#elvis worm

Elvis worm (Peinaleopolynoe) PNGs.

aka the Elvis Worm

Woke up this #WormWednesday and decided I needed to make the worms I want to see in the world. This appliqué and embroidery friend is Peinaleopolynoe orphanae, a deep sea scaleworm. These worms can be found at whale falls, hydrothermal vents, and methane seeps - all some of my favorite habitats.

I wanted this piece to be really 3D and have playful tactile elements so I used some fuzzy fabric for the worm’s bristles and the scales are each hand cut out from a textile I created from ironing together felt, a glittery mesh, and a sheer holographic fabric. I attached the scales just at their bases where they are overlapped by other scales so you can rifle through them.

I used the reference image below from Hatch AS, Liew H, Hourdez S, Rouse GW (2020) to try and make this piece as life accurate as possible.