Karen Ruane

Aspiring freelance embroiderer. First Class Honours Degree in Textile/Surface Design, specialism hand embroidery. P.G.C.E. Work exhibited widely. City & Guilds Creative Studies Embroidery Part 1 & 11. Foundation Diploma Art & Design (Distinction). B. A. Hons Textile/Surface Design (First Class). Post Graduate Certificate in Education. If you have any queries about my work, any questions regarding commissions or just to comment generally on my blog, please contact me on, contemporaryembroidery @hotmail.com Karen.

For centuries women have used cloth as a tool of comfort and as an expression of beauty within their homes. Creating cloth for warmth, cloth for shelter, our female predecessors embellished these linens with hand stitch using laborious and time consuming techniques thereby enhancing the functional beauty of objects which enveloped and protected their families. Inspired by these women I hope my creations pay tribute to and recognise the devotion expressed in cloth by our female ancestors .