Karen Ruane

lace, embroidery and stitched paper

At the moment I am mostly working with lace and paper whilst trying to achieve a sense of the qualities of lace with my sampling.

Sampling is largely being worked with paper, in a ledger using scraps of lace and white to enhance that, for embellishment.

The main focus of these images is the tiny embroidered scrap with vintage cigarette silks. That piece has evolved independently from my main sampling but is most definitely inspired by my current explorations.

In these images the small stitched scrap is laid on old work. I guess 'paper', these processes have been part of who I am creatively for some time.

a wrap for a tiny notebook

This little hand made notebook measures just 3 inches by 3 inches. It doesn't really qualify as an artist book yet as the pages are still blank but that's what it will be when I have finished titivating.

After putting the little book together I started the cover wrap rather than begin work on the pages. No particular reason except I wanted to. Once this is attached the pages will get a little attention.

a stitched notebook, an embroidered paper cover and a lining

Cast your mind back to this post...a wrap for my stitched notebook. The front is now fully embellished, embroidered and adorned. Now it's time for the lining.

In the first image the lining is visible centrally, it's the all white piece, torn paper strips placed together which I intend to secure with buttonhole lace.

There is quite a bit of embroidery still needed on that before I can secure it to the reverse of the wrap and add it to my stitched notebook.

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.

page progress and a detachable Peter Pan collar

There are only two weeks left of my online class 'a little book of sewing'. This six weeks has been about creating unique surfaces to serve as pages which will hold samples of simple dressmakinmg techniques. My pages are almost finished. These really have been a labour of love and more time consuming than you could imagine. If I didn't have a deadline I might never finish these as I can always see another area for embellishment, more stitches, more beads or sequins, another edge of lace perhaps and on it could go....

This week, to add to the collars you have seen before, we created a simple little detachable Peter Pan collar. Fiddly? Oh yes....but worth it I think.

delicate papers

This morning I played with this a little. There are two pieces of embroidered and titvated paper here. It's a mix of papers, delicate papers, lace like papers. There is lace here too, overlaid and embroidered onto the paper layers. The embellishment consists of hand stitch, sequins, tiny buttons, knots, trailing thread, trailing ribbon and then there are the hand made buttons. One piece was on here earlier this week, the piece with the orange ribbon and the ribbon tied hand made button from class. That piece is now attached to a similar piece of embellished paper with three hand embroidered ball buttons, (also from class) at the seam. The edge with the very pretty (and scarce..can't find more of those anywhere), the pretty lemon sequins and Guilloche stitch is only pinned at the moment. I think a simple running stitch will suffice in that area.

embroidered pages

I'm guessing this work will look familiar to those of you who come here regularly. What's happening here is pages are being finished within my ledger from 'ledgers, a record of stitch' meaning there is new work here, new stitch and in the case of the abc page in particular pages are being finished. The page with the cross stitch in the first image is almost finished....this whole process is more a marathon than a sprint.

The following images are me just looking...looking to see if this work is cohesive, to ensure I haven't gone completely off message in this design exercise.

 

Begins Monday September 9. Embroidery School.

 

 

paper, lace, pattern and stitch

This work is so very inspiring, (for me). A ledger, a design exercise, a means of recording coulour, pattern and texture taken from an initial source. (my source being an embroidered sample.) Sampling in the manner shown in these images and in the study which precedes all this, the pages of colour study, proportion and shape will lead to embroidered samples on cloth which reflect this initial sampling, recording and study.

In addition to the sampling which will be worked within this ledger, within this learning programme I am inspired in other ways. This process has sparked many ideas for embroidery school and pieces outside of that too, so much so that I am about to begin piecing, stitching and adorning for a little personal project.

extending pattern choices

The latest work from ledger class....extending pattern options. We are looking at shape and colour alongside proportion and how to mix all that up in class. At the same time we are recording our ideas in our ledgers and I have to say...round of applause please....mine is getting pretty full.

I think I'm in danger of seeing this as a 'create a pretty book' exercise rather than the design exercise it's supposed to be. Ooops! Don't worry, I will give myself a good talking to, rein myself in.

(If you are registered for September embroidery school you should have received an email from me this morning. If you didn't get that can you please let me know asap.)

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.