Karen Ruane

with and without holes....

Same process.....scrim, metallic silk tissue, one with holes and one without. These have different uses, create different effects in embroidery, catch the light differently, handle differently. I have immediate plans for the piece without holes. The other? I just like to have a stash of that one. (I like to have a stash of both actually....)

layer upon layer of hankies...

Compare these images to these images......it's come a long way. The upper surface now has complimentary strips of silk habotai, metallic silk tissue and lace secured and embellished using gimp, bullion knots and French knots. This piece is slowly evolving over in class, one of many things evolving over there including buttons and pin pillows.

There is still quite a way to go with this one though. Two seams here still need bullion knots added and another panel is being embellished in the background to add to this later. It will then need to be backed...with what? and there is also a lining to consider.  It might be a good idea to put the kettle on....

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rolls of cloth

Repeated images, folded one way then the other...please indulge me. I am completely in love with this cloth. (I know...I say it all the time....again, indulge me) The top piece in the first, third and fourth imags was created yesterday afternoon. It measures approximately 10 x 8 inches and took around an hour to make.....can someone who is good at Mathematics please tell me how long it would take to make a yard of this? I want a yard of this, just to have, for no reason. I also want a yard of hand crossed stitched fabric but that's another story.

My husband walked in on me drooling over this and asked me if I bought it from the place I get my other silk.....yay!! I told you you couldn't buy it...I made it myself I said to him....such a good feeling. (in case you are wondering, he was underwhelmed and merely asked what there was to eat for lunch....)

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I had a feeling that this cloth was appearing on here every day, that you would think I kept it in a cupboard to pull out and show you when I had been lazy, feet up, watching TV, drinking gin, not sewing. I was mistaken...I looked. It's on here a fair bit but not every day, not even every other day...phew. Thing about this is I am working with it a lot at the moment. If I put it on here you can guarantee there will be another line of stitching that wasn't there before or another squiggle of gimp.

This cloth is featuring so much in my tiny front room these days that it's perhaps because I see it every minute of the day which led me to assume you did too. Tomorrow I will be making more of this. I want at least half a dozen pieces before April, just cloth, this cloth, for display, to hang, ''plain''.....just cloth.  The key? When you have made it Karen stop stitching on it!!

 

OOps...it would appear that in my churned stomach induced haze I didn't take my shop off maintenance mode. I thought I had...that is now rectified. I do apologise.

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creating, doodling, stitching....

moving sampling forward

three hexagons and three tabs....

pieces of a pocket puzzle

bumps....

more desk pad doodling....

a white fringe and surface texture on paper

metallic silk cloth....

Metallic silk tissue, silk, cotton, Broderie Anglaise.....pin pillow cloth. Each seam will be embellished with either French knots, bullion knots, chain stitch or gimp. Beads will most likely appear on here too and perhaps a little silver purl.

I haven't ''spoken'' to you in a while. A video of French knots being added to this cloth which I love so much.

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blue and white on silk

bright white. like porcelain.

pin pillow cloth

This pin pillow, this bling pin pillow, possibly my favourite pin pillow started life as a piece of cloth just like the piece of cloth here. I created the cloth myself. I then ''blinged'' it and hand embroidered it. There is enough cloth here for two pin pillows. Actually, I want to make half a dozen pin pillows so along with embellishing this cloth I will make more, today, this afternoon.....

 

(thank you for the input re the emery sand...especially Pamela!! I have managed to source a small amount. I stalk my postman with baited breath!)

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all things silk and lace....

Yesterday afternoon and playtime.....silk lace, metallic silk tissue, net...frothy cloth, unique surfaces and the beginning of plans for Patched Pockets and France. Creating this froth and these wonderful surfaces will form part of Patched Pockets. No prizes for guessing what will then happen? Pockets will be created, by hand, embellished, patched (of course) patched with these pieces and other cloth.. We will have pockets coming out of our ears.

As I'm sure you know...it's almost Christmas. The internet is mostly dead, quiet as a mouse, people making plans, stuffing turkeys and other things. Me? I'm organised!! Lol...yes...I know, what happened? There are only three of you reading my ramblings this week...thank you...you know who you are. Point is.....I'm going to keep going until THE day, until my sprouts need to go on. I need this place a lot more than it needs me. This is my record, my diary, my calendar....it keeps me on my toes....keeps me awake...if you're sticking with me...thanks...you're amazing!!

 

10.30 pm.....thanks for the reassurance that you're here today. I wasn't complaining, or unhappy. I was just pointing out the general quietness of the internet at this time of year which is normal....things to do etc. I was also bigging myself up for a rare appearance of organisation here. There is time for that to go belly up though. You watch...I will get to Christmas eve and will have forgotten a ton of stuff!! Super organisation revealed as terrible memory loss!!

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this week

sorting cloth, a new class, cupboards and the table

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light as a feather

It's hard to describe how this cloth feels to handle. It is light as a feather yet heavy in places where it is embellished with beads, silver purl and leather. The weight of the embellishments doesn't detract from the delicacy and softness of the surface. Strips of silk are joined to strips of lace and strips of metallic silk tissue. I am adding hand stitch. Lots of French knots, lots of buttonhole lace to the seams and I have just began to embroider bullion loops.

This will be a pin pillow, for me. 

I think this blog may have been offline at some point yesterday. I do apologise. I only know because my tracking service tells me when the blog isn't responding to ''pings''. So if you tried to get on and couldn't you can read yesterdays ramblings here.

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Lace....

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lace, tissue and edges....

The lace piece I promised you yesterday, it's finished. I say finished, this piece is but whether it will stay like this or whether I will join it to something else I can't decide. For now I will just look, touch and scrutinise for any bits I may have missed. Every edge, every seam, every join is edged with buttonhole lace. Time consuming, very much a pleasure to stitch.

I'm off to order silk.

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Edges.......I love edges. These particular edges are time consuming, numerous, varied in shape, varied in texture. They are also wonderful to stitch, a pleasure, therapeutic. It really is possible to get lost in embroidery. To find that ''place'' in your head and just go with it. 

Circles of lace, circles of silk tissue, weird shapes, teardrop shapes, all edged with buttonhole lace. This piece has been in progress for some time. It will be in progress for a little bit longer.

 

If you are registered for Simply Stitch 5 you should have received sign in information this morning along with an invitation to join our private Flickr group. If you didn't receive this information let me know as soon as possible.

 

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