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''. c K. A. Ruane 2007







Tuesday, March 11, 2008

I have completed the smocking section of my latest cloth. I say smocking but I don't suppose it is smocking in the conventional sense. I like to tie. I tie the reverse of work a lot too, don't know why, I just prefer the way it looks. Perhaps also it has to do with it demanding more attention that some types of stitch.



Once I had finished 'smocking' and removed the tightly bound threads that were holding it all together I held my breath whilst it fell into this form.



As you can see it also fulfills that need I have for privacy. The text is slightly distorted, not quite readable. I am content.


6 comments:

Needles said...

Hi Karen. I haven't been in a while, and my you have been busy. I'm just about finished my current job and the training schedule for the new people is killing me. Next week, I will have much more time. I shouldn't have to go in every day.

And then to life. It's so lovely to see you have accomplished so much since I last peeked.

One two three and then that is it.

Bianca said...

so much detail...lovely

Ulla said...

It looks amazing!

Anonymous said...

love the work i was recently inspired by my daughter to resume some form of creative needlework and have since made 9 crochet squares, a small start but am determined to resume my patchwork and quilting particularly a grandmother garden quilt which is at the moment languishing in my loft! who knows where this will lead will keep you informed

Kaija said...

I can imagine how exciting it is to remove the threads keeping it all together!

I have just realised how much I love text as an unreadable visual element. And I like hidden texts, I've used my poorly printed poems as layers in my laminated book boards. There they are, all hidden, but I know they're in there somewhere.

Thriftin and Craftin said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Your smocking is beautiful. I don't know how do that too well, but you look like you have mastered the skill!