Karen Ruane

87 videos

We are covering 'paperwork' in my online learning forum at the moment and it's giving me the urge to start another design ledger.

Once I have finished my current pieces, (for which there is a deadline) I will be moving on to a new ledger/artist book/ design collection.

The work in today's images is from a past ledger class and as a reminder, if you sign up to any tier of my subscription learning you get free access to that class, 87 videos and countless images.

Membership levels start at only £5 a month and you can take a look at those here.

Meanwhile....I must crack on with what I'm doing so I can begin work on my new paper pieces.....more of that next time.

design exploration

Ledgers a record of stitch, my twleve month design class finished earlier this week and I thought I would show you one of the last things we created as part of that course. Throughout this class we were studying pattern and colour in a sketchbook, a ledger, recording our sampling as we progressed. Occassionaly we would create a piece as an extension of that work but outside of the ledger.

As a result of those explorations and sampling I acquired quite a few stand alone sheets which along with needing relevant presentation also required a safe place to live....the supplementary folder. Each of these pieces is mounted in a way which allows them to fold to the centre both to facilitate safe storage and care along with enabling them to be lifted to view each piece individually.

I hope you like it.

My first online learning class of 2020 began this week. There is still time to sign up. Please go here if you would like to know more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Karen Ruane (@karenruane) on Jan 16, 2020 at 6:11am PST

2020 goals

This morning I have made the final videos for 'Ledgers, a record of stitch', the class which has been running for almost exactly twelve months. Also this morning, my new class began with the first post for 'the little book of sewing' going live. Yes, books again, ledgers, stitched pages, embroidered overlays, colour studies, stitch samples, compositions created with embellished papers.

Whilst making the final videos for ledger class I was saying to the group how this was 'my place', how I feel as if I am 'home' when working on ledgers, notebooks, artist books which led me to take the pieces you see today out of their cabinet and just gaze for a while, learn from them, drink them in, the details, the process, how one might live with another, how they might be moved forward, altered, extended, how past 'artist books' might inform future artist books and how I can challenge myself to extend these stitched pages, staying true to myself and my 'signature' whilst developing something new and exciting yet something which remains very much in the sphere of the 'artist book' aesthetic.

I'm just thinking reading this back, 'that's quite a challenge you have set yourself Karen'. Wish me luck.

(if you are registered for 'the little book of sewing' you should have received sign in details this morning.If you didn't receive those please let me know)

Ledgers, a record of stitch.

This is the work I spoke about in my last blog post, the new design exploration I have begun in 'ledgers, a record of stitch'. I started this in our last private class blog post and hopefully the progress I have made since then will show the girls I'm not slacking, I'm focused, I'm on it.  It isn't quite finished yet as you can see but I love how it's developing.

(those of you in class who haven't seen these videos yet...this is your Christmas homework!! only joking....no homework.....nice teacher....)

We only have two more posts left and this class will be finished. Miss you already....

I don't think I will have time to post again before the big day. I wish happiness, peace and health to each and every one of you.

studio time

I've been taking pictures as I work this past week, recording what I'm doing, keeping track. Mostly what's been happening is related to classes, titivating pages for ledger class, creating buttons and figuring out where to use them for embroidery school and then there's the cloth book. I've been thinking about that a lot, making plans for more pages and wondering how mnay pages there will be in total when I'm finished.

There's new thread too. A christmas gift which is only just being used properly. I will wind those onto cards as and when I use them. I did put these on my christmas list last year out of curiosity as I'd never used them before. They have glitter...a shocker for me but it is quite subtle and the threads remain beautifully soft despite the glitter.

Ledgers, a record of stitch

This work, this page is the work I spoke of earlier this week when I confirmed my decision to hang in with my online learning programmes. This ledger is evolving perfectly within the forum of its online class. I'm meeting targets, achieving aims for the group as a whole and actually like this work very much. Whilst working on this and loving what was happening on this page I asked myself 'why am I doing this? 'who is it for'?  and like I said the other day I am doing it for me but I'm also doing it for class, to feed that group, to hopefully inspire that group.

Turn that on it's head now....I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for the Ledger class. I wouldn't be inspired and motivated without the class. I often suspect I get just as much if not more from my classes than the group does. They keep me going, their enthusiasm and commitment to their creativity feeds and inpsires me. I would be nothing creatively without my classes, the motivation would wane I am sure and who would push me to crack on, test my brain, push my ideas...who?

my ledger is filling up.....

Each day I fall a little bit more in love with this ledger. Each additional stitch, each additional scrap of pattern, I love how it's evolving. Working in this book over the past few days has helped with my angst too, the angst I have been speaking of in my last two posts, the angst concerning the viability of my continuing with online classes.

The latest page for this which isn't shown here, (I will post that some time this week), that latest, most recent work confirmed for me that this is who I am. I can't become someone else. I don't want to become someone else. I like being me. I love my classes. I have a bond, an affinity with each person who learns alongside me whether they only take one class or twenty classes. The thought of not having that, of not having this 'life' is not something I can contemplate.

Working on that as yet unseen page made me think...why am I doing this? who is it for? and the answer? I was doing it for me of course but also I was doing it to fire ideas, create inspiration, ideas and inspiration to share with the girls in Ledger class. And they are inspired, they tell me they are inspired.

There has been feedback to my last little period of angst too, all of it positive,  most of it asking me not to stop. Thank you for that. I honestly didn't post those thoughts for an ego boost. (and I haven't had an ego boost anyway, my angst ran too deep for that) I posted them because I felt I had to, to allow me a forum for thinking, deciding.

I'm not a quitter. I feel I have something to offer the world of embroidery and creativity so I'm going to pull my socks up and crack on.

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.)