Sewing – Page 7 – Beastie HQ

Who sewed this guy together? CrawCrafts Beasties

Hallowe’en Is Coming…

Posted on October 4, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

…And this year, I’ve actually had a chance to start getting under way with some seasonal special edition Beasties! Today, I’m excited to introduce you to my first “Famous Monsters” Beastie – Frankenbeastie!
Cobbled together from discontinued dyelots and abandoned WIPs, this little monster hasn’t enjoyed the same precise stitching as some of my other creations…
… And the tailoring of his outfit leaves a lot to be desired as well.
But it’s fine, because I’ve equipped him with this season’s must-have accessory – a pair of electrodes in his neck!
Now those will surely add a little extra spark to his personality!

So, what’s the verdict – a thing that should not be, or a misunderstood creature who makes us question what it means to be a Beastie? Let me know in the comments!

And as if that wasn’t enough excitement for one week, I made some time over the weekend to peruse the latest issue of online crafty magazine Olann And. Look who made a special guest appearance in their Handmade in Ireland feature!
You can read the full feature here – Knitter Beastie was delighted to be included in the lineup alongside so many other great Irish handmade goodies! There’s also a new edition of the Olann And Podcast up on YouTube, which I’m looking forward to checking out on my next day off. If you want to beat me to it, you can find it here… But no spoilers, please!

We’ll be back on Friday with another blast from the Beastie past – in the meantime, have a great week!

Baker Girl Beastie in the Kitchen- CrawCrafts Beasties

Flashback Friday – Baker Girl Beastie

Posted on September 23, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Flashback Friday, Knitted Beasties

It’s time for another browse through the BeastieBlog archives… and since we’ve been talking a lot about treats already this week, it only seemed fair to have another treat-y Beastie to see us into the weekend! Hands up who remembers…
…Baker Girl Beastie!

I made this Beastie at the start of 2015, and she was one of my first “real” commissions. It was exciting to be making a monster for someone who I didn’t previously know… and a little nerve-racking, too!

Fortunately, the lady who requested this little monster girl had a good idea of what she wanted. First up – red hair, to match her own…
… And a cute little printed cotton dress, protected by a hand-embroidered apron!
But the most important accessory was her big pink cupcake!
In fact, I recently revisited this idea, and made some larger stand-alone felt cupcakes!
They’re really fun to make, and right now I’ll take any opportunity to flex my newfound felting muscles!

One thing I noticed while putting this post together was how much my Beastie photography has improved in the past year and a half, even if I do say so myself! It just goes to show that practice makes… um… maybe not perfect, but definitely better!

It’s been a while since I heard from Baker Girl Beastie… hopefully either she or her human will see this and drop us a line! Then again, perhaps she’s training hard for the next season of “The Great British Bake Off”! Are any of you planning to spend some time in the kitchen this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

Beastie Treats!

Posted on September 20, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Hurrah! If it’s Tuesday, it must be New Beastie Day! And since we had a no-show last week, today I’m planning to make it up to you all by introducing you to two (yes, TWO!) new Beasties!

First up… look who’s joining us for breakfast! It’s Fry-Up Beastie!
Can there be any better way to start your day than a big tasty fry? Well, your arteries may scream “Yes! Quinoa porridge and three servings of organic fresh fruit!” but sometimes a hearty plate full of assorted fried goodies is just the ticket. Plus, no matter how busy you are, after a traditional “full Irish” I guarantee you won’t need to eat again for about 6 hours. Talk about efficiency!
The fried breakfast is a familiar sight on tables across the UK and Ireland, but what you find on your plate varies depending on where you are. The least healthy variant is the Ulster Fry, my birthplace’s contribution to world cuisine, thanks to its traditional line-up of both fried potato bread AND soda farls. Truly delicious… but have one of those every day for a week and you’ll probably keel over!

Anyway, Fry-Up Beastie seems pretty content with his portion. Pop it up on the table there, so we can have a closer look!
Oooh, yum!
Let’s see… Sausages, a fried tomato, bacon rashers, a lovely big puddle of baked beans, black and white pudding and a fried egg. A proper Full Irish… no surprises there, since eagle-eyed Beastie-spotters will already have identified this little monster as a Barróg Beastie, made of 100% Irish wool! I should also point out that all elements of this delectable Beastie feast were cut, stitched and embroidered by my own fair hands, making this a truly home-cooked meal!

