Elion

By: Elise Delgado

My Protector companion, a hybrid elephant and lion, sours through nature with its powerful patchwork skin and exposed stitches. She has a mane that has the ability to lay flat when calm or pop up when excited or protective with a tail to match!

Process:

Since I wanted to create a companion that felt good to me, I looked for ways to combine animals that would not feel weird or uncomfortable. I had a hard time figuring this out until I thought of the other animal that is also fierce and full of power: the lion. The mane of the lion was very attractive to me as I love hair and movement. It gives a presence to my animal that is unique and tasteful. I chose to do a blanket stitch for the entire animal as it was very meditative to me and gave a particular aesthetic that I enjoyed. I chose the fabrics first within the same color range as a means to be bright and exciting as that is what I needed for my companion to be.

Successes:

I felt successful in the use of hand stitching and the exposure of them to create a “hand-done” look and feel to Elion. I also felt successful in combining the animals to make something look comprehensive and to my liking. I also think the various fabrics and embroidery floss colors used  added to the idea of the animal being pieced together yet unified.

Challenges:

I had challenges with the pattern and cutting fabric on the correct side for when it was sewn together. I had half the elephant backwards and had to recut pieces. Luckily, the elephant is made of up many different fabrics that it did not affect my design. I also had challenges with the legs as one is shorter than the others due to me making the stitch tighter unknowingly. As a solution, I will add cinches under the belly to pull the short leg back a bit and give Elion a sense of walking.