Karen Ruane

chain stitch, a video

More doodling on white silk and the early stages of stitch. This piece will need much more embellishment before it can be used to create a pocket. More doodling will also be needed on the surface to extend the pattern. For now there are two embroidered flowers and one leaf edged with chain stitch. The flowers are a mix of padded applique, bullion knots, running stitch and chain stitch.

I am using coloured coton a broder on this one, a mix if sizes 16 and 25. The ''25'' is very fine, the ''16'' a little thicker. I don't yet have a favourite, I'm just enjoying using this thread..... It has a softness....

Don't forget the new class....not long now!

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knots, cloth and drawing.....pages

new doodling on white silk

This piece was inspired by some new doodling on paper. I am going to show you the doodling tomorrow, back to front I know. What can I say, I'm a back to front kind of girl. This one was stitched using my new coton a broder 16 which isn't quite as fine as the 25 I spoke of earlier this week.

It appears I spend most of my days in raptures.....cloth raptures. Here's another that has me excited, doing tummy flips. The potential for more is scary. Meanwhile I continue to search for the day with 34 hours in it. 

 

(new class here)

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distracted by a doodle

Gimp or no gimp

Another patchwork piece has been appliqued to this surface with one waiting for me to decide where I should put it. I'm now wondering what else I can use to embellish this piece of silk...gimp? Yes or no? Probably.....

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gimp....

silver and off white

The white piece, the one with silver bumps, I've been playing with that a little. I was away a long time wasn't I. I forgot what time it was, didn't look at the clock. I didn't go anywhere, no holiday, no shopping spree. I did have my carpets cleaned, does that count as wildly exciting? 

Oh, I did go to Manchester to see him. It was booked a lifetime ago and I had actually forgotten about it, good thing my friend nudged me and reminded me. It was good, maybe OK, not usually my kind of thing but a pleasant evening was had by all.

But sewing....I played with this like I said, now what? I am busy, busy , busy over in ''5'', embroidery, talk of ledgers, latecomers signing up but? I want something else, something to share with you too. I must get my brain in gear and create, new....fresh.......inspire me please.

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adding a bit of bling

the white pouch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's finished, backed, edged, lined, titivated to death, complete. It even has a tiny button, (3rd and 5th image). Now I have to finish the lemon one, the handkerchief one. It's exciting, for me anyway.....two finished pieces, a sense of achievement.

Meanwhile, the sewing machine is being worked to death. Ledger work for Simply Stitch  3 is happening, pages and pages of ideas. Tomorrow I can show you what I did with a tiny scrap of the Liberty cloth. 

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the pouch, a video

pouches....

the second white pouch

back to white for a short time

 

 

 

I have a lot of pieces ''on the go'' at the moment, mostly they are wrapped up in SS3. I finished one of those SS3 pieces last night, quite early, a few hours before bedtime. That was damp stretched and then I had a choice, thumb twiddling or embroidery. No contest...is there ever? 

White came to the rescue. A few pieces which no longer fit within the ''body bag'' yet will fit together perfectly and form a white silk pouch. Lace was added to a seam and one single solitary web stitch was embroidered. (I can't believe I didn't photograph the web stitch, capture it in these pictures if only as proof that it exists. You will have to trust me on that one) 

This may well be laid aside again for a few days. Tonight will be about a hexagon...yes just one hexagon and perhaps a little cross stitch.

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where I am up to....the body bag

another panel for the sampler cloth/body bag

last night

currently.....

 

 

 

I am currently surrounded by white. Partly it's inspiration to draw on for Helen's bridal bag and partly it's to keep my mind ticking over. I glance at this every so often and get a sense of another piece, a tiny germ of an idea.

I did tell you that I never throw anything away and this is why. All these little pieces of work are samples created some time ago but carefully stored, laid on top of books actually, to keep them flat. Today they are the basis of a list. A list for Simply Stitch 3 as these techniques will feature there along with basic, simple hand embroidery. It is possible to create massively different surfaces with the most basic of embroidery stitches and these are proof of that.

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everything

the wedding bag. progress 2

a frill, a flounce

a garden....

 

 

This is a little sample I made with the girls in simply stitch two...a gentle exercise to start off, to lull them into a false sense of security. I will be cracking the whip over there soon....only joking!!! Don't panic! In all honesty it really was a starting point, a warming up exercise and a very pleasant one too. If you want to take a look at what's happening over there then you had best do that today because from tomorrow we are going private.....now doesn't that sound scary???? Just click this link and it will take you there....it's quiet...we have been going for less than a week...please don't make a lot of noise, don't disturb them whilst they are working.....

Yesterday......well, yesterday.......I went cabinet shopping.....I had a blast....five hours. Yes...really. The bad news first. They have sold out of the fabric I wanted for my curtains.  I'm not too bothered. I'm not sure I want it anymore if everyone else has got it too. There was success on the cabinet front though.....I bought one of these, One of these, but three not two (this is a double one...imagine it with half again...triple) and one of these....for shoes, for the hall. There are baskets that fit in those spaces to hold things....shoes in my case.

This will all arrive tomorrow. It will be in boxes and require assembly. I am trying to find a nice man to come and do it...waiting for a phone call as we speak. (I know I have a nice man of my own but he's useless at stuff like this. He is very good in a medical emergency or if you need a bandage applying but DIY...not so good, plus he has to go to work) I think there will be quite a bit of disruption here for a week or so as old stuff is removed and new stuff is sorted out. I mean.....that's a lot of shelves to fill with MY things....

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yesterday.....

catching breath

white silk

 

 

 

 

I think it's time I ordered more white silk. I am fast running out of the last Dupion I bought and my sampler cloth is taking shape quickly, being added to almost every day. This work started out as a simple exercise to start off ''simply stitch''. It has now evolved into a large project as I have worked on it and grown to love it a little more every time I add a stitch. I'm not sure if any of the girls who are taking part in simply stitch are making one too. I do know that there are a lot of beautiful pieces of embroidered cloth appearing in the group but the makings of a sampler cloth?? I shall have to wait and see. There are no set outcomes for  ''simply'', it is merely a relaxed stitch along. A bit like a sing along without the singing!! If you want to creep up on the group and have a look at what they are doing then just pop over to flickr and if you think you want to join on our next ''stitch along'' then you can read about that here.

The bottom two pictures here are for Rose, a request. Hope these are OK Rose....Later today I may just have a rummage through the cupboard you can see here. I may find a little treasure I forgot about that will spark the next section of my sampler cloth. Better order the silk first though or I will have nothing to stitch on!

 

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simply stitch 2

cross stitch and patches