Karen Ruane

a surface pocket for my embroiderers cloth

Our wrapping cloths, our embroiderers cloths are progressing at pace over in class. There is an embroidered pocket attached to the surface of mine now, neatly tucked into a seam where two panels are joined.

There is also embroidery on the reverse and lining of the pocket.

There are only two weeks left of class and I'm beginning to think my confidence that I am nearly there is misplaced. Nagging away at me is the thought that I could have much more still to do than I imagine so later today I am going to assess where I am in comparison to where I need to be.

a wrap for a tiny notebook

This little hand made notebook measures just 3 inches by 3 inches. It doesn't really qualify as an artist book yet as the pages are still blank but that's what it will be when I have finished titivating.

After putting the little book together I started the cover wrap rather than begin work on the pages. No particular reason except I wanted to. Once this is attached the pages will get a little attention.

the wrapping cloth

My 'embroiderers cloth' has been getting a lot of attention lately, mostly on Facebook. Each time I post an image of it and mention the words 'wrapping cloth' I am asked many times 'what is a wrapping cloth?'

So, what is a wrapping cloth? The important thing here is what a wrapping cloth means to me. Many cultures have variations of the wrapping cloth, usually they are stitched specifically to 'wrap' something precious, an artefact, jewellery, heirlooms. For me however a wrapping cloth is very personal. It began when I was studying in the early 2000's, when I was researching the history of cloth and specifically it's place in the life of humans.

From swaddling newborn infants, early settlers across the world making quilts to keep their families warm to nomadic tribes wrapping themselves in skins and blankets as protection from the elements it was evident that for us, for humans, cloth was a vehicle for protection. Don't forget too...shrouds, cloth also protects us at the end of our life.

Wrapped up in my research, my thought process was my relationship with my children and how all mothers wish to protect their children.

So to me a wrapping cloth is symbolic of my desire to protect my children and keep them safe.

My wrapping cloths aren't functional, they are purely decorative.

I have lost count of how many I have made. My early wrapping cloths were made from silk. The reason for that being silk is precious as are my children.

Over time I have created cloths from other fabrics, natural fibres, cotton mostly but have introduced colour too.

The images below are a selection of pieces made over the past 16 years or so. I no longer have posession of all my wrapping cloths. My daughter has one as does my mother, my aunt, my niece and my godson.

 

joining panels and making plans

We are starting to join our embroidered panels together in class. Whilst we are doing this our wrapping cloths, our embroiderers cloths are evolving, it's becoming more evident how the 'whole' cloth will look when it's finished.

The two pieces here are joined with a tiny panel which now provides a home for safety pins. The next two pieces will be joined with a pocket which we began in class a couple of weeks ago.

There is a beautiful weight to these individual pieces and as they are joined that weight gets even more pronounced, this work is wonderful to handle.

a stitched notebook, an embroidered paper cover and a lining

Cast your mind back to this post...a wrap for my stitched notebook. The front is now fully embellished, embroidered and adorned. Now it's time for the lining.

In the first image the lining is visible centrally, it's the all white piece, torn paper strips placed together which I intend to secure with buttonhole lace.

There is quite a bit of embroidery still needed on that before I can secure it to the reverse of the wrap and add it to my stitched notebook.

flower silks, squishy buttons and a little half circle pocket

Another finished panel for my 'embroiderers cloth' and the next piece in progress, partially stitched.

I'm not 100 percent sure how many more panels I need for this but we have started joining the first pieces together in class. I think it will be a case of join what I have and see what's needed as I go along.

The partially stitched piece needs more work, it needs a 'feature'. There's an idea brewing for that which I hope to sample over the next few days.

revisiting lace cloth

Lately, in my spare moments you may have noticed I have been playing with lace cloth again. I love it's versatlity, how it can enhance in so many ways.

There are some past pieces in the images and short video which follow. Hopefully you will see why I love it as much as I do.

 

a growing wrapping cloth

My embroiderers cloth is growing....two new panels are almost ready to be added to the pile. It's funny but you can panic a little with some pieces if you are on a deadline, (I'm on a deadline because of class), you can get overwhelmed by imagining you won't get x or y finished in time and then you get to a point where it seems to speed up, it all comes together and you're almost there.

I think I am at that point now.

a paper pocket for a notebook

Back to my little notebook, the little design notebook which accompanies my 'embroiderers cloth'. (I'll post some images of my embroiderers cloth at the end of this post for those of you who haven't got a clue what I'm talking about)

This page has a pocket at its edge. I never could resist a pocket. A couple of pages back in this one I doubted this little notebook would take much more. I was wrong. I'm going to keep going.

As promised, a few selected images of my embroiderers cloth which is still very much in progress.

progress, my embroiderers cloth.

My embroiderers cloth is growing, there's a new panel which is partially embroidered and which will be embellished further over the coming days before I put the next piece together.

The little buttons are hand stitched, soft, puffy, light and will be used for adornment on seams. I'm also planning on making more of these to place in one of the numerous pockets on this cloth.

The little notebook which accompanies this cloth has had more work too. I'm hoping to show you progress on that next time but first I need to put some hexagons together.