Marsh Crab

Marsh Crab
23"x23"
Copyright Susan Brubaker Knapp 2022

I have always loved the beautiful color variations on blue crabs. This piece is based on a sketch and water color painting I made several years ago, after photographing some crabs in the marsh on Bald Head Island, NC. 

Batik fabrics, acrylic paint, cotton thread, cotton batting, cotton backing. Fusible and raw-edge appliquéd, painted, free-motion machine quilted. 

The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus (from the Ancient Greek κάλλος,“beautiful” + nectes, “swimmer,” and Latin sapidus, “savory,” is also also known as Atlantic Blue Crab, or regionally as the Chesapeake Blue Crab, and is native to the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. 

 The following information is from https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/field-guide/entry/blue-crab :

The blue crab’s carapace (shell) varies in color from bluish to olive green, and can reach up to 9 inches across. The carapace has nine marginal teeth on each side; the ninth teeth are strong spines. Its claws are bright blue, and those of mature females feature red tips.

Blue crabs have three pairs of walking legs and paddle-shaped rear swimming legs. Males have a strongly tapered abdomen, or "apron," that resembles an inverted T. Mature females have a broad, rounded apron, and immature females have a triangular apron. Male blue crabs are known as “jimmies,” while mature females are called “sooks.”

The back

The back