Mermaid Collage Close-up

I was hoping to capture the luster of the silk carrier rods, but the sheen is subtle. I pulled one of the rods apart while still damp and one rod can be pulled into several pieces. When pulled apart the rod is almost feather-like. I'm probably the last person on earth to discover silk carrier rods, but thrilled I found the bag among my drawers of silk fibers. Once the rods were dyed, I microwaved them for 2 minutes, which dried the rods. After I embellished them, I dabbed Gilder's paste onto the rods as well as onto the fabric. I hoard old brass buttons and now is the time to use those buttons! Above the Mermaid head, I twisted and tacked into place, bias-cut silk ribbon. Since I wanted raw edges for the collage, the raw-edge ribbon added a bit of texture to the piece. I added a piece of Mica over the mermaid face to add a bit of texture.