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







Sunday, November 14, 2010

gift....

Hey!! Happy sunday! Technically I should have been here yesterday but you know, life and crap gets in the way, excuse my profanity, especially on a sunday. My damp patch repair turned into a hole, outside world visible, so you can imagine the mess and as I couldn't stitch it together I had to go with the flow and sew. We are now rebuilt, plastered (in the building sense, not the alcohol sense) and most importantly clean!! Clean for now anyway as said plastered room now needs decorating which can't happen until it has dried out. Me thinks that will now be left until after the upcoming festivities, I can only stand so much mess in any given 3 month period. So here we have my first christmas gift made, just call me santa's little helper!! Who needs  a gnome? This one is for a bed or something, 10 inches square, there are 3 more, yes 3 more!! stretching as we speak, smaller yet equally as lovely? hideous? disgusting? gorgeous? take your pick.

I have also managed to put together another piece of white, very minimally embellished so far, a few knots that you can see in the second picture. I may make this into a cushion and I may put it in the shop as they tell me next weekend is THE best weekend for christmas shopping.

Now, in other news, I am having a bit of a nightmare!! What am I going to wear for THE WEDDING??? As someone who on a normal day to day basis pays very little attention to what they are wearing, as long as my lumpy bits and stretch marks are covered, fashion is way down on my list. So far I have bought these and love them as I do they will not suffice on their own. Hey ho.....tent?? A beautifully embellished tent though.

24 comments:

fabriquefantastique said...

always a pleasure to read and look at your posts

Joanna said...

Did you have to remind me. I went wedding shopping in Brighton last month and there was absolutely zilch unless you are a 20 something year old who likes short dresses of the clubbing sort. Pretty enough in themselves but not for a 40 something mother of the groom type of dress - oh apart from the £109 dress which only looked okay with the £109 jacket. It might have been my son's wedding but I wasn't going bankrupt over it. I resorted in the end to a nice silvery scarf with a dress and jacket I bought a while ago for a friend's wedding. It might get worn again to my daughter's wedding in January unless by a miracle I actually do find something else to wear.

Lois Evensen said...

It's all very pretty. Whoever is the recipient of the pretty pillows is very lucky, indeed. :) I enjoy watching your progress as you work.

Best,
Lois

deanna7trees said...

more lovelies...just love visiting your blog. as far as the wedding, just wear what you have and accessorize...scarf, jewelry, gloves, shoes can make any outfit smashing.

Elizabeth said...

Each time I'm amazed the the amount of work you can get done in such a short time. Your needle must have the speed of lightning.

Your gift is so preciously beautiful. You are a very talented santahelper!!!!

Have a great sunday evening and forget about the chaos around you.

Jane said...

Gorgeous of course!

connie said...

Oh, Karen the pillow is beautiful! Simple and lovely. I hope your day improves and you find that perfect dress to add to the lovely gloves. ;-)

Gina said...

With gloves as gorgeous as that does it matter what else you are wearing?

jude said...

well those will inspire quite a costume i suppose.

jill said...

Love the gloves and love the embroidery, sorry I did so much moaning when you phoned, don't know what came over me

Heartwideopen said...

Pretty gloves! But what I really love are those layered prairie points. I like the dimensional look of overlapping them the way you did! Your embroidery is lovely as always.

;~) Debi

sylviesgarden said...

Gorgeous cushions! those yummy colours again.
I wish I could help with the wedding outfit but as someone who has noooooooooooooooo fashion sense whatsoever I am afraid I can be of no help.
x

Dolores said...

I don't know how it is over there but my friend has been lamenting for several years now the lack of nice dress shops for those of us 'over forty and not yet dead.' I didn't really mean that but you know what I mean. Everything is geared to those twenty somethings and really thin ladies.

Victoria said...

The humor in this post made me laugh more then once, and i thank you for that! The cushion is pretty as can be, and with the speed and quality that you produce your work, Santa would be a very lucky fellow to have you on board!

Helena said...

what a lovely gift!!!
kisses. have a nice week.

Sheeprustler said...

The embroidery is lovely, as usual, and the pink gingham is very cute. The gloves are extremely luscious! I think you should go for an all-out steampunk look for the wedding!

Emmy said...

as always it is beautiful

Anonymous said...

The cushion is gorgeous!

I share your disgust about available clothing for grown-ups. It took me three months of looking to find a winter coat I was willing to be seen in!

Patchwork Linda said...

I love your little cushion and aspire to creat things just as pretty myself

John'aLee said...

Okay...you've inspired me once again to go and pick up needle and thread!

By the way that little pillow should be posted on Moda Bake Shop!

jennyflowerblue said...

Just the gloves- I dare you.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Santa definitely needs you working as one of his elves because I'm sure you produce more than most of his normal elves! Your gloves are showstoppers - gorgeous! I was lucky and managed to find a dress that will do nicely for both of the weddings we have next year - I bought the matching jacket so I just might be warm enough for the first wedding (outdoors in mid-may when we have been known to have snow!!).

Anonymous said...

Just wondered whether Buckingham Palace knew about your wedding favours... you never know... ;-)

Jackie said...

Well its a good start....