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







Friday, September 17, 2010

cloth progress....and more paperwork

Thought I would show you the new layout of my white silk piece. More pieces have been embroidered and added, I unpinned the original composition, played around with it and I like this so much more. The first picture shows what I have done with the hexagons, part of them has been sacrificed to create a little sticky out section which I really love. This is the only section as yet to have any embellishment but I can hopefully make progress with this over the weekend.

More paperwork has been happening, not in the office kind of paperwork sense, yikes no, more creative paperwork. These all look great together on my table. I reckon make maybe another two or three then it will be all systems go on creating the finished books. Tomorrow though, if the light is good enough, I will take a picture of all my little bits ''en mass'' so to speak.
Chalk is my word for today, that's because all this white textural stitching reminds me so much of chalk placed as it is onto coloured papers of grey, cream and very pale biege. Having said that I don't like chalk much, can't bear the feel of it and especially don't like it scraped down a blackboard! My mind is wandering now, that's a sign that I need to go or who knows what I might say next!!
P.S. In answer to Jane, yes some of these papers are painted, some stitched, some painted and stitched by machine (which the machine doesn't like very much!!) before being further embellished with hand embroidery and mercilessley pricked into submission with a needle!!

10 comments:

Rachel said...

You've been busy recently, haven't you!

I agree about chalk on a blackboard, by the way - makes my hair stand on end!

sylviesgarden said...

Fabulous again, so tactile.
Hope you have a good weekend.
x

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I hate chalk too - the sound of it, but mostly that awful feel. I don't like that it gets all over my fingers...yeeew. Nope, there is absolutely no connection between chalk and your art because I just know the feel of your stitching would be a delight!

**EYE-SNACKS** said...

Very nice to see your paper works, your ideas!If I see this I want to work on my own works but I have to move to another studio..grmp that's difficult then :)
So keep up the good works ,when I'm settled I immediatly go into my own works!

helena said...

I must have the time to do something like that!
have a nice weekend!

Jane said...

I like the way you've used the hexagons.
Is the paper painted?

Anonymous said...

Such a good idea to use stitching on paper for the books. These are looking wonderful.

Jill said...

Love the paper - especially the third pic down

Jacky said...

Now that's my sort of paperwork...it looks wonderful Karen!

More beautiful white work...I never tire of it.

Have a lovely weekend.

Jacky xox

Things Hand Made said...

I am dying to know what the words say. i love words in art work and you are teasing us with little glimpses!