Silicon makes up 27% of the earth’s crust. We find lots of uses for it, but what intrigued me is what diatoms do with it.

Diatoms are single-celled algae, part of the oceans’ collection of plankton. They make a cell wall (called a frustule) from hydrated silicon dioxide. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 species of diatoms in both salt and fresh water.

My quilt depicts two diatoms: a small one that I discharged with bleach, and a larger one that is completely embroidered.

More embroidery than I ever want to do again!

diatoms