so i've been recycling lately. 
(feeling quite 'green'... the whole carbon footprint thingy at work here.)

i have wonderfully colourful pieces of silk in my personal collection.  through the years, they've been used as wall hangings, door coverings and window panels.  i've always kept the pieces whole.  i could not cut them up.  now.... i find that i can.  i've been slicing and dicing every length of silk i have in my possession.  reworking the old into new.

i have a 5 yard piece of 10mm china silk.  the fabric is not as bright and shiny as it once was.  for a good many years, it hung in the red room of the old house.  it hung from ceiling to floor.  a fresh round of colours has brought it back to life.  i'm wetting the silk and hanging it from a line bunching up the bottom of the fabric so it puddles a bit.  i pour the dye from the top and watch as it waves down the silk fighting for space and time before hitting the floor.

i've used this method once before.  a 6mm china silk shower curtain i was working on.  the dripping dye lays out an intense experience of the snudging of colours and concepts.  it's like rain pouring down the window panes.  streaming individually than merging on a whim.























| series of drips 1 |  recycled and repainted 10mm china silk























| series of drips 2 |  recycled and repainted 10mm china silk























| series of drips 3 |  recycled  and repainted 10mm china silk

if you look closely, you can see the stresses, the wear and tear on the fabric.  china silk is known for it's incredibly smooth hand and shining gloss.... this piece lacks slightly in those areas.

i'm sewing the redyed silk into a set of  pillow cases for our bed.  this recycled piece has a good memory attached to it..... it was one of the first pieces of my silk my michael ever saw.... he remembers it well from a show i did in santa fe.  he came with me and we blew off the show to camp for a week in the state park.  it cost us $2.00 a day and we lived on bread and cheese.  during the days, we swam in the waters that melted from the snow atop the mountian.  he would carry me a great distance to the shallow pool that was warmed by the sun.... his legs half frozen by the time we got there.  when it rained, we slept in the truck.  when it was clear, we layered the ground with a silk covered feather bed and pillows to match.  it was so simple and good.  so honest and true....

thought i'd share.