Karen Ruane

embellishing seams

In my last post I promised an update of progress on my wrapping cloth.

In truth not a lot has happened but I have attached a small panel to one edge and embellished the seams with dangly things and bullion knots.

This edge needs two more panels and then I think I will be ready to back this maybe adding a soft flannel central layer too.

The small embellished fabric discs I have used here will be demonstrated in my next 'monthly sewing circle' video.

Monthly videos are part of my new subscription online learning venture and you can read more about that here.

embellish, embellish, embellish

I'm still working on these paper pieces, adding embellishments and in fact have joined two pieces from this post.

The next step I think is to put another collage of paper together and begin embroidery on that surface informed and inspired by the embellishments added here.

If you are registered for 'Creative Portfolio' you should have received passwords and Flickr invitations this morning.

Please let me know if you didn't!

a beaded seam

Up to now I have been placing lace or vintage trim in the seams of my veil piece as I join newly hand embroidered sections. In this image, where three pieces meet I have added beading instead. I had a need for the repetitive. I'm so glad I did.

(Alchemy girls, your first critique videos are now live on the class blog)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Karen Ruane (@karenruane) on Oct 22, 2020 at 4:54am PDT

sequins, lace cloth, memory

I had a little trip down memory lane this morning, a little break from Alchmey things, a little 'keep in touch with lace cloth' five minutes.

This four minute video popped up from 2017, memories of Spain, (I had just come back from holiday), memories of this piece which I now must find to see how it turned out.....yes really, I can't remember.

progress with my lace 'veil' like piece

These images show some of the stages I go through when creating my lace 'veil' like pieces.

First of all I create the lace cloth, in this instance with snippets of silk velvet too.

Those little silk velevt 'islands' are then edged with buttonhole lace before sequins are added.

I will occasionally cut holes in the lace cloth too and edge those with buttonhole lace. That results in an even lighter piece of cloth.

Once I have several pieces embellished I then join them. Sometimes I place lace in the seams or a vintage trim, sometimes self made cords.

As you have probably noticed I'm also partial to stitching shiny things into notebooks too!

embellishing pages

I swear I'm building a library here. That's OK, I love a library.

My son asked me yesterday, 'mum, how many of those books you sew have you got'?

Not enough was my reply.

embellished

When you last saw this piece here it was 'raw', unstitched, unadorned. It's now ready to be added to a page in my little notebook. After that I will finish the page wrap which is partially stitched and add that too.

I think that makes four notebooks in progress at the moment in terms of adornment, four notebooks already crammed with stitch which will have more embroidery added over the coming weeks.

If you are registered for 'artist book explorations' you should have received sign in details, passwords etc earlier today for our private class blog. Invitations to our private Flickr group have also been issued. If you haven't received any of these can you please let me know.

filing pages with lace, cloth, stitch and dangly things

This little book is getting so full, so full it's hard to work on the pages now. Impossible is what will stop me though and for now we're not there. The little green 'donut' like bead which I added yesterday has been living here for a few years. I have several of those just waiting for their perfect place. They are supposed to slot onto a tubuar bracelet, jewellery, build your own collection of these kind of things to adorn your wrist in the manner of a charm bracelet. I prefer to adorn a page.

Embroidery school is two weeks 0ld now. Up to now we have made buttons, these buttons and these buttons.......it's not too late to join in. You can read more here.

A glimpse inside this book

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Karen Ruane (@karenruane) on Sep 22, 2019 at 4:50am PDT

hello again

These pieces aren't new but it feels to me as if they are as they are seeing the light of day for the first time since I moved house. These and several other pieces have been at my mums for safe keeping during the move, the rewire, the knocking down of walls, the dirt and dust. I retrieved them yesterday. (I think mum got used to having them around but sadly for her I claimed them back)

If you look at the piece in the fourth image, the piece with blue and white beads and lace cloth, there is stitched paper in that one. (it is visible in the other images too but perhaps not as clearly) It's also not finished. At the moment it consists of three squares of embroidery on vintage hankies, lace and paper. It needs one more square.

The other piece is finished, it's a little coverlet, throw, whatever you want to call it. The reverse of that one is also embroidered, you can see the strips from that reverse in the first image.

I am going to enjoy having these around again, close by.

embellishing pieced cloth

The cloth I pieced in this video is now partially embellished. There will be more beads, more toggles and there are still a few seams which require a little attention. This one here will be joined to this in order to progress the wrap for my artist book.

I suspect the joining of these two pieces will happen before either of them is finished in terms of surface embroidery. It won't matter, it's possible to join them and continue with embellishemnt on each of them. It's just I get impatient to see how they will look together and I get excited about the seam where they meet, how I might adorn that area.