Karen Ruane

one of my favourites

The first image here has to be one of my favourites from this year....yards and yards of lace cloth being put together, day after day for my workshop in France. The last two images are from France, my hand leafing through a little Artist Book and someone from the workshop group working hard embroidering, titivating. I'm on April just in case you hadn't realised. There are labels here which were attached to thread wraps for my workshop packs, colours named in French. (I hope you're impressed!) and lots of ledger pages, tiny samples, little doodles.

There were two videos in April too......

A page

 

Doodle Doo

 

preserving stitched scraps

Yesterday if you remember I was having some kind of mini creative crisis. I still am I think but not as much, I think I'm beginning to see the light. I definitely won't be throwing anything away, I won't be making any drastic decisions. Last night I played with more paper, more white. (not shown here, I will show you soon) I am beginning to think white is always the answer as far as I am concerned. Maybe I was feeling  a little lost and white is who I am so I need to reconnect with that from time to time. That's as far as my self analysis goes for now....I am happy with the paper piece you can't see just yet and have plans to move it on.

So what's happening today? What's this all about? It's a similar thing, white, looking at old white, preserving this, keeping it safe. It's all explained in the video.

 

 

Related articles

lace cloth, another page, a video.

a ledger

My old friend ''doodle doo'', a ledger/sketchbook/journal I bought several years ago and which is gradually filling up with ''white'' ideas, stitching and a little pen. None of these images are new...I wanted to gaze at this a little that's all, pick a few favourite pictures and share a couple, of old, short videos with you. I did consider taking this to France. It would have been great to receive feedback from that audience yet I worried about it's overall safety in terms of too many page turns, too many fingers, too much attention. I think I made the right decision. Some of you will have seen the videos before.....those of you who haven't...enjoy....

pages and buttons

Doodle doo....do you remember? The reason this is out, (not that it's ever hidden), the reason it's open, pages being turned, old images being perused is to keep the momentum going for the collection of pieces following on from those in yesterdays post. There will be quite a few of you, new readers, for whom Doodle doo is an unknown.....there is a short video here made some time ago which will tell you more....

 

Buttons.....more buttons are being made here too. Here are a few ''in progress''. Tomorrow there will be oodles of them.

Another reminder for those of you who didn't catch this one first time round.....''Reinventing the page'' makes a return on March 7.

Related articles

blue and white, paper and cloth

more doodling, a video

an evolving white stitchery doodle

continuing in black and white

The page stack is getting taller but not yet nearly tall enough. I'm in no hurry actually, I'm taking my time, enjoying. The black and white bug bit me yesterday. There was printing, cutting, doodling, pattern and lettering. (and if there's any mention of feet.....you know who you are...I will not be responsible for my actions)

My attention is moving to pockets again this afternoon so pages may well take a back seat for a while anyway....... We begin our pocket/body bag/ledger adventure again on Monday. You can still join us....just go here and take a look. We will be making all kinds of things just like this, this and this....

Out of sight I am working at getting this finished. It needs a couple more petals, a doodled lining and something whoop de doo for the final titivation. Don't ask me about the whoop de doo bit yet...I'm still thinking about that one.

Related articles

bright white. like porcelain.

doodle doo and doodled cloth

Doodle doo, I have missed you. It's made an appearance today because I have been asked about these, can I make some more. Flicking through doodle doo is what I need to get the ideas flowing for more little books, it works so watch this space. (although don't expect anything imminently because I've got beds to change and a car to clean and a casserole to put in the oven and a duster to flick)

The fabric piece here...it's finished! Well, the surface is finished. I have big plans for this, an idea that I hope will enhance. All my fingers are crossed as are my toes.....I will be doing this in class but don't worry, you will get to see it when it's done. I have also decided I am keeping this one for myself. 

Remember the queue for the damp stretching board?  This will be going on next, yes that one is finished too. I told you I was working hard, that my fingers are dizzy, positively spinning actually.

