Karen Ruane

three notebooks

Just looking, thinking. Three embroidered notebooks.

2020 goals

This morning I have made the final videos for 'Ledgers, a record of stitch', the class which has been running for almost exactly twelve months. Also this morning, my new class began with the first post for 'the little book of sewing' going live. Yes, books again, ledgers, stitched pages, embroidered overlays, colour studies, stitch samples, compositions created with embellished papers.

Whilst making the final videos for ledger class I was saying to the group how this was 'my place', how I feel as if I am 'home' when working on ledgers, notebooks, artist books which led me to take the pieces you see today out of their cabinet and just gaze for a while, learn from them, drink them in, the details, the process, how one might live with another, how they might be moved forward, altered, extended, how past 'artist books' might inform future artist books and how I can challenge myself to extend these stitched pages, staying true to myself and my 'signature' whilst developing something new and exciting yet something which remains very much in the sphere of the 'artist book' aesthetic.

I'm just thinking reading this back, 'that's quite a challenge you have set yourself Karen'. Wish me luck.

(if you are registered for 'the little book of sewing' you should have received sign in details this morning.If you didn't receive those please let me know)

notebook progress

Progress....another page, (the jury is out on this one) another page and the makings of a sleeve to hold it all together. I'm going to keep going before I come back to this 'iffy' page, come back, look again and on and on until I make a decision about altering this one or decide to leave it as it is as a lesson, as a learning experience of what not to do. Can't quite put my finger on what is bothering me about it but I do think I need something sweeping across in landscape format.

(careful Karen, you are part way to making a decision!)

Overall however.....I'm in love with this little notebook. It's a shame you can't handle it because you would get a better appreciation of how it unfolds and of the unpredictability of which page it will reveal when it falls open. The more pages I work into the more that will happen.

Whilst I'm working on this one I have started sampling for another cloth book. This morning I've been pleating cloth for that and aim to get the first page pieced later today. I hope to have something to show you from today's work later this week.

notebook pages

Beading an edge, before and after. Some of these images were taken before I added the over long beads.

I'm continuing to embroider this little notebook, working on each page in turn until I can't go any further. There is a new page in progress although I'm not completely certain I have finished this one yet. I see space for detailed colour studies, stitched colour studies, cross stitch, French knots, simple running stitches.

folding cloth

There are two videos today...a before and after. The before video is longer, I'm playing with embroidered cloth, folding it into a book form, considering my options for reverses, assessing the amount of embroidery required to make it all fit together seamlessly.

If you are registered for my new class, 'a little book of sewing', you should have received a pre class email from me this morning. If you didn't receive that can you please let me know.

Saturday afternoon is going to be about ruffles here...how about your Saturday afternoon?

 

soft pages, soft cover....

Hi all. I hope you all had a brilliant holiday time and that the big guy was good to you. He was very good to me but as I'm always on my best behaviour that's no surprise. My guests have gone, I have my house back, my studio has been spring cleaned for the weekend (I have plans) and I no longer need to peel sprouts, it's a win win.

You may remember this post and the indecision re the cover for this little cloth book. I made a decision to go with the very soft, floaty lace cloth for the cover and it's all stitched together now. I posted a few of these images on Facebook before Christmas but didn't write the blog post...must have been peeling sprouts! Anyway, here it is and I can assure you it's well fondled.

Artist books are going to feature a lot here in 2020. Soft cloth books, sculptural paper books, investigative sample ledgers....I see 2020 clearly, I have plans. The year will begin with my new class which you can read about here and alongside that, privately, I will be sampling book forms in both paper and cloth. Snippets of those private sampling pieces will be shared here from time to time so please promise you will come back to see how I am progressing.

books, pages, ledgers,

Last time I was here I spoke about my happy place...and to remind you here is the quote,

''this is definitely where I am happiest....in 'that place' embellishing little sketchbooks, tiny notebooks and ledgers with stitch, beads, knots and buttons, creating my own heavily embellished pages from self made cloth, creating fluffy, soft, white and lace like fabrics...yes, definitely my happy place.''

Today's images are an illustration of that. Looking at the last image which is how my table looked just before I turned the lights out and climbed the stairs last night I finally felt as if I had turned a corner.

The first class of 2020 is listed here. It won't surprise you to hear that it's book related.

happy place

This is definitely where I am happiest....in 'that place' embellishing little sketchbooks, tiny notebooks and ledgers with stitch, beads, knots and buttons, creating my own heavily embellished pages from self made cloth, creating fluffy, soft, white and lace like fabrics...yes, definitely my happy place.

I am going away for a few days on Monday, here. If you sign up for my new class whilst I am away I won't be able to send you the supply list until Thursday 12th. I do hope that's ok.

a cover?

I've been thinking about the cover for my next little stitched book, the pages I showed you last time....

I wish you could touch this piece, it's light as a feather, frothy, soft....

 

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