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







Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I apologise

To clarify, I am apologising for the poor quality of these images. What a week, grey, miserable, dreary, no light. I tried in artificial light, rubbish. When I got home from work it was too dark so I had a brainwave...morning...before work....no chance, raining and miserable. So here you have a combination of images all taken at different times of the day. This point is perfectly illustrated when you consider that the background is the same piece of paper in all the pictures yet looks completely different in some.
When this piece was stretched at the first stage, (first 3 images) I realy wasn't happy with it. The motifs are not regularly, mathematically measured ,space between wise. I am definitely not a mathematically measuring kind of girl yet it bothered me.

Now that I have added this however I am much happier. It seems to have pulled it together and corrected any problems visible to my hyper critical eye. I haven't been able to get any good pics of the whole piece, sorry about that. I do have three cushion fronts finished now though that I hope to put together at the weekend so hopefully you will get a better view then.





Now I have to plug myself!!!! There is an interview with me here, over on the 'makey do' blog. Check it out and please try and get that site lots of hits. Poor Jenny is working her fingers to the bone arranging and promoting this event, she deserves a few visitors and another plug!! The lovely Diane has given me an award, thanks Diane!!
Well that's enough egotistical self promotion for one day, let me know what you think of the interview if it doesn't send you to sleep!

14 comments:

Michala Gyetvai (Kayla coo) said...

Loved reading your interview.
Sounds like Makey Do will be good fun.
x

connie said...

The grid on this makes it just perfect. What a wonderful combination.

Gayle said...

I love, love, love what you have done with these circles!

Jane said...

What a difference the grid makes. Look forward to seeing the cushion fronts

Victoria said...

Stunning. Really like the seed stitching around each circle.
Congrats on the interview I will be sure to check it out.

Diane Cransac said...

I never knew teddy bears lived in the woods! Learn something new every day ^^ I love this new work of yours. the grid lines do set it off don't they? The circles make me think of little rabbit holes atop of knolls...don't ask me why, I'm still a little weird from my meds *grin*

Elizabeth said...

Oh I know so well how it feels to not be able to make a decent picture because of the light. Just last tuesday it was really dark, no matter what I tried it didn't work. Later on it started to snow and for a half hour I lived in a white world again.

No matter what I do like your circles and the way you thought of a solution to make up for an error only you saw.

Well thanks Karen for putting out this post because I just love to see your work.

See you!!!

Anonymous said...

Images are perfect. Great work!

jill said...

These pieces are stunning and yout interview is cool, how on earth do you get your lines straight, are they drawn in then rubbed out, for some reason I'm thinking with bread!

Threadspider said...

Combining two of my favourite ideas-grids and eyelets-perfect. The seed stitching adds a lovely extra dimension too. As for your hypercritical eye-that's what makes these pieces so good!

Anonymous said...

Just a note to say really WONderful work-- and the peek-a-boo feature with the transfers is adorable, and technically very effective!! BRAVO!! victoria, freedomofstitch.com

jennyflowerblue said...

Thanks for the big-up Karen! I think the grids are inspired, really very effective.

Sara lechner said...

hi karen, the problem you had remembers me some very interesting chapters of this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0520026136/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1238241184&sr=1-1&condition=used

it is a study book "art and visual perception". It has not many photos or pictures. It's about perception in art. I found it absolutely interesting though - some years ago. I learned why a line that's only somehow not really straight will always look auckward in a picture... A good read if you like art theory.

Katy Swift said...

Nevermind the light, the images are lovely. Thanks for the information. I'll try and find that book - it sounds really useful. Thanks for going to so much trouble x