a collaboration...

a little while back, another maker emailed me about doing a collaboration together. have you heard of Abby Glassenberg? of course you have - she makes fantastic little creatures, teaches sewing workshops, and even has an awesome book about making fabric birds. i've been a fan of Abby's for a while, so i was psyched when she asked me to work on a project with her. and now it's time to tell you guys about it.

we have picked two fairly broad themes, ocean and forest, and we are each going to make a creature for each of the themes. Abby is starting with a forest creature, and i with one from the sea. the fun part is that once we are done these pieces, we will send them on their way across the continent (Abby lives in Massachusetts, nearly on the opposite coast from my BC home). then the other person will make a complimentary creature to pair with the piece they received in the mail, using some of the same fabrics too. so we will end up with two collector's sets, one ocean and one forest-inspired, with a piece from each maker in each. two pieces showing each maker's style and aesthetic, but with the same fabrics and in a common theme. times two! these sets will then be put in our shops, should any of you folks be interested. i hope you'll follow along here and over on Abby's blog as we work on our projects.

i wasn't sure what i would make originally, knowing i wanted it to be a new creature that I had not made before. in the end it was the dye pot that led to my inspiration. i dyed up some linen and cotton with madder, as well as overdyeing some red linen with purple cabbage to create a mottled look. then it came to me - a crab! specifically i am working on a red rock crab, one of the more common large crabs around here that i also see regularly on low tide walks (you can see one here). they are ornery fellows, known for the sharp pinch of their black-tipped claws if you get on the wrong end of them. but i like their vibrant red colour more commonly seen on other crabs only after they have been cooked for dinner. i'm trying to take more photos of my construction process, so check back in to see how he develops. above you can see the fabric that i'm working with, some of my research to get a look at these crabs from various angles, and a start on the main body.

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by the time you are reading this, i'll be well into the first day of my new job. here's hoping it goes well, and also that i won't be too tired at the end of the day to get back to stitching on this new creature!