Karen Ruane

embellishments....

I'm in teacher mode at the moment, thinking about and prepping for my new class which begins two weeks tomorrow.

In this post I was considering my options regarding my own embroidered buttons, my hand made buttons.

Today I am mostly looking at 'bought' embellishments which may be used as surface embellishments on embroidered pieces.

Sometimes it can be so hard to choose, to make decisions, to plan which objects to use.

That's when you have to be patient, to work a little on your specific piece and hope it will tell you what it needs.

It invariably does but it's still a good idea to remind yourself of your options.

Ribbon, buttons and embroidered snippets.

More ribbon titivations, this time ball buttons and little snippets.

The small pieces measure around an inch.

I will use these to embellish design sheets and embroidered cloth pieces.

edges and adornments

We have been playing with titivations in class again this week. We embroidered funky puffs, (fabric beads), we embroidered trims and edges too.

These images show both the 'old' and the new. The 'old' for reference, the 'old' as a very useful resource.

I am off to London for a few days later this week.

I will mostly be unsupervised.

There will be shopping.

I can't wait.

 

page fillers and dangly things

I spent this morning looking at dangly things, page fillers and edges.

Tomorrow I will be spending most of the day making more of these, building my stash for artist book making.

titivations

Following on from my last post, I have been creating little embellishments, small pieces of embroidery and patchwork using paper and cloth.

Having a collection of these pieces to hand is essential when I create a new artist book. They fill pages, they are extra adornment.

The pinned piece at the bottom of the image is waiting for hand stitch. I think I will use loopy bullion knots on that one.

More pages have been put together for my next sample book too.

The crochet? I am making progress and will share that soon.

 

tiny white adornments

These images are of current work from embroidery schoool. We've been making tiny white dangly things. They're addictive. You might also spot a couple of tiny pockets here too. They're personalised but it's a secret unless you're in class. They really are small, the smallest, the one with the blue silk ribbon spilling out is only around one inch wide. The ribbon is significant as is the lace spilling out of the other one, again that is to do with the personalisation of these little secret places.

Each of these pieces is related to pockets in some way. I remain pocket obsessed. One of them is already a pocket, the white piece will be used to create a pocket and the other piece has pockets in the seam.

In other news...I'm slowly getting more organised but am astounded at how much stuff we have despite the amount of stuff we threw away before we moved. I think it must breed when the lights go out.

titivations

Yesterdays talk of buttons had me appraising my stash of titivations. I don't have as many buttons as I thought so there may be a little button making happening quite soon. I do have quite a lot of pom poms.....(I didn't make those). I am also making good progress with hexagons and grandmothers flower garden pieces for London so the appraisal was a useful exercise in getting my bearings so to speak.

 

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adornments

It's all about having a stash, be it stitched papers, scraps of cloth, embroidery off cuts, buttons, beads......and puffs. This morning I spent an hour or so putting more puffs together. The embroidery was worked last night before being damp stretched. Cutwork on silk edged with chain stitch......ten to be precise, all cut out, gathered up, stuffed and tied tightly. My jars are now looking a little fuller after being replenished by these little things.

I am having a day off tomorrow to wander aimlessly around Manchester. I might go in a few shops, I might not. OK I probably will. 

 

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for an edge

These little pieces of embroidered and folded cloth measure no more than 3 inches in height, one of them is a mere inch and a half. They are adornments, titivation's for an edge. They will run down the side of one of the pages of my sample, swatch, book thingy....the one I spoke about yesterday. I will show you when that is done. 

Later today I am going to gather some cloth and create the first page of my next swatch book, stitch seams, embellish and most likely get carried away with sequins.

buttons, fastenings, adornments

Little fastenings, little adornments for the next pocket. They will sit on the silk velvet when the pocket surface is embellished completely, when the other things I have planned for it are added. I'm aware these look like little cabbages....I like cabbages, they are layered, they have natural pockets, what's not to love about a cabbage? 

There are five of these. They took an extraordinary amount of time to make, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Despite that fact I want to make more. I have a love for the time consuming and fiddly......but I guess you knew that already.

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