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, March 13, 2011

hardware....

Just so you know I haven't been slacking....the progress on applying hooks and eyes. I have three sections finshed, one left to do. Four in total which comprise a left and right back for two pieces. Confused?? Yep.me too...no particular reason why I haven't steamed ahead and finished the whole pieces yet apart from myself, my fear, I use a thing that I call avoidance technique. It works something like this....
''Karen, finish those important pieces''
''yes I will when I have cleaned up a bit''
''O.K. Karen you've cleaned up a bit...finish them now''
''well actually I was just about to cut some cloth for my toe wrap, I'll do it tonight''
You get my drift, it's a nightmare. Thing is what if I do it , join them on the machine and they don't match up? What if I get them finished and don't like them anymore? Believe me, where these are going I NEED TO LIKE THEM!! No, I NEED TO LOVE AND ADORE THEM. Can't go there with tat, or what I perceive to be tat. So there you have it, the reason for my procrastination.
As a way of avoiding the thing that must be finished I have been cutting out something else that I hope to show you a bit of tomorrow, see, I can't finish them yet, I need to work on the stuff I need for tomorrow............O.K. I admit I need help....
Away from embroidery which I have to admit is becoming a very stressful pastime, I have a question.....Circles on Etsy??? I am being added to more and more of them and I don't have any of my own. I don't even know what they are for? Do I need some? Is it rude not to have any so I can invite people to be in my circle if they have me in theirs? Told you......stressful....

17 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Love your hardware and my head kept nodding yes when I read your procrastination (is that an english word) story.

Too bad I'm not on Etsy otherwise I would love to join your circle but than there is already more than enough on my embroidery plate!!!!

Jane said...

Love it. I am sure, once you get started, it will all fit together perfectly

dandelion said...

and I thought I was the only one who didn't get circles! I have added people who have added me and I really don't understand what the point is except that I can be nosy and see what they're looking at.

I have blogged your beautiful book and your slightly grumpy blog

Kate x

Suztats said...

Ah, yes, that little demon, the inner critic, has been at work, playing the procrastination game again! I know him well, as he visits me regularly. I can prove it with my pile of UFO's!
When you get to it, all will be fine, I'm sure, as it usually is. I find your hardware interesting, Karen.

deanna7trees said...

sorry but i don't know anything about 'circles'...that is, circles on etsy. your hook and eye stitching always amazes me. do you buy them in bulk?

Lois Evensen said...

Your hooks and eyes make me think of lingerie from my mother's time. Pretty lacy pinks with hooks and eyes to hold them on the body. ;)

I'm new to Etsy, too, and haven't figured out all of the ins and outs of it. Circles? Not so sure about that.... At least I've got you in my favorites. :))

Hugs,
Lois

Joanna said...

I am heading for a PhD in procrastination but just don't let onto my tutor will you :p

I had never heard of the circles in Etsy before so had a google to see. Seems to be all about promotion but without reading through it all, can't work out which way round it should be - so no more enlightened than when I first started to look.

connie said...

I love your avoidance technique and I love the fact that you can put it into words. I never really thought about it it I just know I do it. I just love what you share with us!!! Now as usual you have made my day with your Hook and Eye piece. I love your last photo!!!

Sara lechner said...

I can really follow what you say, I avoid half of my work! and the circles in Etsy are for me like communication with Facebook, I think I lost one link of the chain and don't really get them...

Tammie Lee said...

I just don't know how you do this kind of work! So fiddly. I suppose some would think the same of stitching/embroidery but.... some how it they are different for me. So beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Ah, procrastination, that old friend...!

Johoanna Robson said...

Sometimes as an artist it's hard to get out of oneself's own way so we can actually get art done. Silencing those voices is very hard.

I like the new circles on etsy. It means you can see what people in your circle are adding to their favourites. So think of them as a tool to see the activity of some of your favourite sellers and buyers. Hope this helps.

Have a wonderful week.

Helena said...

Oh my God!!!
It's a hard, hard. work!!!
Have a great week. Kisses.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Oh, procrastination and avoidance - both ought to be my middle name. I keep crowing about how I do my best work under pressure, but I've never actually put the theory to the test and actually done something BEFORE I had a deadline staring me in the face. Who knows, my work could be famous if I didn't keep waiting til the last minute!!

DK said...

The Circles thing on Etsy comes across (to me, anyhow) as Etsy's version of Facebook 'friending' someone. I have only added people I know or who have added me; no active adding on my part. I do read the Etsy forums occasionally and there is currently a lot of confusion about Circles and what they are good for or will be used for, but Etsy admins don't seem to be concerned at all about answering any questions to help put the confusion to rest.

Anonymous said...

Those tidy rows of hooks and eyes are beguiling ... somewhat the same way that nice, orderly rows of marching people are. When I was a kid in school, I belonged to the marching band and always enjoyed making patterns on the fields with all the people. :)

I have some vintage lengths of hook-and-eye units that are sewn onto tapes. Mine are brass with black tapes - I think they were used in corset making? I keep hoarding them, trying to decide just how I will use them as embellishments. Your pretty rows make me want to just dig in and embroider!

:) Linda

FLOWER FRIEND said...

Sewing all those hooks and eyes would definitely lead me into the path of procrastination. You must have the patience of a saint and after all a little side tracking can be fun.