Sculptural silk

Crispy silk chiffon has a life of its own. I didn't really impose the pleats, but danced with the fabric as it flowed under my needle and thread. They're just little pin tucks with running stitch, but they create such interesting ripples in the fabric.

 I left the green pretty much untouched. It has one pleat, but someone said it looked like a piece of sky among the bark. It had to stay that way.

 I wish I could take credit for the beautifully subtle color and texture on this silk, but they were dyed and printed by Wendy Osterweil. This sculptural silk is for her installation at the Painted Bride in January/February. She has invited several artist friends to collaborate on a wall of fiber "skin/bark" to be very tactile and touchable. I feel very honored to be part of this collaboration. I love stitching this silk. I love working so big, so quickly.The surface is not as labored as my work usually is. It's just enough. It's even better  knowing there will be a lot of it.

This piece is about 4 times bigger than the first piece I made. I didn't add any extra embroidery or any of the teabag paper  that the other one had. The color in this one has more variation and contrast and didn't seem like it needed anything extra.

It was so nice to have this quick piece to work on. This week has been stressful- thesis deadlines draw ever closer. I have spent hours and hours writing, but I need to stitch too so I can get out of my head and relax.