Bowen Beasties

It was recently my good friend and neighbor Julie's birthday. If you know anything about Julie, you know that she's a gal of impeccable style. I usually show up for playdates wearing ratty tank tops, shorts, and a hat under which to hide my unwashed tresses, while Julie is always manages to look effortlessly put-together. Her hair is tousled, her makeup is understated, and even her cuticles are groomed! So for her birthday, I thought it would be fitting to craft an homage to her flawless momness in the form of a Julie Beastie. And because I didn't want Julie Beastie to be lonely, I also made a Shawn Beastie.
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Shawn Beastie was actually the easier of two Beasties for me to create. For one thing, I knew exactly what he'd be wearing. For another thing, the guy shaves his head, so I wouldn't even need to sew hair! The only tough part was figuring out how to create his trademark sun hat.

It only took about an hour's worth of cursing and sweating to finangle some canvas scraps into this teensy little chapeau. I was quite pleased with the results, especially with the way the brim could be tied up or left untied, depending on the weather and on Shawn Beastie's current disposition.

Deciding on Julie Beastie's ensemble was a tad more difficult. I mean, her namesake has too many cute outfits to choose from! Do I go with a bright sundress? A classy cardigan? A draped-front tank and shorts? In the end, I decided to approximate one of her trademark looks - two jersey-knit shirts layered over a nice pair of jeans. I even used an old pair of Seven jeans to make the tiny jeans that Julie Beastie is wearing.
Sidenote: If you think it's weird that my son appears in all three of the above images, you're not alone. When I was going through my pictures, I was struck by how Benjamin seemed to be attached to her. I mean, I made peace long ago with how I cease to exist when Auntie Julie is around, but the fact that it was impossible for me to find three pictures of Julie sans Boo is kind of ridiculous! I guess I should have created a tiny Benjamin Beastie as a part of Julie Beastie's trademark outfit! But I digress...

The Beasties seemed to go over well - at least I hope they did. I was tickled by the fact that Julie was wearing layered shirts and Shawn his trademark hat when Julie opened her gift. I was also tickled by the sight of a grown man happily clutching a rag doll.
Happy Birthday, Julie!

O Brother XL 6562, Where Art Thou?

It's been less than a month since I opened the virtual doors to my new shop, and what a month it's been. I've been swamped with sewing, filling orders, obsessing over my Etsy shop, designing Beasties, more sewing, creating patterns, buying fabric and notions, searching for the perfect buttons, and yet more sewing. I have to admit that my housewifely duties have been suffering somewhat - Vince obligingly ate leftovers three times this week, I'm only doing one load of laundry a day instead of four, and I'm groggily trying to push through each day on about five hours of sleep. Come to think of it, it's kind of like being a new parent again. No, scratch that - if that were the case, then I'd be getting only 45 minutes of sleep a night. In any case, my Beasties seem to be gaining momentum, and sales are brisk. Ish. And to think it all started with my friend Lisa's sewing machine. Ah, the Brother XL-6562. We had some great times together. I say "had" because our relationship lasted only two weeks before I got bored and moved on to a sleeker model with more to offer.

Meet the Husqvarna Viking Platinum 730. I'm sad to say that she doesn't belong to me; she's on loan from my friend Julie. It's a good thing that Julie's not in a rush to get her back, because a new Husqvarna comes with a hefty price tag. I'd have to sell about twenty custom-made Beasties to get one of my own. The humble Brother would set me back only about three Beasties.

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If you've never used a sewing machine, then you probably don't think that there is much that can set one apart from the next. Certainly not seventeen Beasties' worth of a difference, anyway. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but let me just mention a few bells and whistles the Husqvarna has to offer - A needle that automatically stops in the up position! Computerized stitch functions! Automatic lower needle threading! The ability to wind you bobbin without unthreading the upper needle! It's enough to make a girl swoon! Ok, I should stop now before I pass out from sheer giddiness.

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I spent only a few days with the Husqvarna before deciding to return the Brother to Lisa. He just looked so darned sad sitting there all neglected and forlorn, picking up whatever scraps he could get.

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Kinda makes you think of someone else in the Chan household, huh?
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Beastie Nuts

My life has recently been taken over by Beasties. My friends have noticed that my response time to emails has grown longer. My husband is actually complaining that he's had too much free time to play video games. And last, but not least, I haven't written a proper blog post in two weeks. TWO WEEKS! There is a lot of catching up to do.

The madness started when my dear friend Lisa agreed to let me borrow her sewing machine. After a quick tutorial at her place, I was off and sewing up a storm.

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Benjamin was very curious about the shiny, whirring new toy, but I wouldn't let him play with it, so he decided to play with my case filled with spools of colored thread instead. Better that than my sewing shears, I suppose.

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The first Beastie to be born from Lisa's machine was Boo Beastie, followed by Nolan Beastie. Soon after, Beasties based on my friends Deb and Yvonne were born, as well as a set Beasties based on those creepy Grady twins from the Shining.

And of course, there were Beasties based on the first little Beastie to ever win over my heart.

The pug-based Beasties have been the most popular ones so far! They receive the highest number of views in my online shop, and they have also sold the most quickly. Both Oliver Beastie and the Claude and Maude Beastie set sold within hours of being posted. This only confirms what I've always known: pug lovers are an obsessed bunch!

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Beastie-making hasn't been the only thing I've been doing these past few weeks. We had a playdate with new friends Novella and Max at mom Jennie's house. Buddy Kayla and mom Sheila were also there. Benjamin made himself right at home by relieving himself in Max's blue potty.

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We caught up with old friends, too. Benjamin and I met Lucy Catherine at our favorite coffee spot. Afterwards, we hung out at the park, where Lucy wowed us with her amazingly advanced verbal skills. I had to pick my jaw up off of the ground when she very clearly articulated the words "Thank you" to me when I handed her something she'd dropped. It's one thing to be able to understand your own toddler when he he says "da-de" which you know means "na ge" which means "that" in Chinese. (Confused yet?) It's something else when you can understand another person's toddler. I don't know what mom Cath is feeding Lucy, but I want some of it!

In addition to hanging out with friends, we spent quality time with family, too. The boys enjoyed an Easter egg hunt in my sister-in-law Adele's backyard. We discovered that Benjamin somehow inherited my neurosis about sitting on grass. Every time we put him down on it, he'd grimace and try to pull his legs up. We wound up picking him up, which was fine with his cousins, because it meant that they'd a larger share of Easter eggs!

And in the midst of all the sewing and playdates and Easter egg hunts, Vince and I were able to get away for a double date - a Clippers game with good friends Julie and Shawn . It was fantastic to be able to take a break from parenthood and enjoy a game with friends. It was even more fantastic that we got to enjoy the game from a suite in the Staples center. Sweet! The evening wasn't entirely free of kiddy antics, though. A boy in the adjacent suite kept whipping off his shirt and then gyrating his bare torso in a desperate attempt to get on the jumbotron. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him when his efforts failed to yield him any screentime.

Kid, there's a lesson to be learned in there: nudity doesn't pay.

Boo Beasties

Yes, yes, yes, it's been a while since my last post. No, I'm not on vacation. Yes, everyone is just fine. I've just been busy. Very, very busy. I've come to the realization that I'm not content passing my days lounging around in a housecoat with curlers in my hair and a bowl of bonbons in my hand. I've decided that it's time for me to put to good use my creative skills, my obsession with clothing, my offbeat sense of humour, and my friend Lisa's neglected sewing machine... and launch a business.

http://www.boobeasties.com/

I promise I'll be back posting again in no time. For now, I'm off to dream up my next creepy yet endearing creation. Buahahahaha!!