And now that we’ve had a hearty breakfast, it’s time for… elevenses!
Hey there, Doughnut Beastie! He looks pretty excited to tuck into his favourite treat…
…And perhaps we should take a closer look at it ourselves.
Mmmm… Strawberry felt frosting with embroidered rainbow sprinkles! Good choice, Doughnut Beastie! Although perhaps you shouldn’t eat all that in one go… It’s nearly the same size as your head!

Wow, for some reason I’m now feeling incredibly peckish! It might be time to raid the fridge…

We’ll be back on Friday for Flashback Friday, since it seems to have been a hit with many of you! In the meantime, what’s your favourite tasty treat? Share it in the comments, and I may immortalise it in glorious felt for my next round of gourmet Beasties…

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Monster-Makers…

Posted on September 13, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Life at Beastie Towers

Oh dear. Ever just have one of those days?Yes, I know I promised new Beasties galore today, and I even have a couple of little monsters who are oh-so-keen to meet you all! But alas, they’re just not quite ready yet… A small matter of one accessory that is refusing to coooperate. However, the good news is that I think I’m finally close to breaking its spirit and bending it to my will, so you’ll definitely be able to meet them all next week!

You’ll also surely be reassured to learn that I haven’t spent the whole weekend cussing at tiny pieces of felt. It’s been a busy one here at Beastie Towers! There have been commission sketches to prepare…

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A post shared by CrawCrafts Beasties (@crawcraftsbeasties)

… And, in case you missed my all-over-all-the-social-media-announcement last week, I did a guest post for local crafty magazine Olann And!

My Featured Craftspeople! CrawCrafts Beasties — My Featured Crafters! Clockwise from left: Dinah’s Dolls, Guadalupe Creations, Niki Collier Design.

It was great to have a chance to introduce their readers to some of my favourite Dublin craftspeople – two of whom (Niki Collier and Ann from Dinah’s Dolls) are also fellow WordPress bloggers. So do stop by their blogs if you get a second, they’re some seriously talented ladies!

And if that wasn’t enough to keep me out of mischief, I’m also gearing up to head to the Ha’Penny Market at The Grand Social again this Saturday!

We had such a great time on our last visit, and this is the first Saturday we’ve had free since then, so we’re really looking forward to it! As always, feel free to pop in and say hi – we’d love to see you!
Alrighty, time to recommence battle with those accessories! We’ll be back on Friday, with photos from the day trip Explorer Beastie and I took last Saturday. See you then!

Something New(ish) on the BeastieBlog!

Posted on September 9, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Hello everybody!

Today I’ve decided to launch a new regular feature on the BeastieBlog, inspired by one of the more recent arrivals to our ever-growing gang of monster enthusiasts – hey there, Lives in Stone! Take a bow!

A couple of days ago, Liv (sorry if this isn’t your real name! I’m just going by how you sign off your posts!) took a trip through some of my really, really early posts, and was good enough to comment on a few. And oh, the fun I had revisiting these past Beastie creations! So I thought I might make it easy for the rest of you – especially if you only just got here – to catch up on a slice of monster history. Plus it would be nice to take some time to revisit an old friend every once in a while!

I’ll be doing this once a month on Fridays, and as soon as I come up with a catchier name than “Throwback Friday”, I’ll set up a separate category on the blog so the posts are searchable.

Alrighty, let’s get started! Today’s Throwback Friday Beastie is… Ninja Beastie!
I’m actually a little disturbed by how far back I had to travel in my archives to find this guy! I made Ninja Beastie in early 2014… I was still buzzing from doing my first market, and I’d also survived my initial round of Christmas commissions. I had so many ideas, and I wanted to make ALL of them! It was such a fun time, and it’s strange to think that back then my craft stash occupied a single plastic IKEA storage box, and my accessory templates could all fit into a small sandwich bag – now I have to have them in themed, labelled file pockets, or I’d spend all day hunting for the one I needed!

