playing with silk and kelp

I found some dried and rather stick-like kelp in a bag in the studio the other day.  Along with other trophies from Airey's Inlet (some driftwood, cuttlefish and sea sponges) it had languished for the best part of a year. It looked quite unpromising but after a soak in a bucket of water returned to life surprisingly quickly. I cut some off with a stanley knife and started experimenting.

Although the kelp is quite thick, it's easy to stitch - I thought I might have to use an awl to make stitching holes but I could stitch without much effort. I used tussah silk thread for this first piece and a chenille needle. 

The worst part is trying to keep control of the kelp - it's slimy and slippery and rather octopus-like in its efforts to escape. I ended up having the kelp sitting in a plastic bowl on my lap: the slipperiness also means you want to wash your hands often.

More experiments to follow.