absolutely without intention i left an old sheet outside all winter and part of the summer. i was using it to haul leaves over the hill and must have forgotten it at the edge of the woods. now it is a beautiful slow cloth stained with soil and leaves and mold. very fragile with lots of holes and a wonderful palette of grays and browns. the fabric had a weave in it which gives it an added texture. i love how it looks like shibori in some places and ikat in others as the mildew grew along the threads and left a darkened mark. and then how the mold around the holes makes them almost look burned.
i've washed it and dried it and steamed it and washed it and on an on to clean it up and get rid of the musty smell. deb sent me a piece of mold patterned cloth that she drew inspiration from. a nice dotted drawing was the result. beautiful. these two seem to like each other. as we age we become sort of an old moldy rag don't we? i suppose this is a good time to practice making something beautiful out of it. finding the beauty in our own decay will probably require a lot of preparation.
