Karen Ruane

embroidery school

You would be forgiven for thinking  I had abandoned cloth, that because of the amount of paper based work I have shown on here recently I had given all my cloth away, was no longer in the habit of practising embroidery on fabric. Wrong.....and here's the proof, a small sampler taking shape over in embroidery school. It still needs work, lots of titivation still needs to happen but I love how it's evolving. Pretty Liberty prints , beads and hand embroidery stitches along with octagons and hexagons. I haven't yet decided what comes next for this surface but I'm in no hurry as we are soon to be distracted by paper in class too...... 

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This tiny scrap of lace cloth is fast turning into a sampler, little bits added here and there. Today it's the turn of my new circle motif cloth which is added behind an open area with chain stitch decorating the edge....

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Puffs, you never know when you'll need them. They came in handy this morning. Oops, I've been playing again....composition, design?....perhaps mood board is more appropriate. This is such a useful exercise, gathering, laying out, moving around, searching for things that live together. It inspires, at least it should, hopefully.

Technically I should now be able to use these as a starting point for wonderful pieces of cloth, embroidery, take them forward. I will print these, I will keep them.....evidence

 

 

*** I have just sent an e-mail to those of you who are signed up to Simply Stitch 4. If you have not received this then please e-mail me. Check your spam/junk. The mail is usually sent to the address associated with your paypal account unless you have given me an alternative.***

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More silk, more embroidery, another piece for the body bag which in essence will be a human sized pocket, a cocoon, a soft, safe, secure and comfortable place. I may need to lay everything out soon, assess how much more I need, how many pieces of embroidered silk, how many panels of pleated muslin and how many panels of lace cloth....

Meantime, whilst this was damp stretching, I played with more paper. You can expect to see some of that later this week....

Simply Stitch 2 finishes today. I can't believe how quickly the 8 weeks have passed. As soon as I'm finished here I will be dashing over there to say goodbye. That means my ''holiday'' begins tomorrow. I'm not going away tomorrow but my free time begins in the morning and it will be time to make lists for going away, to get together any last bits and pieces I may need and to start cleaning the house. That's my Monday sorted then......

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Did you think I wasn't coming today? Sorry about that....I have been out shopping for wedding shoes. I didn't get any. My husband got his suit and I got this and this but not a shoe in sight. Never mind.....I still have five weeks until I am forced to attend barefoot. (which actually would be my preference)

But, back to embroidery which is the whole point of this little corner of cyber space. These are some pieces I was working on yesterday in ''simply stitch''. Pleated muslin and embroidered silk. Pinning, planning, sampling, being indecisive, being unable to express a preference on layout because I love them all. Just another day then in my creative life where I can't make a decision and feel like a child in a sweet shop.

Finally....because it's getting late, there is a meal to cook and chores to be done. Can't hang about when I spend all day shopping for shoes and buy everything but.......simply stitch 3 is now open for registration here and boy oh boy do you make me feel humble with the massive interest so far.....little old me is one happy embroiderer.....thank you.....

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how?

 

 

 

 

 

How am I going to join these pieces of embroidered silk together? How will I treat the seams, the edges of my sampler cloth? Quick answer......haven't a clue. It has been on my mind though so this morning I was playing with them, moving them around, looking, considering. Did it work? In a way...I decided it wouldn't be laid out this way and that I need more pieces. To be honest I already knew that I needed more pieces. They will most likely have to wait until simply stitch 2 is underway. It definitely won't be finished before then anyway.

I am a little early today. That's because this afternoon I am SUPERVISING my husband whilst he paints the front of our house....pure brilliant white. Who could have guessed that?

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I'm still very much feeling my way with this new piece of technology. I'm not 100%  happy with these images and I had a bit of a nightmare this morning with my video software. I am more than ready to accept that  the glitches are down to my stupidity I'm just hoping that I wise up sooner rather than later.

That aside I am delighted with the embroidery.  Small areas of cross stitch have been added to my cloth with the patches. This piece, or should I say these pieces, my sampler pieces are exciting me so much. Yes I know, I don't get out enough.....but I don't want to go out. I want to stay in and titivate cloth, samples and pouches to be precise. From the smallest of ideas, a starting exercise, a simple exercise which began as an introduction to simply stitch I am now working on a completely new piece, a new large piece, a sampler cloth. Excited? Understatement.

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I have a plan

 

 

 

My little sampler collection is steadily growing bigger. I have a plan for these, very much in its infancy and one that will require a few more pieces. Not a problem, I could do this forever.....and a day,

It's a quick one today. I'm not really here. It is my husbands birthday so I am probably out somewhere eating cake.

Happy birthday Paul xxx

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I have been adding to my second sampler, working on it and if this was a colouring book I would be going over the lines!! I haven't stuck to my boundaries at all....oops. I'm not in the least bit bothered, I like it with a little bit of rebellion going on. It flows, it is soft, it is encrusted with embroidery....I'm certain it fits the dictionary definition of a sampler.....well it does in Karen's world.

You will be happy to hear that the PC problem is solved. Well you may not be happy but I'm happy. I have a new one coming on Monday, all singing all dancing in fact the only thing it won't do is put the kettle on and make a cake. I did ask but apparently technology hasn't quite advanced that far yet. Thanks for all the advice too and a Mac??? I wish.....far too expensive for little old me. Don't you know I've got a wedding fast approaching? Anyway, I now have to get all my important things off this one and put them somewhere safe until I can transfer them to the new one. I wonder will my sewing basket suffice?

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I've started another white silk sampler,(I have posted a video for you all in simply stitch so check your e mails!!). I intend to make a few of these. How many? I don't know yet. I'm not even certain what I am going to do with them but for now it's enough just to have them around, to pick up and work with when I want.

My silk stash is getting low too so it's time to go internet shopping...not a chore...just a little dangerous for the bank balance. As I'm not leaving the house until October I shouldn't be parting with too much money on a day to day basis so a little internet purchasing can't do any harm.....can it? I need filling too, wadding, on account of all the pin pillows that have been stuffed lately. Got to have a bag of stuffing to hand....you never know when you might need some.

I must also mention how quiet it is here (shhhhhhhhh) with the crutch carrying, limp a lot person being at Glastonbury.  Let's just keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't rain down there because I'm thinking....crutches would sink very easily wouldn't they. 

Finally...a link to simply stitch the image pool, otherwise known as ''a gathering of cloth and embroiderers....enjoy.

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