Karen Ruane

realisation....

It dawned on me yesterday....the reason for this, the reason for my embroidery obsession and to some extent my titivated book obsession....

I just want to embellish, simple as that. I want to embroider, to adorn.

There doesn't have to be an end product, the satisfaction is in the stitching, the embellishment of cloth and paper. My little books are a vehicle to hold and protect that hand work.

This is what makes me happy. This is who I am creatively.

The images today....the creation of an embroidered sleeve to secure the pages in this little book. Is it essential? Probably not. Is it a reason to embroider more for this little book, to take that embellishment further?  Yes.

I'm always looking for the next 'extra' thing I can do to my work. Can I embroider the reverse? Can I make a little pocket to hold this embroidered cloth?

That begs the question, do I know when something is finished?

Never would be my answer. If it can be embellished more, taken further then it will be, it has to be. There is no need for a 'finishing line'. Do what makes you happy Karen.

 

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A little book of sewing.

 read all about it here

potential

Hi, how are you all? Good I hope....

I've been chained to my sewing machine for days, barely coming up for breath. I love it so much, ripping paper and cloth, looking closely at the potential for surfaces which will be embroidered to death in my new mini class and which in turn will be made into pages. That's before we play with ruffles, pleats, edges and other such stuff for adornments.

I haven't made a decision yet on which of these pieces will make the final cut but for now they are all high up on the list.

There's more information about the class here if you didn't see it the other day.

Tomorrow I'm off to the Knitting and Stitching show. It will do me good to look around the exhibitions, the student gallery and who knows, I may even get a little retail therapy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The potential for creating surfaces. #littlebookofsewing

A post shared by Karen Ruane (@karenruane) on Nov 27, 2019 at 6:16am PST

A little book of sewing.

Thank you so much for all the reassuring comments on my last post, it means a lot. It helped too. I can't guarantee my head is completely free of unwanted concerns or little niggles but I'm doing my best to push all those to the darkest recesses of my wooly brain.

Embroidery has been continuing here, sampling and making is ongoing and I have been photographing everything since I stopped posting regularly so prepare to be bombarded at some point.

There was promise of a short class and here it is. The images are of my initial ideas and I'm not saying I won't vary in format from this little book but the pages and sampling will be consistent with what you see here even if the actual book format changes.

You can read all about it here but for now I hope you enjoy the images.

making decisions

Over the past several weeks...how long has it been? It seems like a long time but it has gone in a flash. Anyway, over the past however long I have done quite a bit of soul searching, a lot of thinking about my work, a lot of questioning the validity of what I do, the standard, the creative successs or otherwise. 

I have been attempting to test different methods of working, alien process, alien process which in no way left me feeling fulfilled or more importantly happy. The angst has been something I wouldn't wish on anyone and I want to thank a couple of people who have helped me throught this with support, suggestion and reassurance.....you know who you are.

The upshot....I can't change who I am creatively. I can't change what drives me. That would in no way result in me being honest with myself or you and if I can't even be honest with myself I may aswell leave now.

Over the more recent past, the more recent weeks of my sporadic appearance online I have been working on backgrounds and pages and little books, little vehicles to be used as display, as protection for stitch and sampling. Yes, artist books I guess but artist books which are created for more than the aesthetic, artist books which hold and protect be that stitches, buttons, samples, doodles............

The images here show the first page of a little book I began yesterday and a glimpse of old artist books along with a tiny snippet of a new little book which you will see more of later.

(the brightly coloured cloth is a vintage fragment, I can't lay claim to that one)

Without being dramatic....drama really isn't in my nature...so without being dramatic...being honest is more appropriate..... my self worth remains a little fragile. With that in mind, the fragility of 'me' and the fact I do need to earn a living and it's obvious I have no other workable solution to this, not one which makes me happy anyway I am going to list a short online course in the next week or so which will begin in the new year. I am easing myself back gently....

Feedback

My feedback page has been updated today, in addition to posting it here it has it's own link at the top of the page.

