Karen Ruane

pages

Pages, sketchbook pages, ledger pages, artist book pages. There are two separate things going on here. The large sketchbook is my ledger from my current online class  'ledgers, a record of stitch'. The brighter work, the piece with the pink floral ribbon is a page for a smaller artist book I am putting together. That piece will go with these.

Aside from these particular book based projects I am working on pages for my new class, 'stitching stories'. Those pieces will be different again. With ledgers class we have boundaries, colour matching and pattern studies, with stitching stories we have no boundaries. Colour and pattern matching is not important, we are creating our own story.

I'm going to have to put this work away for a day or so now. I have embroidery on cloth to progress, small pages for a cloth book.

 

more paper and ribbon

The next piece, white pages, ribbons, padded silk habotai, French knots and beads. This one will fit somewhere as yet unknown. I tend to create lots of pages before I decide which one goes where and which piece will sit best where. I'm going to have to leave this for a while now though. I have a baby dress to stitch and charm squares to embellish not to mention the exciting things happening in Ledger class. I will keep you posted on all that as and when I can.

papers, threads, colour and pattern....an embroidery ledger in progress

Collage, stitched pages, stitched papers, colour studies, thread studies....my work in my latest embroidery ledger, recording ideas and inspiration. This is happening in my online class, 'ledgers, a record of stitch'. Each page is inspired by a piece of my embroidery, a sample. I'm matching thread colour and searching for matching papers, I'm referencing embroidery stitches and patterning. These investigations are being recorded on pages within my ledger, embellishing each page and trying really hard to display my work in an exciting way. (I'll let you decide if I am succeeding)

If you want to read more about this online learning programme or my new short class which begins in June, all the information is here in my shop.

This week has been wonderful so far. Yesterday I worked a little more on my charm square collection adding French knots and beads to a piece which is almost finished. There are new pieces to plan for this little collection, more cutting of silk and more embellishing with sequins, beads and crystals. I will let you know how I get on.

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.

stitching a doodle

This is the second time I have stitched a little into a page with you. (recently at least) I refer to the first time in the short video today and you can see that here if you haven't a clue what I am talking about. In the video here I say I most likely won't work on this any more for the time being but as soon as I turned the camera off I added running stitch, more French knots and a couple of little beads.

It's surprising how little embroidery is needed to lift a page, to alter it completely, to add depth and texture.

extending design

 

You have seen the piece here on the left before. As part of my mounting marathon, the creation of my next artist book, my sample sorting it was the turn of that one. I've embroidered paper scraps here to sit alongside the piece on the left before attaching both pieces to a large sheet of acrylic paper which I have also stitched on.

There's a drawback to all this unfortunately....every time I mount one of these pieces, titvate and stitch the page I get another idea. Don't worry, I'm writing them all down.

pom poms on paper and funky puffs on an edge

I think this is number three, number three of the sample mounting marathon I began recently. If you look back at this post you will see how it has dawned on me that I have unintentionally started to create an unplanned artist book. Oh well....it's a win win.

I've been away this past weekend and whilst I was away I was thinking about what else I could create as a diversion from artist books. What did I come up with? Nothing. It appears I am morphing in to an ''artist booker'' as opposed to an embroiderer. Is that a bad thing? Personally I would say no. It's the best of both worlds I think, paper, fabric, embroidery, artist books.

Having said that....we are working on something special in ''stitch along'' using only fabric and thread which excites me just as much. (can't share that with you yet though sorry)

beaded and embroidered paper

More mounting, paper again. I do prefer paper in this instance, it reassures me my embroidered samples will remain pristine. You do know what's going to happen here don't you? An artist book is forming...a very big artist book. You know what comes next too I'm guessing? These large pieces are going to need overlays because it appears I am unable to create any kind of artist book without overlays. That's not a problem, overlays are never a problem. It just means my list is getting longer.....

mounting embroidery on stitched paper

Following this sampling I decided to switch from cloth to paper as a means of displaying and also protecting my litle stitched samples. I am happier although the Ruane mind is hovering over another change of plan, yikes, make your mind up Karen. The advantage of paper as a mount is it's stability, the work is better protected. The embellishment of the paper background is obviously trickier but I'm renowned for my love of fiddling and I do like a challenge.

There are so many little stitched bits lying around here that I could be working on this mounting process for some time. I have a deadline, a self imposed deadline so I'll be tackling another one of these today.

My 12 month stitch along started last week....only another 51 weeks of embroidery to go! You can sign up any time, you will have access to everything which has been published since day one. Our private Flickr group is filling up fast with all the amazing creativity which has happened so far, the girls are working their fingers to the bone. (they make me proud)

If you would like to read more about 'stitch along', a year long class please go here.

paper and fine cloth

This is what happens when you add paper to cloth, stitch a little on your sewing machine, add hand embroidery and get left alone with a lot of beads for a few days....

(create and embellish girls....you can do this with yours)