Karen Ruane

seed stitch

The piece today was discussed in a short video in this post.

I was debating French knots.

But, thanks to a brainwave from one of you it seems seed stitch was the answer. Thank you Henrietta!

The next step here is damp stretching and I need to decide what comes next in terms of surface embroidery.

In the last image you can see the design work which is inspiring this piece so I will be looking, thinking.......

Embroidery School 2024 was listed yesterday.

Thank you so much to those of you who have signed up.

You can read more here.

 

two embroidered pages

The first two pages for my next collection of hand embroidered artist books are very much in progress.

More papers need to be stitched, altered before I can go much further and I also need to make more tiny stitched snippets.

Those things are very much on my 'to do' list and I hope to get started later today.

 

a hoop of embroidered flowers

Progress from yesterdays post.....

My embroidery hoop is now filled with flowers.

The open spaces, the unworked spaces....they are cutting out allowances.

I can't wait to start stitching these onto pages in my little books.

Embroidered flowers on gingham

My little hand stitched books sold out very quickly last week, thank you again.

I have been asked if there will be any more for sale, the answer is yes.

This is the start of that process which has been explained in the short video today.

Little gingham snippets need to be created as page embellishments, the ones partially worked here will be little collections of flowers.

It's also another opportunity for me to praise the usefulness of gingham, today for its use with cross stitch.

I would have made more of these little books regardless of the possibility of selling them.

They are delightful to create and feel so very delicate in your hand.

 

Wrapping cloth update. Two short videos.

There are two videos today, updates on my latest wrapping cloth.

The first is mainly chat and the pinning of a seam.

In the second I begin embellishment of that seam.

Wrapping cloth update. 1.

 

Wrapping cloth update. 2.

 

hexagons

Thank you so much for loving my little books from yesterday. They have all gone! Should I make some more?

******

Do you remember in this post I was looking through some of my embroidery?

Well I found this little doodled and stitched sheet in amongst my cloth pieces. I have no idea how it got there, it shouldn't have been there and that will explain why it's a little dog eared.

Anyway, I was working with hexagons yesterday for my latest wrapping cloth and as this little sheet is a kind of hexagon doodle I was compelled to lay my hexagon pieces on it.

Has it informed? It has actually although I definitely don't need another distraction at the moment.

I will bank this one.

five hand stitched Artist Books

Sold out!! Thank you so, so much x

Five hand embroidered artist books, now available in my shop.

You have seen these pieces progress over the past weeks, from the stitching of papers to create the pages to the embroidery of the tiny scraps which adorn each page along with the further embellishment of pages using masses of bullion knots, a litlle buttonhole stitch and a few French knots.

You also saw the creation of the gingham pockets which each of these lives in for safe keeping.

The description here sounds a little like a marathon but I have to say, I have loved every minute of creating these. I'm not going to stop.

There is a delicacy to each piece, beautiful to handle, fragile yet heavily embellished.

There's a closer look at these little books in the video today.

 

a quick look through some of my embroidered pieces

My table has been full of stitched pieces today, some finished, some unfinished.

These recaps are a good way of becoming reinspired and also of reminding yourself about those unfinished pieces which have languished for far too long.

 

pouch

There has been a lot of interest in the pouch I showed yesterday in my latest video.

A couple of photos of it for you today.

The background fabric was purchased in Portugal last year.

embroidery chat

Hi everyone. How are you?

A short video today about what's happening here creatively.