Karen Ruane

images from play time....

 

Look at the fun I have when I'm on my own, no domestic chores outstanding, nobody to feed, door locked, telephone switched off. I recommend it, try it.  These were taken over the last seven days, it snowed, it was cold, I played. I made lace cloth, embroidered pin pillow cloth, made buttons, embroidered lace......you know all that of course if you have read my ramblings this week. Usually you get to see the polished efforts, the progressed efforts, these are those in progress......

Last picture? an assessment of the pocket situation.....how many, which ones to keep, which ones to take to France....

Related articles

the first pocket from class

torn paper and a page

three buttons

Three newly embroidered buttons and a few not so newly embroidered buttons. it's my aim to embroider approximately forty buttons before April. Can I do it? I think so....if I do them in small batches, every so often, fill a couple of hours.....fingers crossed. Along with buttons I hope to make toggles, puffs, other fastenings, little titivations. They will then be made into little button cloths.....

hankies....and more hankies

Very much in progress, evolving, being developed....hankies on silk with added hexagons. This has the most beautiful lace overlay, vintage lace. The side of this you can't see here, which is also in progress has more of this lace. I will show you that as we progress this work in class.

Once again, this work isn't damp stretched. That's becoming a habit isn't it...showing non damp stretched work on here. It's unavoidable at the moment as I continue to embroider, to manipulate, to add scraps of cloth, to add knots and lace. 

 

Related articles

connected?

a new plan

three hexagons and three tabs....

moving sampling forward

buttons and labels...

We made buttons in class and we attached them to a pillow and a pocket.....finishing touches. All my labels will be attached this way for France, each piece will have a button created with stitch and labels. I now have two finished pieces for the show...two down, a zillion to go. Having said that, quietly, in the corner at the back I am making lace cloth and pin pillow cloth so I may well be further ahead than I think.

Yesterday I created more cloth, the first piece of five pieces of pin pillow cloth that will be left without embroidery, not used for pin pillows. If nothing else it will fill a space.

 

Related articles

lace and mirrors...

snippet cloth

metallic silk cloth....

Metallic silk tissue, silk, cotton, Broderie Anglaise.....pin pillow cloth. Each seam will be embellished with either French knots, bullion knots, chain stitch or gimp. Beads will most likely appear on here too and perhaps a little silver purl.

I haven't ''spoken'' to you in a while. A video of French knots being added to this cloth which I love so much.

Related articles

new cloth

blue and white on silk

bright white. like porcelain.

with added lace cloth

Lace cloth....I love it. It's so versatile and every piece is unique. It also has a softness that is hard to describe.....because of that it takes stitch beautifully, like embroidering through butter. The blue and white piece from here now has this lace cloth edge. A row of bullion loops and chain stitch sits where the lace meets the silk. I have begun to embellish the open areas but there is more of that to come. (you may be able to spy some tacking stitches, they will stay for now) 

On Monday I hope to show you a little progress from class. We have been running for two weeks now and there are ten weeks left before we finish. It's not too late to join us and importantly....you have access forever so there's no need to rush your stitches!! You can read more here. 

I'm off to play with a little silk and metallic tissue now....happy days.

Related articles

a surface, embellished....

adding lace to white

blue and white, paper and cloth

My blue and white week

indulge me....

Old images....please indulge me. I searched through this blog yesterday, a refresher for some little books I intend to make for France. I found so many old friends.....not forgotten, just not at the front of my brain, they were way back in the archives of my mental storage facility. 

I say it on here a lot....I look at my old images for inspiration regularly.....obviously not enough though. In all honesty I could have put hundreds of images in this post but these are just a few of my favourites from yesterday.

blue and white

White silk, blue pen, a doodle, a little applique with a frill and hey presto...another piece in the making. I have plans for the lower edge of this one, plans which involve something like this. The lace overlay still needs to be made, it's on the list of things to do. 

Thanks for the feedback on the white piece from class yesterday. It wasn't damp stretched, it needs to be damp stretched. It also needs more embroidery first. I see gimp in my immediate future.....

 

Layered white from class.

I do apologise......this isn't damp stretched, looks like a dogs dinner.....never mind. This is a piece from class. Vintage hankies, layers, gimp. It is in its very early stages. I have another piece ongoing in class too but that isn't ready for any kind of unveiling yet, public or otherwise.

The hankies used in this piece are ''time worn'', soft...like butter. Although that makes them beautiful and an honour to work with it also makes them unruly, liable to fold of their own volition, liable to crease if you look at them the wrong way, (if you know what I mean) I'm hoping damp stretching will tame them.....

hankies, pin pillows and almost finished work....

It's been a busy week and a mixed week. I've started new pieces and almost finished others. I've pinned a lot and tacked a lot. I have looked at old work hanging next to new work whilst planning new pieces. I have acquired emery sand....the jury is out on whether that's a blessing or a curse. New labels which were ordered have arrived....they excite me a lot!! I commissioned those from the very talented Anna.....they arrived so quickly too all the way from the USA.

Today I have a real feeling of satisfaction with where I am creatively...I mean in terms of preparation for upcoming events. So far so good. So far the plan is working. So far I am making good progress.

Related articles

loops on white, a video