Karen Ruane

a mix....

There's a lot to show you today, a lot to tell you. Well I say a lot.....it's probably just that I've got more to say than usual. I can't however begin to pretend I am a woman of few words as there are plenty who would challenge that statement I'm sure.

The pictures?  There is a glimpse for you of what's happening over in ''4'' and a look at the lace cloth piece from yesterday which is now finished and listed in the shop. This is three pieces of lace cloth joined with buttonhole lace. Why join three instead of making just one big one? Well initially I just made the first piece because I wanted to without  a clue as to how it would progress. I then decided I would make more to join onto it. I chose to make two more small pieces as opposed to one bigger one because I love the seam where the join takes place, how I can overlap in that area and form a kind of raised seam, a ridge. I do like this. I have a bigger one that I made in ''lace class'' many moons ago that is draped over a cabinet door in this room I'm in now.

The work from ''4'' is also lace cloth, finer, more delicate with blue going on. I'm totally in love with what's happening over there...utterly....

This morning I made over one and a half hours of video for ''pillows and pages'', for our first lesson. See....definitely not a woman of few words. I already love that class and we haven't even started yet and I absolutely cannot wait until my house is completely crammed with pillows!! Monday...yes Monday....look here if you want to see what will be happening in our pillow infested world. Oh and you can ignore the two videos a week thing....I've got three already and that's just the first day!

I'm sorry about this next paragraph...it seems to be all about the shop doesn't it...sorry....but I decided to de list SS3 as a work on your own class for personal reasons....however.....in it's place I have listed SS2 which I think is perhaps more exciting as it was during SS2 that my daughter got married and the bridal bag got made......very happy days indeed.

I spent a few worried days at the beginning of the week thinking that everyone in the USA had insomnia. Your visits were earlier, what's going on? Then I realised that your clocks went back!!! Ours haven't yet....next week...so we are one hour closer now . Isn't that a nice thought?

 

 

 

(I have now set up a flickr group for ''pillows and pages''. This group is public, invitation only. As yet you cannot upload images but it would help if you joined the group prior to Monday. If you have registered for that programme please go to flickr, search for the group ''pillows and pages'' and request an invitation. Please put your name (your real name as opposed to your flickr screen name) in the subject line so that I can confirm you are registered for this online class.)

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Another day another ledger, this one is for the body bag design work. I am developing this slowly, at least it feels as if I am developing it slowly, the actual physical side of having finished pieces to put in here appears to be happening at a less than speedy pace. It doesn't matter really, I don't have a deadline but my mind is  about three steps ahead of the ledger. 

Later today I am starting another piece to go in here. You might think that I could continue to work on the actual body bag, to construct, to embroider without any of this ledger work and you would be right. Why do it then? The main reason...evidence. That word again from yesterday. Evidence I was here. Evidence of what is going on in my head whilst I embroider the cloth and join panels. Evidence of ideas for future work. Making feeds ideas, for me at least. If I am working on one thing you can bet your life something else is being planned in my head aside from the supermarket shopping and the housework. I will have that here, in this ledger. Inspiration for future work, a prompt,a spark for when those blocks appear. And another very important reason for gathering ideas in this way.....it's the best kind of ''play''.

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I'm kind of back...don't know if I'm stopping long. We are coming to the end of simply stitch, yes really. I have been busy over there and you should see the beautiful work being produced by the group. To have  a browse then just go here. It blows me away every time I look. There are complicated things of my own making going on in video form...if you are one of the group reading this I just know you are laughing at this point....

I will miss this group although some of them are coming along to simply stitch 2 where I will work more on this cloth, this sampler cloth. Simply stitch 2 begins one week on Monday, August 19. There are one or two places left so if you are interested then please read a little more about it here.

Later today I hope to begin more silk hexagons for this piece....but before that I have another complicated, headache inducing video to make....

 

yesterday was my mums birthday. I think she had a lovely day??? and there are a few pictures from that on my instagram, link top right hand side. Thanks so much to everyone who sent their best wishes to her...

