Atlas Insider
Weird Things Made by a 21st-Century Crafter
It is time to introduce you to Petunia, my studio resident, an opossum head in a jar.
I did not craft Petunia myself—but when I received her Christmas morning 2022, I knew that my mom finally understood me. After 26 years of being called weird and strange, my family finally appreciated my unusual artistic side.
Since I found out we were having a lecture with Franklin Habit on “Weird Things Made by 19th-Century Crafters,” I have been looking around my home wondering what work of mine would be talked about in a century or two. Maybe instead of ogling slides of old photographs and illustrations over Zoom, I will be a hologram telling my own story. A gal can dream.
Today, however, you will have to read about my many creative endeavors. If you are new to my world, I design and make clothes right here in Nashville. But what makes me weird is that I make clothing out of roadkill.
Yes, really. ROADKILL.
I drive the country back roads on Sunday mornings when everything is still and quiet. I peer through fog to find my catch of day. I only collect in the winter, which is nature’s refrigerator. And the rest of the process is a bit too gross to put into writing, so I will keep that a secret between me and Petunia.
Above all else, this adventure began as a way to create ethical and sustainable fur coats while giving a beautiful second life to the discarded and abandoned. I affectionately named this collection of coats Revival of the Fittest.
Fawn in the grass
This coat has the most different types of fur. The sleeves are fox and raccoon while the back piece is fawn and the collar is squirrel. My sister was questioned by the police on the side of the road for picking up the raccoon. But when she said “it was for fashion,” they had no further questions.
Yes, my sister does take part. After six months of convincing my family that I was brave enough to make clothes from roadkill, she hopped on board.
This project began when we were both in college: me for fashion and her for veterinarian school. I’m art, she’s smart. I used the roadkill in my coats and she would perform autopsies for clinical studies. Here we are ten years later, and she keeps the roadkill in a deep freezer in her garage.
My most beloved
The collar and shoulders of this coat use opossum pelts, my favorite fur to use. Not only do I have an affinity for opossums, they are North America’s only marsupial and can eat up to 5,000 ticks per season.
They are the safest roadkill for me to pick up. Since they have a low body temperature, they do not carry rabies or other pests—a fact I have to remind myself in the dead of the night every six months when I spiral and convince myself I am infected. They also have the softest salt-and-pepper fur.
Aside from roadkill, I also use fish leather and raw wool in my coats. Much like bovine hides, you can tan salmon skins and create a uniquely textured leather from the discards at fisheries. Yet another way to turn trash into treasure.
The wool I source is from local farms in middle Tennessee that typically sell to spinners. However, after the extremely laborious process of cleaning the sheared wool, I make tassels. I think the effect mimics shearling, but the sheep and llamas get to see another day.
And although I have many other crafts I would love to share—like my tub of half-knit sweaters, my self-built rug making loom with the tufting gun (still in the box after two years), and the shelf at my local pottery studio with a menagerie of unglazed pots—I will leave those for another day.
Now that you have seen mine, time to show me yours! Petunia and I are dying to see weird things you have made and I can’t wait to see you July 11 for our trip into the weird crafts of the 1800s!
Bonus: This quilt was made by another weird crafter, my grandmother. She taught me how to sew and love my weird self to the fullest.
You are exceptionally gifted. Gobsmacked, here, and enjoying the feelings of surprise and wonder your work creates. Thank you.
Oh my, I don’t think I have ever read anything like this. I have so many questions! And, as a woman who is old enough to be your mother, one recurring thought is I would worry most about your safety picking up roadkill during the night and early morning hours. Beyond that, kudos to you and your sister, for giving these animals a “beautiful second life”. And oh, your grandmother’s embroidery on her quilt is absolutely exquisite.
You are not alone in your appreciation of fine fur. My brother-in-law got 14 squirrels in one day. I stitched their tails to a hat for him. I have earrings made of porcupine quills-harvested from roadkill. I also appreciate opossums. We actually have a road here- Opossumtown Pike. You’ve developed a safe routine to gather materials- thanks for sharing your creativity.
You are a marvel and a treasure! Double kudos to you for making our world cleaner while creating beauty with the litter. If that’s weird, I’m in!
Oh wow! Your creativity has no bounds and I am totally impressed. Weird, yes but also lovely!
Wow! Your creativity, and family support, gives me hope for the future!
Wow! What talent, creativity and imagination! I look forward to more posts. And I love the quilt from your grandmother!
So thankful for creatives like you out there! Without you, our world would be even more plain vanilla. Thank you for sharing and I love that you and your sis are in this together! Art and smart together, what a combo!
I loved this more than I can say! You are awesome. Carry on.
I. too, have collected road kill & saved it in my freezer. Honestly, those are words I NEVER thought I’d post to a public (more or less) page!
I was working for an exhibit design firm at the time, run by a bloke who was ALSO a taxidermist. We did a lot of exhibits for small nature centers & those often wanted to display & tell stories about local/native wildlife… Taxidermy was how they could do that. Live collections are expensive & labor intensive to keep since “living” is a pretty critical part of a living collection & small nature centers tend not to have much resource whether you’re talking about staff OR operating funds.
Love this article!
Fascinating! Thanks for enlightening us. I love your finished garments and your grandma’s quilt too.
Uuummm. NO. Gross
Loved this! Your creativity and your grandmother’s quilt brought joy to my day. Amazing works of art! Too hot for fur here in SoCal, but I have a couple faux fur coats anyway!
I was really getting into the idea of rug tufting. I’m a painter, retired tattooer, knitter, you name it I’ve probably tried it. But as I investigated the rug tufting, the stuff you seal it with on the back is very toxic. I’ve already had toxic poisoning from other sources, including oil paint, so I sadly decided it wasn’t a good idea. They say you can use Elmer’s Glue, but it doesn’t hold very well. Your craft is interesting, indeed.
Ashe – you are inspiring. What creativity!
Looking forward to seeing more of your creations.
Barbara