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







Thursday, June 11, 2026

Patchwork and applique

 

A new plan involving patchwork and applique.

It's early days.... 

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Hand embroidered white on white artist book.

 








The little book you have been watching evolve is now finished and for sale in my Big Cartel shop.

Five pages, sewn tissue bases heavily embellished with hand embroidery and scraps of vintage cloth. 

Each page backed with stitched tissues before being joined with handmade ball buttons. 

This one has been 'in progress' for some time, always a joy to pick up and embroider.

You can see more of this little books journey here, here, here and here. 

Monday, June 8, 2026

More ribbon, more French knots and pinning the reverse.

 


I haven't yet decided if the front of this little pillow is finished. 

The white space is asking should I add web stitches there.

Whilst I decide I have pinned the reverse with ribbon and prairie points.

These will be secured with more hand embroidered French knots. 


Saturday, June 6, 2026

A little surface design

 

This morning.

A busy table. 

Surface design for class.

Get your needles threaded girls there's a video coming soon x 

Friday, June 5, 2026

Finishing embroidered pages.

 

In my last post about this hand embroidered artist book I mentioned how the next stage would be to back each page.

That is happening now and I am about to create a front and back cover, again from delicate stitched papers. 

I demonstrate the backing process in the video today.

In the video I also show a glimpse of the embellishment on each page, pages created by first stitching delicate tissue papers and tearing them to create surfaces for hand embroidery. 


 

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Ribbon, prairie points and French knots.

 

I made a decision on which ribbon to use after this post.

French knots and prairie points have been added and the next step? more ribbon?

I'm not sure.

I am tempted to add web stitches to the space around the patchwork motifs but that's as far as my thinking has gone. 

(this piece will be a pillow, a gift.....I hope they like it) 


Monday, June 1, 2026

Auditioning ribbon

 


Do you remember this post?

I was marking and cutting out patchwork pieces for a new project. 

This is where I am now with that embroidery/patchwork.

Two floral patchwork pieces have been attached to one side of a silk dupion panel and now it's decision time for ribbon/trim to lie alongside that.

More embellishment will be added to the right hand side of the panel once the ribbon has been secured with hand stitch.

Friday, May 29, 2026

Edges for pages

 


The pages for my new artist book are almost finished.

The surfaces are embellished with hand stitch and scraps of vintage cloth so I'm now considering the left hand edges, the edges which will be secured when this finally reaches book form.

Once the edges are attached with more hand stitching these pieces will need to be backed with more stitched paper.

I will then bind them together with either ribbon or hand stitched ball buttons....or maybe both. 


Wednesday, May 27, 2026

A pocket for a wrapping cloth.

 




A nine inch square pocket for a wrapping cloth.

Embroidered and lined, this pocket is the final piece of the surface of this cloth.

Next up....a little wadding and backing with a complimentary fabric. 

Friday, May 22, 2026

My tailor tacking foot.

 

My tailor tacking foot. 

More paper stitching, more white.