Karen Ruane

quietly titivating

I'm still here, snatching time here and there for a little embroidery. Things will hopefully settle back to something like normal here after this next week. Yesterday I helped my son move house, later this week we have family visiting from Sweden (don't mention the football!!) My house remains unsold and pristine. I've decided not to put my life on hold whilst I wait for someone to buy this little cupboard. I am going to calmly carry on, let it all happen in the background. For all I know there might never be anyone as fond of cupboards as me and it might never sell. What will be will be......

piping, buttons, titivation

 

 

I made buttons for this, for one edge. I'm getting carried away because I'm going to extend it later today, add more of the Liberty cloth. You can't have too much of a good thing right? Applique circles have been added too with bullion fences part way round, circling the outside. I say fences because that's what they remind me of, little white picket fences.

So the ironing board is going up, a Liberty strip to add here along with cloth, lace and paper to piece which means  more sampling can happen for this...I'm excited....

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Yes, as it says at the top.....still titivating, lots more titivating done lots still to do. This one needs puffs. I shall make those today. 

My fairy lights came. My son thinks I will have allcomers queueing at my tent door expecting tarot card readings.....perhaps I should buy some.

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This one is evolving very quickly. It's a pin pillow, only one for now. I have been adding lace and stitch to the surface of the cloth base I created last week. There are French knots, bullion knots, cross stiches, buttonhole lace, web stitches...it's a mixed menu!! I think this will be finished very soon...result. 

I'm now going to move on to a little shameless promotion. Simply Stitch 2 begins in a few weeks. If you are wondering, considering, questioning then this post should help. You may have missed it. You may have been away on holiday.You may have had a better offer!!! But just incase you really, really want to know all the information is here. We are filling up nicely, mostly familiar faces which is brilliant. That means they have been once before and liked it so much they want to come back......it would be nice to have a few new faces in the mix too. I can honestly say that the group is amazingly friendly and supportive, it's a pleasure and a privilege for me every time.

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today....

It's all good today. Up early, ironing board straight up, fabric out. A new piece put together, (you may see that tomorrow) and a lot of excitement removing last nights work from the damp stretching board...I positively couldn't contain myself. I added to my next pouch thingy with bullion knots, a snippet of lace and two very appealing edges that have me obsessed. I can guarantee there will be more of those. I made a video to show you those closely. This afternoon I have an appointment.  I don't want to go. I want to stay home and play.....

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titivating

It's a long one today...in terms of images at least so maybe you want to put the kettle on. I'm being indecisive, couldn't decide which ones to leave out and didn't want to leave any until tomorrow. I have been making more cloth of the lace variety...ripe for titivating into pincushions. This is the cloth we will be making in lace class in a couple of weeks. There will be a lot of these images going on facebook and instagram later....you will be bored to death and have grown beards before bedtime. Death by lace cloth, there are worse ways to go.

We had a lovely meal last night....d e l i c i o u s. There are pics of that on instagram too...there is a link up top. (right hand side) Then there is this...my latest pouch/pocket thingy.

This one is coming along, slowly but it's coming. I feel as if I am on a roll and don't want to stop. It would be better if my trip to London was three weeks away not next week. Then again....all those lovely fabric shops, vintage shops. I will force myself to go.

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still titivating

The phenomenon which is the rapid growth of my new wrapping cloth continues. I am actually astounded at how this one seems to grow. The pieces are a little smaller but definitely not tiny by comparison to the last cloth. The surface embroidery is less too, more delicate and focused....that must be the answer. I do intend though to have it equally as big overall as the last one. I am aiming for approximately 36 x 25 inches or thereabouts. This section here which is more of a strip measures 17 x 5 inches not including the seam allowance.

I received an e mail a couple of days ago asking if I could elaborate a little more on the references I make at times to traditional technique, time consuming technique, devotion, motherhood etc. That is mostly covered by this quote from my question and answer page.

 

For centuries women have used cloth as a tool of comfort and as an expression of beauty within their homes. Creating cloth for warmth, cloth for shelter, our female predecessors embellished these linens with hand stitch using laborious and time consuming techniques thereby enhancing the functional beauty of objects which enveloped and protected their families. Inspired by these women I hope my creations pay tribute to and recognise the devotion expressed in cloth by our female ancestors .

''the use of traditional often time consuming process alludes to the devotion of a mother''.

 

In addition to this I should also say that within the term 'our female ancestors' I very much include both my Grandmothers, my Nanna's. I never create anything without having a thought for them, more than a thought for them, the memory of them is ever present. Although I rarely mention this aspect of my work on here I can assure you that the focus, the motivation remains unchanged. It is now second nature to me, it is who I am, it is what I do, it is why I do what I do....that's why I don't mention it often, it just 'happens' now.

If you have often wondered about this aspect of my work then there are also a few magazine interviews/articles I have been featured in previously where this is talked about a little more. You can read those here and here.

It may be a good idea to get those on a page on here....that will go on my ''to do'' list now!

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Last nights damp stretching.....

mostly white

The Cloth