Ninja Beastie was also one of the first Beastie projects where I took pleasure in going overboard with the details. I made sure he was positively bristling with weapons, and I researched them online to make sure they were as authentic as possible…
Of course, it wasn’t long before Ninja Beastie stealthily stole out of Beastie Towers to make his own way in the world! Have any of you seen him in your travels? Let me know in the comments!

Oh, and we’ll be back with NEW Beasties as usual on Tuesday, so stay tuned! Have a great weekend!

A Nice Relaxing Day at Beastie Towers

Posted on September 6, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties, Life at Beastie Towers

Being out and about is all well and good, but sometimes you just want to enjoy the quiet life! And as someone who has always been a fan of more… um… sedentary activities – just ask anyone who has ever tried to get me to run anywhere, or play sports for “fun” – it was only a matter of time before I started sharing my favourite pastimes with my ever-growing Beastie family!

Here, let me introduce you to my latest batch of Hobby Beasties…
First up – well, no surprises here! It’s always nice to have a Knitter Beastie around, even if they do dip into my yarn stash every once in a while.

What are you working on there, Knitter Beastie?
“Hmmmm… I think this might become a toasty winter sweater!”

Much as I love to knit, there is one other hobby that I really go out of my way to make time for…
…READING!

I’ve been a bookworm for as long as I can remember. I even loved books before I learned how to read them, a quirk which my parents used to make my earliest mealtimes go a little more smoothly. As I pawed through my book of animal pictures, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, I barely even noticed that I was surreptitiously being fed at the same time!

So of course, the first Beastie accessory I ever made was a little felt book…

Bookworm Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties — Not the first one, but definitely an early one!

…and you’ll usually find a Reader Beastie hanging out in the gang on my market stall!

I also have endless fun coming up with titles for their books… Regular visitors to the BeastieBlog will know that these titles have to be a pun that references monsters, yarn or craft, so this latest Beastie is reading “The Purl”!
And here are some other classics from the Beastie Towers Library!
How do you like to spend your down time? Let us know in the comments!

Light Refreshments at Beastie Towers!

Posted on August 30, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Hooray! If it’s Tuesday, it must be New Beastie Day! Here are a couple of the other new additions to the Beastie Towers family who joined us at our market last Saturday…

First up… Caff-Fiend Beastie!
Oh, I do love making Beasties with teeny mugs of hot drinks! And as someone with their feet firmly planted in the tea drinkers’ camp, all of my cup-toting Beasties up to now have been clutching a nice, milky brew. However, I have heard rumblings that some people -SHOCK – prefer coffee! And it turns out that this applies to Beasties too. So, Caff-Fiend Beastie has a big ol’ yellow mug full of rich, strong Americano…
…Although I suspect this might not be his first of the day! Check out his hair – is he perhaps a little frazzled?
Maybe we’d better make him order a chamomile tea next time around!

Of course, our “Drinks Beasties” feature today wouldn’t be complete without a Pint Beastie…
I equipped this Barróg* Beastie (those are the ones made out of 100% Irish wool) with one of my new-style pints, to see if the method worked with other types of beer… How about a nice red ale?

[*“Barróg” is the Irish word for “hug”, by the way!]
Looking good – I’d almost drink this myself! Sláinte!

Have you a favourite tipple that you’d like to see recreated in Beastie-size? Let me know in the comments!

Another Monster Big Day!

Posted on August 2, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Knitted Beasties

Hey there Beastiebuddies! It’s Tuesday again, so that means I am duty bound to introduce you to the newest arrivals here at Beastie Towers – and since wedding season is still in full swing, it looks like you’re actually getting TWO new Beasties for the price of one. Don’t say I ain’t good to ya!

Ooookaaay, where shall we start? Aha! Here comes the bride now.
Isn’t she pretty? I loved styling her beautiful long hair!

