Karen Ruane

another piece for my wrapping cloth puzzle

My wrapping cloth class, 'an embroiderers cloth' finishes in 14 days......this is my latest panel.

I always fall behind in my classes, not through laziness but because I am teaching the process which takes away from stitching time. With this class I started early, got ahead before class but alas I am falling behind again. It's doubtful I will have my cloth finished in 14 days.

This is my roundabout way of saying ''get your act together Karen!''

I'm on it. Another panel will be pieced in around five minutes....I promise.

Wrapped and Bound in Stitch

My happy cloth, my wrapping cloth from class.....at the risk of boring you I have to say I am in love again. New embellishments have been added since you last saw it. There's a new seam, there's more applique, more padded applique and there's a lot more gimp. Someone in class said I've gone gimp crazy....I think she's right. It's gimp central....good thing I have a little bit of a crush on gimp then.

I may be going a bit bullion knot crazy too....then again I think I've always been inclined towards that particular craze.

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Wrapped and Bound in Stitch

continuing....

pink and lime green pocket

soft,

the next piece of the coverlet puzzle

First picture, top left corner......the next piece for this coverlet which I fall in love with a little more each day. This latest piece needs more embellishment, more cutwork, more applique but in the last image I have pinned it to the main body of the piece just because....because I'm impatient maybe. Impatient to imagine how it will look, impatient to get it finished. I'm not usually in a hurry with my work but I'm breaking that habit with this cloth.

Thank you so much for all the Clara love after yesterdays post....wow.....who knew you would be so fascinated by that. I wish you could see the work the girls are producing in that class.......you would definitely be blown away.

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I promised

white, gimp and flowers

my pink and sugary world

white

Wrapping cloth

Did you think I wasn't coming today? I doubted it myself to be honest after spending most of last night in Accident and Emergency with someone who fell from a great height but thankfully has done no seriously serious damage but who is now hobbling about on crutches.....and no, it wasn't me.

Anyway.....a Wrapping Cloth.

''The wrapping cloth series evolved from my research into Motherhood and these pieces serve as a tribute to women who throughout time have used cloth as a tool of comfort for their families.''

(I wrote this quote many years ago, long before I began this piece which was also started a long time ago.)

This particular wrapping cloth was created in an online class three years ago at least and may look familiar to some of you. Yesterday it lay unfinished, with uneven edges, the plan having been to add to it to make it bigger. With France in mind, with filling space in France in mind I decided to square it off, to damp stretch it, to cut off the ''sticky out bits'',  back it and take it to France with me. It won't be for sale, this is another ''keeper'' it will be for display and as I said, a space filler. The offcuts? They will find their way into little goody bags of cloth, puffs and buttons.....

Since I removed it from the damp stretching board earlier I am desperate to back it, to finish the edges, to titivate some more....that way I can fondle it to my hearts content.

There is cross stitch, applique, many, many layers of lace and edges which form little, unexpected pockets....it's a delight. I am so happy I rescued it from a life of languishing in an 'unfinished'' pile.

(it measures 20 x 34 inches. 50 x 86 cm)

In case you missed it yesterday...my new class Stitching a Story. 

adding texture to a surface

Wrapped threads, curled scrim, bullion loops...I've been adding texture to a piece of embroidered silk. Later today i am going to create more textured surfaces, more pieces of unique cloth using scrim, muslin, lace and metallic silk tissue. It's playtime. My plan is to be re inspired for France, to have embroidered pieces which reflect the samples I hope to create over the next few days.

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looking back

a human sized pocket

bumps....

It's a pillow top, the one from here. Progress is quite slow but it's progress all the same. There are bumps and loops and knots along with a little bit of colour. 

As well as this piece I have been working more on the body bag over in 5, colour abounds there too but later today I am going to be playing with white. I often get a hankering for white, scraps of lace, old cottons, just mixing and matching, piecing little scraps. Today's white will be worked alongside paper, for the doodle class. I will share that with you as soon as I can.....

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Doodle, stitch, mix and match.

pin pillow

flowers?

Progress is slow on this one but it's progress all the same. I have a half finished seam of bullion loops, some bumpy bits and some elongated stalks with knots at the top which to me look like flowers. It could just be me but I feel as if I am stitching a garden. Not that there is anything wrong with gardens or stitching them, it just kind of crept up on me that's all.

Now to the mystery of the disappearing visitors.....I had a mail from someone who subscribes to my blog via e-mail. It seems they found all my posts in the trash file...hmmm...

I concede that this place could be thought of as trash, I do appreciate that I can waffle and whine about nothing very interesting but still......trash is a bit harsh :(

If you are a subscriber by e-mail please check your trash if I'm not appearing daily. You never know, I could be lurking in there.

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light as a feather

wrapped....

 

 

 

 

I'm late, delay after delay. I was delayed at the supermarket and then my husband needed emergency dental treatment....all I can say is that it's like emergency ward 10 here at times and it's a good thing I'm fighting fit and ready for anything, yes, anything.

But never mind I'm here now. I've been titivating another piece of silk for my ''sample cloth body bag''. This one has islands of fabric, (I'm trying to do a romantic description here so don't laugh) it has scattered flowers and fragile lace outlines along with tiny, delicate bridges of wrapped threads.....how did I do?

All I can say is I adore this work, each section already finished and those in progress. I am desperate for this to be finished but only so I can enjoy having it, owning it, touching it...When it is finished it may have a zip, then again it may have hooks and eyes, or maybe buttons. I haven't decided yet but that is why I get so much pleasure from the creative process......considering and making choices about exciting and wonderful things.

two

 

 

 

 

 

Two little embroidered motifs have been added to the new pocket thingy. I embroidered these last night, feet up, tv on, kettle on the boil. Everything considered it has been a quiet weekend. Quiet is good yet sometimes it's boring. I have never been a fan of Sunday. I will resist the urge to say that Sunday annoys me in the way getting my hair cut annoys me.  If I did that then you would think I live my life in a constant state of annoyance which I don't. It just so happens that two of the things which annoy me have happened in the same week. Yes, I know Sunday happens every week but the dreaded hair cut doesn't........hence the extra annoyance this week. 

Can you tell I am in a funny mood today, out of sorts, directionless, aimless. Maybe I need a break. In two weeks time I go to London for a few days...I will be on top of the world when I come back. London energises me, inspires me... ......(it wears me out too but in a good way)

What I need I think is a good talking to....a ''pull your socks up girl'' talking to....feel free to chastise me. It is needed.

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finishing....

more lace

a tiny patchwork pocket....

A tiny patchwork pocket has now found its way onto the surface of my new cloth. I finished the open edge with buttonhole lace. I like it, it fits here...looks as if it is at home. In truth I don't have much more surface titivation to do on this cloth. What I should be doing is joining my sections together. I do have some sections pinned together ready to be embroidered...first though I am embroidering more cross stitch onto plain cotton in order to  cut it up and use as loops when the back goes on. I hope to have that damp stretching tonight and I will show you tomorrow if it's ready. Yesterday Freda shared some images with me of a stunning table cloth...such beautiful lace. I thought you may want to see it too. I wonder if anyone will make anything like this in lace class?