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Remember yesterday I was convinced I was boring you all? Well I finally figured out that I was boring myself. I needed something else to look at. A few days ago someone mentioned pin tucked fabric to me. That got me thinking....I'm quite partial to a bit of pin tucked fabric myself. So after the bathroom was cleaned and before the salmon was cooked I got my sewing machine out and pin tucked a piece of silk to play with. Ta da!! Here it is....I played with it a little last night and guess what? I don't like the embellishments much but I adore the cloth...it has possibilities, it handles beautifully....so despite not being overjoyed at the adornments all in all it was  a worthwhile pastime.

A quick note on Simply Stitch 2. I have received a couple of e mails asking if you need to have participated in Simply Stitch 1 in order to take part in Simply Stitch 2. The answer is no. There are no prerequisites to Simply Stitch 2. I'm sorry I wasn't clearer before.

what is simply stitch 2

 

 

 

I've had a few e mails enquiring about ''simply stitch 2''. What is it? How does it differ from ''simply stitch 1''. Today's video should go some way to explaining that, to give a sense of what happens in this amazing group. Basically simply stitch is a ''watch me whilst I create'' process. I make, I talk, you watch, you make, you don't make, you take from it what you wish. No pressure,no deadlines, no set tasks. My work constantly evolves as does yours. In 3 weeks I will be making something completely different as I will be in 8 weeks or 12 weeks or a year. There isn't a single day the same as the last in this house. Surely it's like that at your place too? Every video will be different, something else going on, an extra titivation added or another idea taking shape. Simply stitch, be it 1 or 2, is about life with embroidery....yes, that sums it up, life with embroidery.

Just a little note...Typepad is having another meltdown. Some published comments are not displaying on the blog. Please don't let that stop you leaving a comment. I know I am not the fastest at replying but I honestly appreciate and devour every single one of them.

 

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Do you remember, ages ago, when I said I would love to cross stitch myself a full yard of cloth and then have it rolled up ready to snip bits from to use in my embroidery? Well I still hope...I'm not even nearly there. I haven't even started actually. It is a dream of mine though and you know I may just start it later today. I will get a full yard of white cotton cloth, mark it off and begin. It will be a slow process so don't hold your breath. It may take a year, it probably will. Perhaps it will take longer than that. I don't care, I can hang on to the dream whilst I go.

These two pieces are roughly 5 inches square, worked on a scrap and then cut in two. It's surprising how far this cloth goes, it can serve several purposes and is always, always useful. There is a video today, me damp stretching this and wittering on about not much really. 

Tomorrow I will hang my cloth again. Rose asked that I photograph it in a different way, still hanging but more visibly so. I will try and do that later...I'm not very good at ''long'' shots but I will do my best.

and whilst I'm here...a gentle reminder about simply stitch 2.....

eight weeks of chat, stitch, sharing and fly on the wall creativity....

 

 

 

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As promised here are my sampler pieces in progress, hanging together and looking like they live easily together. I think they do, I think they compliment each other perfectly and they tempt me so much to get off here and go work on them some more. My ''sampler'' cloth is the most exciting thing to happen here for a long time! I need to find a little patience and self control from somewhere as I do have other things in progress that are equally as exciting. It's just that these pieces are hanging here, in my field of vision.  Put them away then Karen....yes I will, I will.

Cloth hanging in this way, in the manner of domestic cloth, kitchen linen, towels, has always appealed to me. It seems to me that as my motivation has always been the domestic, (in an historical sense),  this is the only way to really present cloth. Far better to drape and appreciate than hide away or put behind glass....

Today my throat is less sore but I have developed some sniffles, sneezing and such. I will do my best to be brave. (can I have a sticker???) I'm still working hard. More domesticity this morning and videos for simply stitch. Later today there will be a little damp stretching and a video for you, yes you...here...tomorrow. But the big news.....simply stitch 2........read about it here....and here....it's a fly on the wall follow me as I work experience....a class that isn't a class.....

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