Karen Ruane: April 2013

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April 2013

04/29/2013

Helen

Happy birthday to my little girl. We love you to the moon and back.

Posted at 12:17 PM in Helen | Permalink | Comments (14)

04/25/2013

I'm running a bit behind today. I had to do the dreaded supermarket run this morning as I won't be here tomorrow. Happily I have finished the embroidery on my pouch too and it is damp stretched ready to be put together and finished when I get back. So today is a tying up of loose ends day. I will clean the house leaving it spick and span and leave the laundry basket empty.

Tomorrow I will be here, spending the night and on Saturday I go here until Tuesday night. I will be posting to Instagram and facebook, images of food, shops, landmarks, goodies I might buy.....maybe even wedding dresses!! Take care of yourselves......I miss you already.

Posted at 01:30 PM in cloth, embroidery, embroidery hoop, pocket, pouch, table | Permalink | Comments (23)

Tags: cloth, embroidery, finishing off, pocket, pouch, stitch

04/24/2013

lollipop?

I inadvertently created a lollipop! The applique with the bullion knot edge...can you see a lollipop? I continued with this piece yesterday and also finished off the puffs. My new piece will have to wait until I come back from my travels. I want to ponder that one a little, make sure I am certain where I want to take it

I am amazed at how quickly this pouch is progressing. If I wasn't going away it would be backed, edged and finished by the weekend. Tonight I hope to finish the surface embroidery, the final touches and then I will damp stretch it ready for finishing when I get back next week. Hopefully the pin pillows will be finished by the end of next week too. I just have to hope that I don't find too many vintage treasures in London that will distract me and throw me off course. Then again....you know I will.

Posted at 01:05 PM in pocket, pouch, puffs | Permalink | Comments (22)

Tags: applique, embroidered knots, lace, pocket, pouch, puffs

04/23/2013

today....

It's all good today. Up early, ironing board straight up, fabric out. A new piece put together, (you may see that tomorrow) and a lot of excitement removing last nights work from the damp stretching board...I positively couldn't contain myself. I added to my next pouch thingy with bullion knots, a snippet of lace and two very appealing edges that have me obsessed. I can guarantee there will be more of those. I made a video to show you those closely. This afternoon I have an appointment. I don't want to go. I want to stay home and play.....

Posted at 11:18 AM in bullion knots, cloth, details, edges, embellish, embellished edges, embroidered knots, embroidery, pocket, pouch, seam, stitch, surface, titivating, today, video | Permalink | Comments (15)

Tags: edges, embroidery, pocket, pouch, seams, show and tell, video

04/22/2013

bits and bobs

Can you tell that this weeks homework in class is funky puffs? I haven't made many myself, half a dozen. I expect everyone else will make thousands.....yes thousands. I have also titivated two of the backgrounds for pin pillows. Talk about time consuming. It's a good thing I'm not on a deadline and that slow to me equals perfect. These two took me a few hours last night and I haven't even made any tabs or backed them yet. There won't be any ready for the shop before I go away...my pouch/pocket thingy is calling me as is my wrapping cloth. And then there is a germ of a new venture, a new class. A basic class, a class about going back to basic tradition, pure stitch. Making patches of stitch, making cloth out of patches, making strips of stitch, fragments of stitch and bringing them all together in cloth. Are you following? Does it make sense? When my head is straight I will know more. Then you will know more. Meantime...how long is it since you saw the wonderful things my girls are making? They make me very proud indeed.

Posted at 11:39 AM in cross stitch, embroidery, lace, puffs, surface | Permalink | Comments (24)

Tags: bits and bobs, embroidery, lace, specks of colour, surface

04/21/2013

the second pouch

I made you a little video this morning....about this pouch thingy that is under construction. I am still on my lonesome....definitely not complaining especially as last night I had the company of Bobby Simone. Oh my goodness, I'm still all of a flutter! I also managed to make more lace and embroider on the second section of the pouch so as you can see it's productivity all the way....

The rest of today......unfortunately there is dusting to be done. Aside from that it's just me, Bobby and my embroidery. Happy days.

