Beasties: How to Make Stuffed Animals

Do you like to make stuffed animals? More specifically, do you enjoy creating mythical folk creatures that might go bump in the night? Discover "Beasties" for patterns and stories about these sometimes friendly, sometimes mischievous monsters.

Diana Schoenbrun, an artist from Brooklyn, New York, has always been fascinated with imaginary creatures. From the familiar Fairies and Cyclops to the more obscure Minata-Karaia and Ccoa, Schoenbrun created "Beasties" as a way to celebrate imaginary creatures.

Make Stuffed Animals
"Beasties" will lead you through each step to create a cute, whimsical creature. The book features 22 different beasties, and each is depicted in a color photograph of the monster in its habitat.

A list of needed supplies is listed, along with a difficulty level rating: easy, medium, and advanced. Basic sewing information is given as well.

Beasties Folk Tales
Each Beastie section gives not only directions, but a story as well. For instance, have you heard of a Cinnamologus? This cute mythical bird protects cinnamon crops by perching high in treetops to keep an eye on the plants.

Or how about the Chonchon of Chile? This creepy yet cute head flies through the air, searching for wrinkly curmudgeons or folks with tickles in their throats to use as prey. Yikes!

Is it Hard to Make Beasties Stuffed Animals?
I have made three of the Beasties in this book: Nessie the Loch Ness Monster, Tomte the Swedish gnome, and a Fairy. Although I have sewn on an off-and-on basis for many years, I'm not an expert. I did not find these stuffed animals difficult to make, and an added bonus is that most of the supplies were items I already had around the house.

Most of the Beasties are small in size; 12" or less. I would recommend them more as conversation pieces to set around the home or as companions to adults or older children, as most are not sturdy enough to stand up to young children's play.

Favorite Beastie?
Does author Diana Schoenbrun have a favorite beastie? I asked her:

My favorite Beastie in the book is Baba Yaga. I knew I wanted to include some type of witch for the book. I thought back to my memories of childhood. Images of Halloween costumes and a photograph of a witch in my dentist's office with rotting teeth and lots of sugary candy stuck out in my mind. I decided to research other archetypes of witches from other cultures. My family has Russian ancestry and I began to look at folktales and came across Baba Yaga. I became intrigued of the idea of a witch living deep within the forest in a windowless house on chicken legs. This architecture allows her to stay hidden within her home. Although, the design is dark and depressive the functional aspect and mobility of the home is perfect for a witch's lifestyle. Depending on the specific story she is either portrayed as a wise women or antagonist of children.

As I worked on the design of her character and wanted to keep her form triangular and asymmetrical. I wanted her also to maintain a sense of humor. Making the set for her was also enjoyable because I crafted my own hut made from cinnamon sticks and placed skeleton cut-outs around the hut.

"Beasties" is an excellent resource for those wanting to make stuffed animals as well as know the stories behind them.

SOURCE:

"Beasties" by Diana Schoenbrun, Perigee Books (a division of Penguin Books), 2010