Found on the Beach

Something happens when we go to the beach.

When we start sifting through the sand and the piles of debris tossed up by the sea...

We're never sure what we will find.

But we know if we show up every day, rain or shine, when the tide is low...

We are rewarded by the magic that occurs in this transitional space.

Where land and sea mix together in an endless dance of creativity and expression.

An ecosystem at play, re-making itself day in and day out to accommodate the elements that act upon it.

The beach is the great eraser.

What was there yesterday, will not be there today.

And what we bring to the beach...our worries, our fears, the self-imposed pressures of our modern life...

are erased too...

Blown away in the wind, swept away in the surf...beaten out of us in time to the rhythm of the waves.

And what is left is pure treasure.

An opening.

To the purest essence of our true selves.

And our busy, complicated lives seem ridiculous and mis-directed when face-to-face with the marvels that have washed ashore to teach us our lesson.

And we feel humbled here amongst the crustaceans, the corals and the marine animals that share this world with us...this sand and sea.

We leave the beach with a blank slate:  a renewed spirit.  A profound peace.  And a re-commitment to all that is most important.  

And we take with us a bit of the beach...the shells of cockles, conchs, urchins and scallops...

To remind us that there is the greatest beauty in the smallest of things.

That what we do and who we become is less important than what we leave behind. 

Happy 16th birthday Jack.

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!

The Crab Zone

It's taken me three full days to finally get into the zone with this crab.

You know that point where you're no longer trying to figure out the pattern and design; where you're not searching for the right threads and supplies;  where you're no longer making mistakes because you've worked out all the kinks.

It's where you finally get to stitch with confidence because you know what you're doing and where you're going.

The first couple of days, I tried many different and unsuccessful approaches to crafting this crustacean.

I tried stitching it using different materials:  embroidery floss, silk fabrics, felt...you name it.

I don't think I've thought of much else...working out different ideas and approaches in my head while sleeping, driving, showering and eating.

Finally, as I was scouring the stash looking for some ideas, I ran across this piece of hand-dyed Hanah silk velvet...and I thought I would give it a try.

The great thing about this velvet is that there are many, many different colors contained in one small piece.

I cut out the sections of velvet that were in the pale yellow/green/gold tones and backed them with a stiff interfacing called Decor Bond to keep the tiny bits from fraying.

Now I'm cutting out each jointed section of the leg and sewing the velvet together with a wire in between.

Two down and eight more to go...

I didn't want to take a break but I realized I should bop in here and tell you that I haven't gone to the Caribbean or been slacking off...I've just been trying to figure this little guy out.

Back to crustacean nation...and the Olympics.

See you next time!