Posted at 01:06 PM in lace, piecing, pocket, pouch | Permalink | Comments (15)

Tags: cloth, embroidery, lace, piecing, pocket, pouch

04/20/2013

a pocket on a page

I finished this small pocket last night. I gave it a flounce, a vintage cloth edge that is almost as big as the pocket itself. The vintage cloth also forms the back and the pocket has a lining. This one is a gift...shhhh...can't tell you who for I would have to kill you. There is no connection to this page from doodle doo...I merely thought it made a rather nice background.

I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend. I know that we established last week that I don't like Sundays but this one will be different, it is showing promise. I have the whole place to myself. My plans include the titivating of pin cushions, putting homework together for the girls in class and getting the second piece of my pocket from yesterday put together. In between all that the kettle will be on overtime...a coffee or two may be consumed along with some lovely new tea I want to try.

Technology is very trying at the moment...typepad still insists on putting comments in the spam folder. If you leave a comment and can't see it don't worry, I am checking the spam regularly. This morning my facebook page has gone all ''strange'' on me...not sure what's happening there but it definitely doesn't look the same as it did when I went to bed last night...anyone else noticed anything? It's a conspiracy...I just know it....

Posted at 12:57 PM in ledger, pins, pocket | Permalink | Comments (19)

Tags: embroidery, ledger, page, pocket, pouch

04/19/2013

one and a half pockets

The first half of my new pocket/pouch is now finished and laying here next to my muslin pocket. I still need to put the second piece of this one together, embroider the surface, join the two sections, line them and then hand finish the edge. This one will be smaller than the first one, final measurements not known yet....I may lose some on the seams and edges. I have another pocket in process too, a tiny pocket, a gift. That will be lined and backed this weekend and I also hope to start titivating the cloth I made for pin cushions.

I am putting bits and bobs in my suitcase for London already, terrified of forgetting something. I will be taking pictures for instagram and facebook so you can keep up with me that way if you like. I'm not going yet though, next Friday. On the Sunday I am going wedding dress shopping with my little girl. It feels mighty strange thinking about that.....

Posted at 12:25 PM in cloth, embroidery, pockets, white, white cloth | Permalink | Comments (17)

Tags: cloth, embroidery, half a pocket, pocket, pouch

04/18/2013

titivating

It's a long one today...in terms of images at least so maybe you want to put the kettle on. I'm being indecisive, couldn't decide which ones to leave out and didn't want to leave any until tomorrow. I have been making more cloth of the lace variety...ripe for titivating into pincushions. This is the cloth we will be making in lace class in a couple of weeks. There will be a lot of these images going on facebook and instagram later....you will be bored to death and have grown beards before bedtime. Death by lace cloth, there are worse ways to go.

We had a lovely meal last night....d e l i c i o u s. There are pics of that on instagram too...there is a link up top. (right hand side) Then there is this...my latest pouch/pocket thingy.

This one is coming along, slowly but it's coming. I feel as if I am on a roll and don't want to stop. It would be better if my trip to London was three weeks away not next week. Then again....all those lovely fabric shops, vintage shops. I will force myself to go.

Posted at 01:05 PM in bullion knots, cross stitch, embellish, embroidered knots, lace, mostly white, online learning, surface, titivating | Permalink | Comments (20)

Tags: creating a surface, embroidery, lace, lace class, online learning

04/17/2013

festooned/veil thingy

There are a few more images of my veil thing today, a closer look. I love this a lot. It is now hanging with the other cloth I showed you earlier in the week. It may just stay there then I can look at it more often than would be possible if it was laid on my bed.

I have had a few mails about my pin pillow.....asking if I have any to sell. I am wondering if I should make some more for the shop. I probably will, as a small diversion. I will keep you posted on that one. Then there is the white bowl. A couple of commenter's asking why I am using something I bought for my son and his girlfriend, (for when they buy their house) to keep scraps of cloth in....well don't you remember? I bought them one and liked it so much I went back and got one for myself. So the ever present white bowl belongs to moi!

I have to go now, I'm going out. The girls in class have had their lesson, my pictures of embroidery that I take every day are taken, I have watched a decent amount of THE FUNERAL on TV. Then tonight I am going here, a belated birthday celebration for my little boy. See you tomorrow......