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, April 24, 2008

Phew!! At Last...

I managed to get these three 'mini cloths' in the shop this morning. Now I know this feels like it has dragged on and on and on......(or is it just me who feels like that?) but I was working as fast as my poor abused, pricked and stabbed fingers would let me. I am so envious of people like illustrators etc because they can print zillions of images and hey presto....a shop full. And there's me with a pathetic three after what seems like eons. I would like to say though that I ADORE the work of a lot of illustrators, such a talent. When I first started this blog I used to go on about how I wish I could do it, I honestly feel that I am highly frustrated illustrator, sadly I can't draw to save my life. So I carry on with my embroidery, and yes, I am truly a happy embroiderer, I just wish I was a faster embroiderer.





I have to go to Scotland for two days tomorrow, back on sunday. I don't know how I am going to cope without access to my computer, the withdrawals have started already! One advantage, I am going to Carlisle at some point in the trip. It will be good to see how the place has changed, if it has. I met my husband there, got married there and had my first baby there, so lots of memories.
Thanks for bearing with me with this work, Now I have to make progress with my cloth, find something else to post next time (I really don't want to bore you all with continuous images of damp stretching text), a piece of cake eh!
Posted by at

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Karen! As always I'm so inspired by your work - it's so beautiful! I'm back home after being with my beautiful grandson - I highly recommend grandmotherhood by the way! He is so, so cute! Have a wonderful trip to Scotland -computer withdrawals are sometimes a good thing! Nan

April 24, 2008 at 4:32 PM
Anonymous said...

well done! embroidery is so time consuming - one reason why non-embroiderers dont have a real appreciation of it, i think.I love what you have done here

April 24, 2008 at 10:33 PM
laura r. said...

your work is
b r e a t h t a k i n g

April 25, 2008 at 11:47 PM
jennyflowerblue said...

You could always post about the award I've just tagged you for! (sorry).

Hope you've had a lovely break. I really like these smaller scale pieces, you haven't skimped on the variety of texture, colour, shape at all have you? Brilliant!

April 26, 2008 at 9:29 PM
Sara lechner said...

I like your approach to embroidery so much. I spent lots of time this week visiting your blog and Flickr album. You gave me an idea of using pieces of the tons of old emboidered napkins I have in my work. I already tried felting some for a pincushion piece I'm making for me after the one I did for the swap. But your approach is really unique! all that white and using silk!

April 27, 2008 at 4:25 PM
Victoria said...

You do such beautiful work! I sympathize with how you feel, as I often feel the same way. Hope you had a lovely trip!

April 28, 2008 at 12:53 AM
Eileen said...

Love those fringe things that look like a row of long button loops. VERY pretty.. I have never seen that before. So original.

Hope you took some pictures in Scotland to share with us when you get back. :)

April 28, 2008 at 2:01 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)