Monday, August 6, 2012

The Little Ghost Crab

Say hi to Casper, the friendly ghost crab...


I felt the need to give this guy a name since we've spent so much time together.

Inspired by his brave stand-off with my Goliath-of-a-husband...


It took me quite some time to stitch all of his legs, claws and carapace.


Using buckram beneath both the top and bottom shells gave the little crab some structure. 

And the buckram was the perfect solution for attaching all those little legs...


Sometimes tedium is my medium.

Let's just say, that I took a LOT of therapy breaks and used a magnifying glass to help me see the detail.  


The pictures that you are seeing are taken with the macro lens on my camera, which gives a much more detailed rendering than if you were looking with your naked eye.

I purposefully chose a goldish-orange thread to stitch his legs in order to simulate the coloring on the actual crab, giving him a goldish-orange tint to his legs and knuckles.  The velvet worked beautifully, giving him a bit of a hairy appearance similar to the real crab; and the coloring does appear quite ghost-like against the sand...


Reaching speeds of 10mph, I can see why the ghost crab is the speediest of all crabs and why his name is "ghost"...



He keeps trying to disappear every chance he gets.


I better get busy and finish this block before I lose him to another beach.  

Not too long now...

Happy Monday everyone!

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok, that crab is SO COOL!

I am loving this project. Makes me want to design my own thing and stitch it, rather than stitching things others have designed.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Carol S.

Laurie said...

Amazing!! You totally blow me away with you creativity!! Casper is no exception!

CJ STITCHING AND BLOOMS said...

Happy Monday to you too Susan, WOW what a truly unique and awesome looking wee Ghost Crab. Your whole block is truly a work of incredible art. Hugs Judy

Cari said...

Oh my gosh Susan...I LOVE Casper. He is some kinda guy!! He looks so good on the lace and climbing off the frame. I noticed the gold thread on the claws and thought it looked so real. You are an awesome artist, needlewoman, photographer, and teacher. Oh...and a great friend!!

Annette said...

love this little guy and how you created him or her. The block is going to be beautiful, well all of your work is. oxoxoxo

Mary Ann Tate said...

He's perfect and so little and cute. You have so much patience.

JLL24 said...

W.O.W!!! For a moment there I thought he was real....amazing details...love it...

Jillayne said...

Stunning! I love how you made him; he's so realistic and the velvet was the perfect choice. The "tedium" was worth it!

Anonymous said...

I am just in awe of your creativity... Everything you do is just wonderful.

Wendy said...

Once again I am amazed and in love! He is adorable and so lifelike! You are an amazing artist and this little fellow is superb in his design and coloring. I agree that the velvet you chose made him realistic looking. You deserve a much needed break and a big pat on the back! Sit back and enjoy your success on this little guy!

coral-seas said...

Wow, wow, wow! I thought when I saw the legs in the previous post that your ghost crab was going to be something special but Casper is A-MAZ-ING!

SharoninStitches said...

Your work is amazing!

Judy S. said...

So interesting to learn about ghost crabs and then watch you use your magic needle to create your own! You are SO creative, Susan, and is SO fun to watch you in action. One of my favorites is the hermit crab; perhaps he is hiding in one of your shells?

Anonymous said...

I would like to do it!!! but I can't!
malou

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Dear Susan ~ When I first saw Casper's photo in my list of blogs I follow, a huge smile spread across my face and I could hardly wait to get here to read all about him and see him in more detail.

He is crab-tastic! You amaze and so inspire me in all of your creations.

Hugs ~ FlowerLady

wendy said...

Stunning! I love this crab and watching this whole block come together.

Nana said...

Jesus Christ, what a talent you have inside each cell of you!!!!

Nana

Cassandra and Alex said...

Squeal!!

Rachel said...

Casper is an absolute triumph - he looks fantastic!

amfuller said...

Crazy good and amazing!!

Needlework: The constant thread said...

Unbelievable talent you have!! I love your blog and watching your creativity come alive!!!! Thanks so much for sharing with all of us.

Vicky aka Stichr said...

holey craboly...put him on the beach and the other crabs would wanna fight him!

gracie said...

Once again...I love it!

Lorraine said...

Casper has turned out beautifully Susan! The velvet looks very real and being a crab lover I know. Am really enjoying the progression of this project and the many elements.

Sandies' Patch said...

Crikey! Such attention to detail, well done!
Looking forward as always to see the completed block.

Sandie xx

Susan Shufelt said...

Girl...you do amazing work!

Miriam said...

Casper is incredible!! Congratulations on your creation!!
Your creativity is so inspiring, I can't stop smiling!

Elizabeth said...

Ok, You are KILLING me here!! Just STOP already!!! You are beyond belief sucha super star of creative wonder!! At first second and third glance I thought this was a real crab shell that you had somehow strengthened and were using on your piece but then I thought of scale and looked more closely!!!!! All one can say is BRILLIANT and Stupendous and of course I should have known that Casper would have been left to fight another day!!! Unbelievable!!!

Cathy said...

A. MAZ. ING. Rock Star, Goddess, Diva. Stitching Superstar. Fiber Engineer. You are ... I'm out of words now.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant,!

Createology said...

Susan "tedium" is definitely your medium and it is what makes your work so museum worthy. Casper is so realistic I think he could just scamper away. Your choice of velvet and thread are perfect. His little eyes seem like they are truly looking about to find the ocean. Stunning Stitching...

Momma Bear said...

He's Wonderful!
I love how you gave him structure and definition with the buckram and thread.
he looks so real!

Vicky said...

Your amazing talent and creativity never ceases to amaze me! This is just wonderful!

Marty52 said...

You continue to amaze, m' lady!

Marjolein said...

You have put a lot of work into Casper. But he was worth it. I wish I could see it in real and shake hands/claws ;)
I am sure the balance is completely restored now.

Suztats said...

Casper is amazing! What a super rendition-- he looks so real! You'd better stitch him down before he scampers away. Fabulous! Your 'tedium medium' creates magic!

Sonja said...

Love little Casper. I really would love to be able to do things like this. What about doing a CQ tutorial please?

I would love to sign up :))

christiane86LRP said...

quel travail! une belle réussite!bravo!

Unknown said...

I can just not believe you. Your perseverance is amazing. Casper will be talked about for a long time.
Thanks for your nice works on my blog. It was really fun having her here.
Maine will be wonderful.

Shirlee Fassell said...

ditto to all of the above.... He's fabulous!!!

allie aller said...

You are reminding me of Annemieke Mein, which means you are in exalted company! Only you are doing it entirely your own way...Well done my friend!....xoxox

MollyMJ said...

You are genius! Amazing!!!!

http://rukodelkimollymj.blogspot.com/

Coeur de freesia said...

This is stunning, this crab looks real. Well done !

Teresa said...

Casper is the cuties little crab ever. Your work is just so amazing.
Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches

Cindy Caraway said...

Absolutely fantastic! I am in awe (as per usual...)

MeganH said...

Love his tiny eyes on stalks, his little claws, the blended colours on his back - wow!

Catherine said...

Oh my gosh! Fabulous! I am in love with this little guy, Casper!! You knocked this one out of the park!

Елена1979 said...

Susan Elliott , вы настоящая волшебница , я всегда с открытым ртом наблюдаю за этим процессом ,возникновения жизни на кусочке моря .Восхитительная работа!!!

Hanizakamal said...

You really creative...awesome

Related Posts with Thumbnails