Hey there Beastie friends! And what’s this – could it be the first new Beastie of the new decade? I think so! Hey there, June Beastie!
That said, the most attentive BeastieBlog readers will surely remember her chance arrival on Paddy and Plunkett’s doorstep last year… And her subsequent departure to foreign parts in a convenient backpack!
But her visit was so fleeting that we didn’t really get a chance to check out all her cool stuff! So, let’s set 2020 off to a good start and get to know June Beastie a little better. She certainly loves to smile for the camera!
She also loves to cook, so I was sure to make her a neatly-embroidered felt apron to cover her hand-sewn lilac t-shirt.
And I’m hoping she’s as happy with her hairstyle as I am – check out those cute wool and mohair curls!
Then, how about we add a little sparkle? Hello, matching gold glasses and earrings! Very stylish.
And finally… The item that has been raising the most questions – not least from Paddy and Plunkett! It’s a… Rolling pin?!
Well, the way I see it, you never know when you might be faced with a baking emergency. And I’d hate to send any Beastie out into the world without their favourite piece of kit. But if you can think of any other eventualities where a rolling pin might be useful, or if you’ve ever found yourself in a situation where you thought “I really wish I’d had a rolling pin with me”, be sure to share them in the comments!
We’ll be back next week with the first of Explorer Beastie’s postcards from London… See you then!
… Which is apparently hovering above us somewhere!
But how is he holding onto that thing?
Now he can grab all sorts of cool stuff.
A Beastie has to stay fit, after all! And since this little guy’s human counterpart works in a gym, he’ll fit right in there too. Especially in his cool shorts and muscle vest outfit…
Wait a sec, who’s that I hear?
It’s our Beastie’s trusty pup – a Beastie-sized Pekingese! (Or should that be Beastie-ngese?)
SUNGLASSES!
… Because this modelling malarkey is tougher than it looks!
Admittedly, she doesn’t look very detective-y just yet. Let’s get ready for work!
Aha! That’s better. This might also be a good time to admire her lustrous red locks and sweet star print tunic!
I always knew this Beastie would be going to live in Texas, so this sweet fabric was the perfect nod to her new home in the Lone Star State.
A nice frothy felty cappucino is the best way to start the day. Yum!
Rockin’ it! Time to grab your bag and go!
Oh cool, Beastie-sized crochet! Just in case she has any downtime.
Every detective needs her badge! This Beastie-sized version is made of felt, with teeny embroidered details and a magnet inside to hold it in place.
This Beastie was requested by a thoughtful mum, who wanted to help her daughter to celebrate a very special birthday in the Beastie-est way possible. I mean, you don’t turn 10 every day, do you?
Done! And we needed to include her favourite colours, too – blue, mint green, white and peach.
Perfect! I even picked up some rose-gold-coloured jewellery findings to better match the warm peachy tones of the bag and its ribbon strap. Here you go, little Beastie lady!
And now I reckon you’d better get going… You wouldn’t want to miss the party, would you?
And, in Russian-doll-like fashion, that’s removable too!
Aha! It’s a blue running top! I chose a colour that matches the shirt Human Bruce got for taking part in the Dublin Marathon… See, I told you he was sporty! His stripey beanie hat is also a marathon souvenir.
Good work, Beastie Bruce! It gives me great pleasure to present you with this special Beastie-sized medal.
How about a tasty croissant to snack on? It’s Human Bruce’s favourite way to start the day! This one is made of felted wool – the perfect low-fat, high-fibre treat for a Beastie on the go.
I think he’s finally good to go!
Oh, and although he’s been wearing them throughout all the pictures in this post, let’s not forget those glasses! Some careful work with needle and pliers meant that I could capture the thin metal frames of Human Bruce’s specs.
Phew! It’s only when I write a post like this that I realise how much goes into each and every Beastification. Still, this was such a fun project. Then seeing Human Bruce sharing pictures of his new monster buddy was the icing on the cake!
This Beastie was requested as a very special birthday gift and she needed to match her new buddy’s look as closely as possible. So, that boiled down to a pairing of flashes of bright colour with a few nods to gothic/heavy metal style. No problemo!
… And is removable, too. However, after several instances of 
And now that the hoodie hood is down, you will have noticed that this Beastie is rocking some rather spiffy piercings and a cute bob and fringe!
I made sure to keep the individual strands of hair quite fine, though – just to make sure her hair wasn’t too big to fit inside her hoodie hood.
Very nice!
As you can see, it tucks in neatly underneath the hoodie hood, so she can bring it with her come rain or shine!
Beastification complete… Rock on!
Many thanks to Caspar for this awesome Beastie project… And to all of you for dropping in to visit! Paddy and Plunkett will be back next Tuesday, so be sure to join us then.
… But following a Grand Slam victory for Wales in the Six Nations rugby tournament earlier this year, she thought a special celebratory addition to their wardrobe was in order. So I found a willing Beastie model to help me get the sizing right, and TA-DAAAAAAH!
One Beastified Wales Rugby jersey!
… And added an appliquéd number 8 on the back!
The significance of the number 8 is still a mystery to us here at Beastie Towers, but it’s clearly got some sort of special meaning to Jon Beastie and his human counterpart. I’m keeping an eye on 
Meet Julia Beastie! This particular monster lady was made as a very special “Yay, you finished your MA thesis” gift… And as you can see, she’s not travelling alone. She’s being kept company by her feline felt friend, Paddy the cat!
Now, Beasties with pet cats aren’t new – you may remember that I made a few for the 
However, this was the first time I had attempted to copy a particular cat’s markings. Since this Beastie’s human counterpart is the proud owner of a devilishly handsome polydactyl cat, it only seemed right that Felt Paddy paid proper tribute to Real Paddy.
… And the combination of delicate green skin with rich dusky rose stripes!
Aaah, you can’t beat those classics! Although I adjusted this Anne Bront
And how about a ticket to a show, to complete the set?
“Carousel” is one of Human Julia’s favourites, so it’s fairly safe to assume that her new Beastie companion will enjoy it too. Just one thing, though…
“… And pop it in my backpack for me?”
As you can see, the straps clip into place at the base of the bag. That means they can simply be slipped around a Beastie arm and attached!
Perfect!
Here’s wishing them all kinds of monster adventures together!
No, I haven’t been hiding out in the daffodil patch with Paddy and Plunkett for the last month… Although I bet that would be a party!
Since we last spoke, I’ve been gradually moving more of my crafting kit out of Beastie Towers and into the studio… One blue IKEA bag at a time! Honestly, what did craftspeople use to transport their gear around before?! I’ve also picked up a few things to make my little workspace a bit more “Beastie”, and I’ll be sure to give you the new and improved photo tour in a future post.
…Plus a couple to finish up and add to my online store (AT LAST)!
And what about you? What have you been up to since we last saw each other? Be sure to tell us all your latest news in the comments!
And with the warming temperatures and gradually lengthening days, activity levels have been picking up a little too! Today I wanted to share some of the extra-curricular activities that have been keeping me and the Beasties busy this past while.
But this year, I decided enough was enough. Let’s master those sewing machine demons! So I signed up for a class with 
You see, a lot of students want to take on the challenge of making a jumper quite early on… But even the simplest-looking designs often have next-level knitting skills lurking in the pattern. And while some new knitters thrive on being thrown in at the deep end, more than a few are put off by the idea of fancy shaping techniques, decorative seams and the alphabet soup of abbreviations that crop up in many “beginner” patterns.
… And I couldn’t resist leaving a monster behind on one of the beaches, just to prove I’d passed through!
We also had a delicious lunch at