Just to say that it's not too late for you to join us in class for ''embroidered pockets''.  This one is a marathon, 12 weeks of class with a two week holiday when yours truly goes partying to Glastonbury. I give you holiday??? I'm good aren't I. Read more here.

Related articles

pattern

French knots on doodled cotton

black and white and paper

I've had this paper piece for some time now, unfinished, needing a little more titivation before going to live in doodle doo. As you can see it's now done and quite by chance the page is perfect for it. I had no idea what this page was like until I got doodle doo out this morning, the paperwork was already cut and to me the outline of that fits perfectly with the marks on this page.

Another thing which has happened quite by chance is this. I was asked permission for an image to be used in that post and looking at it this morning I am convinced the image they chose is this very piece in its early stages......spooky....

I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment, directionless. I am in between things. There are plenty of things I could be doing, could be progressing but I feel as if I need to be doing something else. I know that must happen to you. Do you feel guilty about the things you put to one side ''for now'' when you start something new? My hankie cloth is in view and that is so tempting. Having said that I do have a real desire to progress the page from yesterday so perhaps I could work on that some more and see how I feel after a couple of hours immersed in ledgers.

Finally, has anyone heard of this before? They have approached me with a view to marketing my photographs....not that I'm a photographer. (they say I would keep the copyright) I have done a little googling and they have aroused suspicion in some quarters yet have always made themselves available in those forums and responded positively. I am indecisive...help.

 

Related articles

the early stages

doodles and bumps

finished....

lace?

The black and white backgrounds here are from a book, ''doodle doo'' which I bought from Anthropologie. I cannot take any credit for those.

Yesterday afternoon I planned to make lace, lace cloth. You can never have too much lace cloth. However, I sampled using some new cloth I bought in London as a background and what I have is not lace cloth but snippet cloth. Oh well, you can never have too much of that either.

I also found a little time to play with some Liberty fabric, to begin something new. At the moment it is merely pinned, no tacking as yet and not a hint of titivation. If that changes before tomorrow, if I manage a tiny amount of embellishment I will show you.

Related articles

Lace

black and white...

play.....

Lace cloth

doodles and bumps

There are a few things on my table today. I have added bumpy bits to the piece which was in the hoop yesterday, Liberty bumpy bits. I've also added a few French knots around the edge of the lace area on there. That was damp stretched last night. I have doodle doo out along with a couple of other doodles on loose paper. They are hopefully going to lead to something marvellous for Alchemy. I'm hoping they will inspire, will spark something a little different, will lead me off in a direction to who knows where. 

On the other side of the table, you can't see it, there are gorgeous things happening for ''4'', for their video this week and the back of a pillow, titivated and ready to be put together for pillows and pages. I think it's fair to say that it's a busy house today.

And...as if embroidery, doodles, videos and all isn't enought to keep me occupied there is cake to eat. It's my little boys birthday.

Happy Birthday James. We love you to the moon and back.

And...I know, I know...I never know when to shut up....I can't stop playing this.

Related articles

Doodle doo continued part two

stitchery and doodles

doodle doo continued.....

cloth and doodles....

stuff....

 

 

I thought I would show you a small amount of the ''stuff'' that is piling up in my front room, my dining room, my computer room, my sewing room, the room multi tasks. I have my mojo back. I have a new list, a long list. 

I dived straight into creating and planning after Christmas without doing any ''sorting out''. I will take a few minutes to do a bit of that later. It will be two minutes sorting out and two hours embroidery, then another two minutes sorting out and another two hours embroidery......you know how it is.

I also wanted to say, in advance, that I will not be wishing anyone a ''Happy New Year''. I have a problem with that in so far as I wish you a happy Whole Life......and when all is said and done it will just be Wednesday.

 

 

(SS3...there will be a chatty video for you tomorrow.)

Related articles

a look inside my ledger.....

continuing the body bag process

this week