, personal development and home decor, so these titles should go down a treat.
Beastie Books - Beastie Accessories - CrawCrafts BeastiesNext, she realised that this hat…
tierneycreates Beastie Dreads and Hat - Beastie HQ… Needed a matching scarf.
New Scarf - Beastie Accessories - CrawCrafts Beasties“But hey, it’s not winter just yet! I should probably update my summer wardrobe as well. Oooh, polka dots!”
Beastie Summer Dress - Beastie Accessories - CrawCrafts BeastiesInto the cart it goes.

Fortunately there are always a few Beasties knocking around here at Beastie Towers, so I was able to tailor it to tierneycreates Beastie’s approximate measurements!

However, all this staring at the computer screen was beginning to take its toll.

“I know! I’ll treat myself to a smartphone… Then I can order from anywhere!”

Fair enough. One Beast-iPhone coming right up!
Beast-iPhone - Beastie Accessories - CrawCrafts BeastiesLook how teeny it is! I have enough trouble trying to type on the human-sized ones. This super-slim model is made from felt with a shiny reflective ribbon screen so it looks the part.

Of course, tierneycreates Beastie isn’t just shopping for herself. So that her beloved miniature miniature Schnauzer Mikelet can join her on longer adventures…
Beastie Besties - tierneycreates Beastie and Dog by CrawCrafts Beasties… She picked up a doggy backpack, just like the one Human Tierney uses to bring Mike the Miniature Schnauzer out and about!
Beastie Doggy Backpack - Beastie Accessories - CrawCrafts BeastiesThe top of the backpack is open with a drawstring so Mikelet can peek out and stay involved in the action. It also goes rather nicely with the sundress!

And finally, one of my most challenging Beastie accessories to date. She asked for…
Beastie Sewing Machine - Beastie Accessories - CrawCrafts BeastiesA sewing machine!

This top-of-the-range miniature marvel is what every Beastie quilter dreams of. Bernina may make the creme-de-la-creme of human-sized machines, but if you’re a little woolly monster, a Beastnina is what you want to have on your craft table.

So, what the Beastie wants, the Beastie gets! But how on earth do you make one? Well, I began by building a framework from wire, and filled out the shape by sculpting it with needle-felted wool. Then I hand-stitched a tailored felt “skin” to go on top, so the machine would have the same smooth lines as the full-size version. Finally, the details were added with embroidery and appliqué. Phew!

Still, I bet it’ll help tierneycreates Beastie to start stitching up a storm in no time.
Beastie Sewing Machine - tierneycreates Beastie Accessories - CrawCrafts BeastiesI just hope she still has time to help Tierney with her blog posts every now and again!

Here’s the finished haul…
Beastie Accessories Galore! CrawCrafts Beasties… And I was delighted to get a picture of Miss Beastie looking very summery in her new outfit!
tierneycreates Beastie in her new dress - Tierney DH/CrawCrafts BeastiesThanks so much to Tierney for this awesome project, and for enabling her Beastie’s online shopping addiction! For any of you who have also been (over)indulging in a little mail-order lately, you can confess all in the comments below. We won’t judge!

We’ll be back next Tuesday with another new Beastie for you to meet – stay safe and see you then!