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







Tuesday, September 7, 2010

white, white, white


I think I'm all talked out.....lost count of how may in a row this is, a measure of my OCD is that I feel I've got to be here every day now, I've set a precedent, it's becoming a habit a bit like when you were little and you weren't allowed to stand on the cracks in the pavement. Or was that just me? Anyway, I give you white, more white, lots of white, bet you're sick of white. Trouble is I'm not. This isn't finished yet, it sits waiting to be backed and then have titivated edges, most likely buttonhole lace because that's the particular bee I have in my bonnet at the moment. Then I have a plan.....yes more white but with a twist...... the twist is I won't use anything vintage this time. I am going to start with a square of pristine silk dupion, totally blank canvas and see if my imagination is still working. Actually I lie, I may use a tiny bit of old cloth if I cut holes in the dupion, just at the back of my little windows. is that o.k?

The eagle eyed amongst you will notice a picture repeat here. That's because I'm dim, mentally challenged. You have to forgive me, I've just learned to live with it.
Deanna posed a question/suggestion a couple of posts back about my name being too small on my images. Thing is I agonise over that. Basically it grieves me to have to put my name on them full stop. I don't want to spoil my pictures by having the text too obvious and the nice person inside me thinks that the copyright thieves will leave me alone now.....it remains to be seen and rest assured if any cropping goes on to get rid of my name I will definitely think again, after the mini breakdown that is. Well I think that's all for today, nothing else to say or bore you with. Be thankful for small mercies.

10 comments:

Jane said...

You can never have enough white, and yes, you can use vintage cloth behind any cut holes.
The pins arrived today, thank you. I've left them out on my cutting table so I can look at them when I go past

Jackie said...

Bored with white? Never..and you don't have to worry about getting the colours true in the photographs.

Gina said...

Love the white... could look at it for hours.

Rachel said...

The pins arrived safely today, Karen - thank you!

The white embroidery you do is so much your own that I don't think any of us get bored looking at your ideas!

sylviesgarden said...

I used to try to avoid the cracks too! We had a rhyme that went something like....
If you stand on a nick
You'll marry a brick
And a beetle will come to your wedding.

Perhaps it's just a northern thing?

x

Gina said...

I like your sense of humor too!

Elizabeth said...

Just love it that I can watch your every day progress and your little chat.

Have a beautiful evening, I am out training, Joepie

Dolores said...

The white is not boring because you add so much to it. I love looking at the pieces.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Bored? Not on your life!! I wish I could work with white but I know it would be totally grubby when I got done with it - not because I don't wash my hands either! White and I just don't agree but I do love it and so admire your talent with it. Please don't stop!!

Heartwideopen said...

Ohh Ahh! This is your trademark. Lovely, soothing, mesmerizing! I agree... I could stare at this all day and never get tired!
HuGGs!
Debi