Her dress is an understated yet elegant ivory satin, with a fitted wool bodice and net petticoats, and she has a veil to match… topped with pale yellow roses, to complement her golden skintone.
This Beastie bride’s human counterpart is a big fan of board games, so I also made her a personalised miniature Scrabble tile necklace to complete her outfit!
And what’s that in her paw?
It’s a “Carcassonne” board game, shrunk to Beastie size! Apparently this is the human bride’s very favourite board game, and I thought Beastie Bride would like one too.
I used felt as the background, then appliquéd hand-cut pieces of felt on for the larger blocks of colour, before adding in the details and lettering with hand-stitched embroidery. The finished box measures just 5x6cm!

But let’s not forget about the groom! He’s looking dapper in a navy felt and wool suit, and his golden yellow tie is a thoughtful nod to his lady-wife’s complexion.
And because he’s an enthusiastic Latin scholar and budding writer, I couldn’t quite convince him to leave his dictionary and favourite pen at home…
…But I did manage to attach them both to his jacket…
…So he can show off his sweet dance moves at the reception!
Congratulations to the bride and groom, and thanks to Niamh for requesting this fun commission as a gift for her friends!
We’ll be back on Friday, when we’ll be checking up on Paddy and Plunkett. Let’s hope the sun is still shining on them, wherever they are…

Until then, have a super week!

What's this Beastie up to? CrawCrafts Beasties

Getting Down to the Knitty-Gritty…

Posted on July 26, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Well, this has been a long time coming.
Who would have thought that I had never considered making a knitting Beastie until one of my diligent readers suggested it a couple of months back? But in between commissions, I found a spare minute to make some felt knitting needles (with needle-felted ends), and set this little monster on the road to ~~the same yarn-based addiction that I myself suffer from~~ discovering the joys of knitting!
This Beastie has clearly got the hang of garter stitch already… but then, I suppose knitting is in his genes! I wonder what he’s making? Only time will tell, I suppose…
… But knitting is a great way to pass the time on long journeys. And this Beastie has in fact headed off on a top-secret mission! I’ll let you know how he’s getting on as soon as he reports back!

Speaking of long journeys, I had another Barróg Beastie (those are the ones made from 100% Irish wool) leave Beastie Towers this week. Hurling Beastie is on his way to the USA!Thanks to Kerry for finding him on our Etsy shop, and offering him a brand new home!

Anyway, time for me to get going – I have some Beasties here clamouring for new outfits. I’ll be sharing the results next Tuesday, but don’t forget to pop back on Friday to see Explorer Beastie’s holiday snaps from our recent “staycation”!

Have a great week!

Happy Families at Beastie Towers!

Posted on July 22, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Well, now that we’re back in Beastie Towers, suitably rested and relaxed from our little holiday, it’s business as usual here on the BeastieBlog! I’ve some new Beasties to introduce, and they’re super-excited to meet you all. So, without further ado, here they are… a whole FAMILY of Beasties!

These were made as a very special commission to celebrate the arrival of human baby Roibín… so of course the most important element was a little baby Beastie!
Look how cosy he is in his stripey handknitted blanket! I’ve given him big wide-open eyes and a little tuft of blond hair as well, to more closely match his human counterpart. But of course, we’d better not forget about Mum and Dad…

First of all, pretty Mama Beastie is modelling a mostly hand-stitched skater-style dress… yes, I’m FINALLY trying to do more of my monster tailoring on the sewing machine! All the stitches you can see in the photo are done by hand, but my machine made short work of speeding through the seams. I’ve also made Mama Beastie a necklace similar to the one her human normally wears!
And check out her beautiful blonde merino wool locks!
But what about Papa Beastie? Ah, here he is.
More tailoring here – this time, a bespoke checked shirt! After watching “The Great British Sewing Bee”, I’ve learned the benefit of strategically placing template pieces so the fabric’s patterns line up better on the finished article. I have to admit to being quite pleased with how this little shirt turned out!
And since Mama Beastie is holding the baby, what’s Papa Beastie got? Well, it turns out he’s a bit of a musician, so…
Perfect! Now he can play a gentle lullaby to send Baby Beastie off to sleep!
Here’s wishing this little monster family a nice quiet weekend together! And have any of you got fun family time planned for the next couple of days? Let us know in the comments!

As usual, we’ll be back on Tuesday… and there will be another new Beastie for you to meet, too. See you then!

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