#lampmade

CRAB CRAB CRAB

I told a friend about the horseshoe crab backpack I'm making and he made this comment about turning it into a side business. and. I know it's intended to be encouraging and supportive, but like.

Including materials, and given a very optimistic assumption that I will finish this project in another ~3 hours of work,

Charging at the federal minimum hourly wage of $7.25 for my labor, this backpack would cost approximately $203.

Charging at the somewhat more "acceptable" $15 hourly wage, it would cost $395.

Charging at $25/hr for a wage that actually values my labor beyond simple survival, it would cost $615 or more.

I'm not going to finish it in another 3 hours. And I am undeniably an amateur– the finished product isn't going to be perfect and crisp the way something "should" be to cost that much, so it won't be "worth" the amount it's technically worth.

Projects like this that I do for fun I am absolutely willing to replicate for close friends at a significantly lower price as a "gift" (asking for cost of materials and/or only a partial cost of labor). But there's no reasonable way to actually monetize a hobby like this.

I decided I wanted to work more on my 3D object skills and make some Little Guys. Ergo, rat. And another rat. and another rat. and another rat. and anoth–

it is with great sorrow /j that I replace my pinned PDF post with a little directory so people looking for crab info can find it easily.

Original post

Buy the pattern (tumblr post) | direct link

Interested in commissions?

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Does it have a lining?

More about my process– drafting a pattern and learning to work with leather

Check my #horseshoe crab tag for any further discussion on my process, questions about the pattern, etc!

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The Horseshoe Crab pattern is now available!

Available on ko-fi for $35 USD or pay-what-you-want!

I’ve been completely blown away by the response to my horseshoe crab! Since a bunch of people have expressed interest in making their own, I've put together a pattern and instructions so anyone who wants to can make their very own sea puppy to love and to hold. 

This is a digital download which includes instructions and the pattern, printable either on a standard home printer or on a wide-format architectural printer. 

The instructions are for leather; however, the pattern pieces should work in other materials as well– you may just have to adjust slightly for any different medium you use. (For example, for fabric, you would need to add seam allowance.) Stiff, non-stretch materials are recommended for the best results.

If you make a horseshoe crab of your own, please tag me in any photos you post– I’d love to see them! I’m excited to see different takes on it. 

Go forth and make a creature!