Karen Ruane

Interactive learning

Recently I have been asked about 'live' classes, Zoom classes.

After doing a little research it would appear that isn't actually as popular an idea as you may think.

Feedback is telling me that people like to have the video, the safe, secure 'always there' videos which are hosted on a private blog enabling them to view at their leisure.

From previous experience, years of teaching online, I do however know how beneficial any kind of interaction can be to the learning process.

With that in mind I made a suggestion to several people regarding an online 'fly on the wall' embroidery class with Zoom meetings built in every few weeks or so.

That idea has received a very positive response so here it is.

Please read the description carefully, for example, I mention how Zoom participation is not compulsory.

This class will proceed in the same way as every other class I have ever ran online.

I will always be there for you, Zoom or no Zoom.

I will always be focused on you and your creativity, Zoom or no Zoom.

I will give regular feedback on your creative progress, Zoom or no Zoom.

You can read more here and there is a provisional timetable for our twelve weeks on this page here.

This class does not start until July 5.

I am listing it now as it is important I know whether the demand is there before I start to plan and spend time on this programme.

The cost of this 12 week programme is higher than usual too, that is to reflect the extra time I will be devoting to this group.

Numbers are strictly limited, again because of the Zoom aspect.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to mail me

contemporaryembroidery(at)hotmail(dot)com

(most latest laptop models have built in cameras and microphones as do IPads)

Ledgers.

I'm looking back at ledgers today. I mentioned here I would be showing these in the middle of sharing artist book images.

What's the difference between a ledger and an artist book?

An artist book is very 'freely' created, it's play, it's creating without a plan, creating without a specific brief in mind.

A ledger is much more focused, there is a starting point and an intended outcome. Colour studies, stitch studies are important as is the presence of those throughout the documentation process. There needs to be cohesion, the work needs to flow seamlessly from page to page.

I only work in ledger format if I am teaching that process so have many more artist books than I do ledgers.

Finally, happy birthday Helen. We couldn't love you more or be prouder of you than we are.

Can't wait to see you on May 23rd and spend time with you in London in June.

Have the most wonderful birthday and save me some cake xxx

 

Book work 2.

Last time I was here I spoke about my recent 'looking back posts'. I mentioned that artist books would take more than one post to cover so today is day two.

I think I could go on forever with this theme but as I was studying these past posts I came across ledgers which are different to artist books so they may be next.

This is a really good 'refresh' and inspire exercise for me personally and if you aren't a long time visitor to this blog a lot of this will be new to you.

In the background here I am very focused on work for sewing circle and am limited with what I can post here so am grateful for this opportunity to examine past work with you.

 

book work

Recently I have been clicking through groupings of 'old work' on this blog. It's a 'refresh' excercise which is proving invaluable.

Today was going to be 'artist books' but there are so many images on that theme. Instead I decided to cover this one over a couple of days and today is the first day of that.

Another thing...help! Everything appears to have disappeared from my right hand side bar and placed itself at the foot of the blog. How do I remedy that? any ideas? or can you see it on the right hand side and it's only me having trouble? (all looks in order when I view it on my admin page)

seventeen by fifteen inches

This silk panel is completely hand worked. The pattern was drawn onto the surface prior to the hand stitches being added.

It started life as a simple exercise in surface pattern design for 'sewing circle'.

I will either use this as a whole to form the reverse of a pillow or cut it up to use in other work.....or maybe I will make more then I can do both.

This is the second heart which has been emboidered as a means of sampling hand embroidery stitches, recording colour and pattern too. The first heart can be seen here.

These were started in 'sewing circle' and although the group has moved on from this I wanted to finish my pieces.

These hearts will eventually find their way into some kind of cloth sample book along with my other sampling from class.

This pocket has come a long way since you last saw it here. It is now secured with hand stitch, has an edge trim created with 119 bullion knots and the hand embroidered buttons have found a home inside it and at the edge of it.

Initially I used red ribbon for the ties but didn't like them so I swapped those for white ribbon which I prefer.

I'm not quite sure where I go from here with this one but I will sample ideas in sewing circle.

Thank you for the feedback from my last post regarding zoom lessons. It would appear that most of you don't like that idea, you prefer the video format which allows you to view demonstrations at your leisure.

I'm scratching my head now...... can you hear me?

I'm still looking back. I'm feeding sewing circle. I'm remembering. I'm being inspired all over again.

Today it's cloth books.

A question. Would you be interested in 'embroidery school LIVE' a zoom situation?

I'd be very grateful for some feedback on that.

It would be scheduled in such a way that time difference would be accommodated and would also be recordable for later viewing.

My 'looking back' posts continue. This time it's pin pillows. I have no idea where most of these are now. If you own one perhaps you could say.

I have previously looked back at buttons and puffs, you can see those here and here.

At the foot of the post today is another memory, not embroidery related but a memeory that means something to me.

(I would have been around 9 years old at the time)

When I first posted that image some time ago I said I wondered how that young girl would have felt if she knew what she'd be doing all these years later. I'm still wondering.

This is what's keeping me busy at the moment, work evolving in 'sewing circle'.

Hopefully this will be a pocket, a pocket to hold the hand embroidered buttons you can see here.

Going forward I'm hoping to integrate this into a larger piece of work but there's a long way to go until I get round to that.

 

the second heart

This is the second heart which has been emboidered as a means of sampling hand embroidery stitches, recording colour and pattern too. The first heart can be seen here.

These were started in 'sewing circle' and although the group has moved on from this I wanted to finish my pieces.

These hearts will eventually find their way into some kind of cloth sample book along with my other sampling from class.

a pocket for buttons and 119 bullion knots

This pocket has come a long way since you last saw it here. It is now secured with hand stitch, has an edge trim created with 119 bullion knots and the hand embroidered buttons have found a home inside it and at the edge of it.

Initially I used red ribbon for the ties but didn't like them so I swapped those for white ribbon which I prefer.

I'm not quite sure where I go from here with this one but I will sample ideas in sewing circle.

Thank you for the feedback from my last post regarding zoom lessons. It would appear that most of you don't like that idea, you prefer the video format which allows you to view demonstrations at your leisure.

I'm scratching my head now...... can you hear me?

little books of embroidery

I'm still looking back. I'm feeding sewing circle. I'm remembering. I'm being inspired all over again.

Today it's cloth books.

A question. Would you be interested in 'embroidery school LIVE' a zoom situation?

I'd be very grateful for some feedback on that.

It would be scheduled in such a way that time difference would be accommodated and would also be recordable for later viewing.

pin pillows

My 'looking back' posts continue. This time it's pin pillows. I have no idea where most of these are now. If you own one perhaps you could say.

I have previously looked back at buttons and puffs, you can see those here and here.

At the foot of the post today is another memory, not embroidery related but a memeory that means something to me.

(I would have been around 9 years old at the time)

When I first posted that image some time ago I said I wondered how that young girl would have felt if she knew what she'd be doing all these years later. I'm still wondering.

a pocket in progress

This is what's keeping me busy at the moment, work evolving in 'sewing circle'.

Hopefully this will be a pocket, a pocket to hold the hand embroidered buttons you can see here.

Going forward I'm hoping to integrate this into a larger piece of work but there's a long way to go until I get round to that.