Karen Ruane

a little journal

Another stitched page has been added to this little journal. The doodles were taken from another little book I had scribbled in. I thought this little patterned piece would live more comfortably in here. Stitched papers have been layered at an edge and there is also embroidery, beads and tiny pale blue pom poms.

This mini journal will be pored over regularly. I will add a few stitches every so often, create little compositions for these pages as and when the inspiration strikes. It already doesn't close properly.....and I love that.

Don't forget the September start for 12 weeks of new embroidery school. You can read more here.

overlaying embroidered circles

This one is moving on, another embroidered paper circle has been added which is the largest so far. I was going to say there wouldn't be a bigger one than this but I'm not so sure actually. I'm not making firm plans for this, I will allow it to evolve.

There could be a good argument for creating a larger circle for the top right hand corner of the base piece.....I'm thinking...

Ideally what I would like to do next here is create some little forthy circular pages to go on the reverse of these pieces which I hope would transform them into 'artist books'.

ledger progress continued

You have been seeing a lot of this ledger recently. It's been getting a lot of attention as I am determined to cram this one. I often get behind in class as I am time restricted, I need to move on to the next post, the next videos often before I have chance to finish my latest demonstrations so with this one I am using 'spare' time to finish pages. Working on this actually inspires too, it sparks ideas for further videos so it's a win win.

The new work here that I haven't shown you before is the prominent page in the first two images on the left.

(ledger girls...this is the page we began in the 'design sheet' post. I had to cut down the page and I will explain why in our post later this week.)

What I am hoping people notice from all these images is the cohesion, how even though new pattern has been introduced as I have progressed these pages continue to follow each other seamlessly.

All this is taking shape over in ledger class, a 12 month study on recording design ideas, stitch, colour, pattern. You can read more about the class here and as a final note can I say thank you to all the girls in class. Your work in our private group puts me to shame.

the third circle

Another embroidered paper circle.....this one was created to further my idea of turning the large embroidered circle you can see here into an artist book. However.....it isn't big enough. How come? well, because I didn't think it through properly, I raced off and began to titivate without enough thought. There's nothing lost though because once I create a piece which is big enough this one can lay over it, be the following page.

This one was created using softer paper with a lace overlay. It handles in a very different way to the other pieces on here, easier to work on I guess but also easier to crease if you're not careful. What you gain in one hand you lose in another lol. I'm delighted with how it has turned out though and with the contrast it gives to this piece.

stitching stories

This where we are up to in my new class stitching stories. Well it's where I am up to, the girls are all way ahead of me. I'm working in two books, a children's colouring book and a little blank sketchbook. There are two stories 'on the go' here.

You will notice the absence of words here, of annotation. I'm not big on annotation. I know what I'm doing, what this story is all about, I don't need words and I have the most appaling hand writing you will ever see. There is annotation, description, text in the group though and some amazing imaginations are at play.

I never fail to be inspired by the work produced in all my groups.

This afternoon, to create a little diversion for myself, I am thinking about creating a header for one of these little cloth pages. It needs to at least be considered if not actually started so I'm cracking on with it because I have a spare hour or two.

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.