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







May News

How did that happen....May? I am also one year older, I definitely don't understand how that happened.
Do you remember April? It was both my children's birthdays and for my daughters special day we went for an Afternoon Tea Party with Alice in Wonderland at The Sanderson Hotel in London. (looking at this link they are now offering this as an overnight package......believe me, we didn't have that one!!) 
I promised you pictures....well here they are....cake pictures of course.








makes me hungry again......

also in London, somewhere near Brick Lane,




You had to see this in the flesh to get a sense of the enormity. I (think) this was a representation of waste, throw away society.....

Featured

This month I have been very fortunate to have been the subject of two great features.
Firstly on the website Craft Gossip.

I was also interviewed for the online version of the great Canadian publication Uppercase.

Online Learning

Since my last newsletter one class has finished and a second class following on from that is also coming to an end. I am constantly blown away by the creativity and individual talent out there and feel as if I have at last found my niche. Believe me when I say that I get so much from these shared experiences, possibly just as much as those who are learning. I am learning too, with every demonstration I post and every image I receive for feedback. It is an honour to be able to share in this way.
You can view the work from both these classes by following these links.



An Embroiderers Ledger


After requests and feedback from various sources I have created a new online class centred around  the concept of journals/sketchbooks. I made a conscious decision not to call this a sketchbook class or a journalling class as information and resources concerning that particular media are numerous and anyway....that is not what this experience will be about. I do not consider myself a great artist and that particularly applies to drawing and painting. I will not be demonstrating how to paint in the style of Picasso or with the precision of any given artist. Most likely the only painting instruction that you will receive will be how to create watercolour washes and 'titivate' with a minimum amount of paint...........painting really isn't my ''thing''. This experience will centre around embroidery, individual stitches and how these can be developed leading on to the sharing of methods and process which can be used to preserve and record our embroidered pieces in individual and beautifully presented book form.........a ledger....a record.

ledger - an accounting journal as a physical object; "he bought a new daybook.

This class will commence on June 25 for four weeks although it is possible we could run for longer as these things evolve and feed from group members. That is not a problem...it's a bonus. There would be no extra charges if that were to happen and access to ALL resources is permanent. There are no deadlines....create at your own pace. You can complete your personal ledger in four weeks or four years. You dictate the path you follow.



Extending Embellishment


The last Extending Embellishment class was heavily over subscribed and it wasn't possible to take any 'late comers'. For that reason I promised to run it again. 
I have scheduled this class to begin again on August 6
This class is suitable for all skill levels as comprehensive instruction is provided throughout. Access to all resources is permanent, again there are no deadlines, take your time and enjoy!
This is a six week programme during which we use delicate cloth and papers to create unique pieces of embroidery and embroidered surfaces. Over the course of the six weeks I aim to produce my own piece of contemporary textile art sharing my progress in a step by step manner with you whilst at the same time you sample technique and process, ultimately if you wish, creating a piece of contemporary cloth of your own.



4 comments:

deanna7trees said...

all those sweets. my favorite kind of food that i never allow myself to eat. the new class sounds interesting and i've signed up.

ersimarina said...

Oh, Karen, both courses are so, so tempting! I think I'll take the Embroiderer's Ledger course, though I am still far behind in the eec one. I love your ideas and I also want to keep in contact with you and the groups. A short time before I found your eec course, I read somewhere that 'when the student is ready, the teacher appears'. Couldn't be more true in my case!

henrietta (aka ani aka zani) said...

a lovely high tea...and the scones. omg as the kids say. i remember when i lived in england...the taste comes back. there is nothing better or more wicked.

henrietta (aka ani aka zani) said...

eureka...what joy, the ledger class. i'm so happy you are doing this. cheers.