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, July 15, 2011

white, paper, embroidery.....






Phew!! What a morning...photographing, editing, resizing, brightening.....hours of sitting at the computer, my bum has gone numb!! These four pieces are now listed and a fifth is underway....I would be interested to know what you think about the piece with the pleated silk and how I have incorporated the cloth into the paper...pretty please. There are loads more pictures of these with their individual listings so you can pop over there if you want to see more.
Meanwhile domesticity goes on. My lounge is curtain less...having taken the Marimekko down to wash it yesterday. Now I have to press it and put it back....and I have clothes to iron for my little road trip up north tomorrow. No rest for the wicked........and don't forget, if you want to own a teeny, tiny piece of paperwork go here and leave a comment.

16 comments:

Jane said...

I love the combination of the silk and paper. It must have taken a lot of patience to put it altogether

Lois Evensen said...

Sooo very pretty. Your shop looks wonderful. :)

Joanna said...

I think it works well together, looks almost like a lacy corset.

deanna7trees said...

wouldn't that pleated edge make a gorgeous binding for a book...

Suztats said...

That was my first impression--a corset. I like the joining, and the combination.

Carol Q said...

fabulous Karen. your work is so different from anything I've seen before and so interesting.

Sue Krekorian said...

I think the combination and joining is sheer genius, and the "smocked" bit puts me in mind of a stitched book spine, which is rather appropriate given the materials :)

Tammie Lee said...

Karen, these are absolutely gorgeous.

Beacee said...

Beautiful landscapes all in white!

Flaming Nora said...

So tierd i can't even be witty this evening. But they do look simply amazing.

Doreen G said...

I will be honest with you Karen but I prefer the paper stitching without the pleated fabric.
I find my eye is drawn to the pleats when I would prefer to be looking at the beautiful stitching.

Victoria said...

exquisite.

and i, too thought of a corset when first seeing the paper and fabric pleated piece.

DIAN said...

Absolutely gorgeous. It reminds me of icing sugar on a very special cake.

I cannot say how much I love the pleated silk and the way it fits with the paper.

Your Etsy shop is looking great. Such a feast for the eyes and the soul. (ok I know that doesn't pay your bills but it is all so delectable).

Liza said...

I've spent the best morning (as it was raining outside) sitting and reading your blog from 2009. The work is amazing and I love this white work on paper with stitch and added fabric and hope to have a go at this myself. I look forward to being a regualr blog reader from now on as this is all very new to me

Anonymous said...

Well, all the effort seems worthwhile! Enjoy your trip...

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I'm in awe. Combining paper and fabric this way is so totally different and so hauntingly beautiful. The fabric, the paper, the piercing and the stitching - amazing together!!