review: beasties book

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Beasties: How to Make 22 Mischievous Monsters That Go Bump in the Night written by Diana Schoenbrun and published by Penguin, offers easy craft projects to make your own monsters — each found in folklore from around the world! From it’s fun visual table of contents to the monsters shown in scenes from their natural habitat, Beasties is an enjoyable book for all ages, with projects easy enough for even young children just learning to sew. It gives the basics of supplies needed for the projects, and includes tips for machine sewing, as well as illustrations and explanations for different hand sewing stitches.

There are instructions for twenty two Beasties, made out of all kinds of colorful fabrics, and ranked by skill level.
Patterns and step by step directions are included, with lots of tips for ease in making your creations. I loved the extra ideas for embellishing each of the monsters to make them all your own.

A really interesting aspect of this book is that these Beasties are actually from all different countries’ myths and legends. The author tells a brief explanation of where each Beastie came from and what their own special power or story is. It makes for fun reading, as well as giving us insights into the country’s traditions. There are monsters you may be familiar with, like Baba Yaga from Russia, or the Cyclops from Greece. Monsters like the Cinnamologus, who guards cinnamon trees, may not be as recognizable, but are fascinating to learn more about.

All in all, Beasties is excellent book to learn about sewing fun little monsters.

Below see a free project, which the author has sent to me to share with you, for a  Tomte that would be perfect as a Christmas cutie!

-Michelle

Tomte

In Sweden this creature watches over the farmhouse at night and tidies up any leftover messes. He protects and brings good luck to the family who dwells there. In order to keep a Tomte happy, make sure there is a toasty fire and a bowl of warm porridge and butter waiting for him. An unhappy Tomte will become red in the face, make a mess of the farm, and tie your horses’ tails together.

Tomte

Skill level: 1
Finished size: 5 ½ inches wide by 6 ½ inches high (including hands)

Materials

Fabric:

     – 5 ½ x 5 inch red-and-gray-striped cotton knit scrap of white faux fur, felt, or fleece

Felt:

    - 1 sheet of gray
    - 1 sheet of blue
    - scrap of yellow

Trim:

    - 1 pom-pom

Floss:

    - navy blue
    - thread
    - red, gray

Stuffing

Preparation

Cut from patterns:

     – From cotton knit: 2 hat shapes
     – From gray felt: 2 body shapes, 2 hand shapes
     – From blue felt: 2 shoe shapes
     – From yellow felt: 2 shoe shapes (you will notice that the yellow shoes are slightly larger than the blue)
     – From faux fur: 1 beard

Cut freehand:

     – From blue felt: 1 rectangular piece 1 ½ x 8 ½ inches for vest

Instructions

    1. Pin hat pieces to body pieces, right sides facing in. Machine sew together.    2. Choose one of the hat/body pieces for the front. From the top measure ⅝ inch down the center of the body and mark a tiny dot for the nose. Measure ½ inch to the left and right of the dot, and mark tiny dots for where the eyes will be. Place pom-pom nose. Sew from the back side of the felt and through the back of the pom-pom, making two or three stitches to attach. Next, take three strands of embroidery floss and sew a French knot for each eye.    3. Place front hat/body piece, right side facing up, on your work surface. Place hands 1 ¼ inches down from the hat/body seam, along the sides. Hands should be pointing in toward the body with the thumbs facing down. Place the other hat/body piece, right side facing down, on top and pin. Begin from right corner and machine sew around, leaving a 2-inch opening on the bottom to turn right sides out and to stuff.    4. Turn hat/body right sides out and fill with stuffing. Sew a small whipstitch to close the opening.    5. On the blue shoes sew laces with red thread by making four cross-stitches. Place yellow shoes behind the blue ones and sew a whipstitch around to attach shoes together, leaving a small gap. Put a pinch of stuffing into shoes, sew them shut, and place shoes along the bottom seam 1 ½ inches in from the corners. Sew a small running stitch to attach.    6. Cut armholes in the felt vest rectangle: Measure 2 inches in from one end and make a fold as shown in the diagram. Cut a tiny half oval at the center of the fold. Unfold felt and you should have a small oval hole cut out. Repeat on other side. Gently bring the Tomte’s hands through armholes so the vest opening is in the front.    7. Place beard on head so eyes and nose go through opening. Sew two stitches at each corner to secure the beard.

Here is the pattern (Click image for full-sized pattern in .pdf format):

From Amazon:
Product Description:
Cyclops and witches and zombies-oh my!  Welcome to the wondrous world of Beasties, where mythic and imaginary creatures come alive using simple materials, such as scrap fabric and thread. From Werewolves to Yetis to unidentifiable yet adorable beasts, these projects allow crafters to push the limits of their imaginations to sew a menagerie of whimsical beings.

About the Author:
Diana Schoenbrun has a BFA in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design and lives in Brooklyn, New York. For more information, visit her website at DianaSchoenbrun.com.

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