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, June 17, 2011

paperwork....

Working on paper, white cartridge high quality watercolour paper. I made this sketch ages ago along with other similar doodles. They have been lurking..... my original intention was to create large, embroidered wall panels from them. Well I still can if I want but for now they are inspiring small works on paper and cloth. It's the paper I am showing here, the cloth is in progress.

This paper has been stitched and pricked...after these pictures were taken yesterday it had an edge added along one side so it has also been adorned with lacy embellishment. I am now in the process of creating the cloth part....which will alter this significantly......I do hope you like it.

I know you are aware that I have a huge task ongoing which I should be getting on with. A collection of thirty embroidered pieces,  12.5 x 12. 5 inch/32 x 32 cm square. It is ongoing, I plan to do it, I plan to finish it but......it is a huge undertaking and I always knew it would take a while, maybe six months. In  the meantime I was in need of a little diversion, hence the fiddling with paper.
Before I go....... and I must go, there is dusting to do, a little reminder. If you want buttons then you need to comment here, if you are looking for my recently mounted pieces for your sketchbook, they now live here. Well nine of them do, two of them moved out yesterday!!

14 comments:

Jane said...

This always reminds me of the fine icing my mum used to do, it's gorgeous. Can't wait to see the cloth part, and thank you, I think my lovely post came from you

Anonymous said...

You create beautiful work Karen. Great contrast between the thread and paper with this work... the punched holes are very effective.

deanna7trees said...

love the island created by your xxxxx. looks like the water's edge.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! Beautiful! You are always so creative and the result is exquisite!
Thanks for your lucky wihses :)
We'll see...

Joanna said...

Really like your paperwork, would swap you your paperwork for the paperwork that I was doing today anytime - how are you on student finance applications?

Carrie said...

Loving this - those crosses are so neat. And the punched holes look just like French knots.

Elizabeth said...

Just drop gorgeous!!!!

Anonymous said...

I think you could easily sell work on paper as well... those are just beautiful, Karen.

Poorvi said...

Wow, I love how these look on paper. These could make unique one of a kind letterheads/cards or just beautiful wall pieces to mount. You are so inspiring! And that too only by using white on white!

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Fiddling with paper? If I could fiddle half as well as you I'd be a very happy camper!

Sheeprustler said...

There's something vaguely Tudor about work like that, I think. And 'paperwork' - what a funny title, it's so not what one expects from you!

Victoria said...

Not many people blow me away... but you continually do! Utterly marvelous! (Do you ever sleep? How in the world do you do it all?!!!)

Iceni UK said...

Karen, inspiring and superb embroidery on paper. The designs would be wonderful mounted onto Journal covers or diaries and would make gifts look very special.

Anonymous said...

Fascinating to see the effect of embroidery on paper. It's not something I would have tried, but it looks wonderful!