Whilst I have been a little absent from this blog I have been responding to requests for private online tuition and also taking booking for 'studio days' in my little home studio.

The creativity continues.....

Teaching. Feedback.

Online Learning feedback

 

Just letting you know you are not alone in your little studio!
I am excited to get my email from you every Monday and settle down that night to watch. Usually all in one sitting so that I have sweet dreams planning on what to do. I feel that you are speaking to me, so personal and I do enjoy your chitter chatter.

Thank you for all that you have done to make this an experience I shall never forget.

 

In a way I wish my cloth reflected your style of embrodiery. I am a big fan of all that you do in embroidery.

 

I will try to make the next piece along the lines of your beautiful work......can't promise though, my needle has a mind of it's own and takes the thread into a different direction. :)
From now on each time I look at my cloth, I will remember you all and the happiness of being part of a great class

 

 

So thank you Karen for all your work and love of sewing which we can all feel - and I can tell from all the comments that we now have this love too, even if we didn't before. 

 

 

This is definitely an experience I won't forget, it has got more personal as time has gone on 
Thank you Karen, and to all the others in the group for your support, suggestions and encouragement.

 

 

 I wanted to say a big thank you to Karen for her instructions. This is the first 'on line' anything I have done but it wont be the last. I have enjoyed it very much and have found the work done by all of the other participants to be most inspiring. 

 

 

This was my first online class and it was a wonderful experience. In some ways I think this method of learning was better than an in person class as we all had the best seat for viewing Karen's demonstrations and can learn at our own pace. 

 

 

Well, add me to the list of online class "virgins". It sure was a positive experience. I am so inspired by the instruction from Karen and the creativity of all of my fellow students. Thank you, Karen, and everyone for a great experience. 

 

I get up every morning and look forward to seeing if anyone has posted something new and checking out Karen's blog. What a great way to start the day

 

 

I basically joined your online class because I had followed your blog for a while and was wowed by your work. I simply wanted to understand why and how you made the beautiful work that you do. But now I'm hooked on embroidery for myself and how I might incorporate it into my own work. Thank you for giving me a taste of what you love to create.

 

 

Private online tuition feedback.

 

I must say your instructions are very clear and easy to follow. I like how you had little tips and warnings..most enjoyable and I am having great fun.

 

I love the way you talk to me on the videos...I do respond only you you can't hear me....obviously.

 

Fabulous work and excellent tuition.

 

Just watched the videos. Absolutely fabulous.

 

It want to thank you for your blog which I sometimes even now just go back to the beginning and read bits and pieces of your procress always accompanied by beautiful images.
Which I pour over -not saying but maybe there's some drooling too!
And this leads me into the biggest THANK-YOU imaginable for all your wonderful online classes you have had over the years.
I'm indebted to you for alighting that embroidery fire in me, making me think outside the box, pushing me to explore and combine.

I think my future lies in paper and frayed cloth

The fog is slowly lifting......

a light came on

in progress

hello

How've you been? I have missed this little space more than I can say. I wish I could tell you that I'm getting there or at least making progress but I'm not sure I am. I have been drawing, I have been painting, I have been trying to force something that I really don't think is there. The longer this goes on the more I am beginning to realise that I don't want to change who I am creatively. With that in mind I'm hoping it's a 'blip' this creative meltdown I appear to be suffering from.

There are two online classes ongoing at the moment and I have been focusing on those, trying to give my best to those...(I think I am but they can tell you better than me) The piece here isn't from my ledger class although you would be forgiven for thinking it was. It's inspired by my ledger class and it's an idea I have been working on for an artist book in a different form. In addition to this I have been thinking a lot about backgrounds....page backgrounds specifically but that's an altogether different challenge. I'm no painter....recent painting practice has confirmed that, painting actually makes me unhappy....brings me down.....truly deflates me. How to achieve interesting page backgrounds without painting? Print? I'm not a printer....the simple truth is I am an embroiderer, nothing else.....I stitch.

Reading this back I laughed out loud....confusion still reigns....good thing you can't see inside my head.