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







Saturday, April 9, 2011

in progress.....

More work for the shop, when I finally get round to it that is! These will eventually become pin cushions, honest they will as soon as I can be bothered to get the sewing machine out to back them. I have been a bit distracted today, explanation coming up but it has been a busy 24 hours. I have finished another white fragment, that's for next time, started another white fragment and been searching online for plain bindings for my new and exciting venture.
Now , my busy 24 hours.....It is my little boy's birthday today!! Now he is all grown up I would say he is even more adorable but I know that's hard to believe! We went out for a meal last night and this morning has been gifts, cards, balloons and cake. Now he has gone to the football with his dad and straight from there he is going away for a birthday celebration with his friends. My mothering is done for the day, I don't mind, I am happy because he is happy, so happy birthday James. We love you more than we could ever express.
So I am on my lonesome, not a bad thing, I can make a mess, cut up cloth, spread threads through the house. I can have fun making, playing and planning....and very exciting news...I have it on good authority that I am getting a FULL TWO PAGE SPREAD in the magazine...all my birthdays have just come at once!!!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Karen!
We never forget their birthdays isn't it?

Joanna said...

Wow congratulations on getting the magazine spread Karen

Jane said...

Wow, how fantastic is that!
Have great fun today

connie said...

Happy Birthday James and Congratulations on the magazine! When you mentioned Birthday's your layout of your embroidery made me think of a beautiful Birthday, layer cake. :-) Have a great weekend.

Lois Evensen said...

Happy Birthday to James. ;) Yes, I know that mothering thing when they are grown up. They are always our kids, though. We love them more and more every year.

Lovely work. That looks like a tatted edging on your images today. Perhaps you did it with an embroidery needle, but it comes out looking like tatting. My Mom was the tatter in our family.

Hugs,
Lois

deanna7trees said...

that does look like a tatted edge--beautiful with the needlework attached. love the ruffles. a happy birthday to James. does he know about that cute picture you're showing us?

Tammie Lee said...

ah, so many beautiful details... and cute wee babe

Carol Q said...

love the way you've attached the lace, gorgeous neat stitching an the ecru(?) looks fab with the white. very classy Karen. enjoy your few hours of freedom - even if you do miss him! (can't win hey?)

greenbean art said...

wait, you get a ton of comments :D hehehe... happy birthday to your son! i cannot believe all the beautiful and elegant details in your work... truly elegant... i always love looking at your work!

Jude said...

goodness me..congratulations!
Take care

Carol said...

Happy birthday James, bless every birthday is special regardless of age! Love this piece really stunning. Still lusting after White but not sure I can do White!!!!

Anonymous said...

Amazing work. Happy birthday to the boy - and excellent news about the double page spread. Enjoy the rest of your weekend :-)

Jackie said...

Congratulations on the magazine. Is James 21?
How fast time goes.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful fragments - and a wonderful family weekend!

jill said...

Happy Birthday James, hope it was a great night. Beautiful work and ooh how exciting for the 2 page spread. i will ring you tomorrow

Johoanna Robson said...

Wow! A two page spread! You are going to be famous! I am very excited for you, congratulations. And thank you for all the comments you leave on my blog. Hugs to you.

Helena said...

Happy , happy birthday to him!
Kisses to you!!!

Gina said...

Wow! That's fabulous! Will you still let us talk to you????
:-))

Truly, I am SO excited for you! You deserve a Huge Feature and here it is!

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Happy day to James - hope his team won!

Ingrid said...

congratulations!
and happy birthday James
those pincushions will be gorgeous:-)

Elizabeth said...

Congratulations with your 'little' one, with all the progress you made to create some pincushions and the TWO page spread!!!!

This is what I call a perfect, succesful weekend.

Sheeprustler said...

Is it tatting or crochet? Last night we discovered a tatted bookmark I made about 25 years ago (when I did a tatting class). Good thing it fell out of the dreadful book we were about to turf out. I had wondered where it had got to!

Happy birthday to your boy. Your children are lucky to have you :)

P.S. It doesn't really matter if the people buying my house read my blog - they have bought it to knock it down, which is entirely what we believe should be done with it, and they were so annoying we had to get our lawyers to complain to their lawyers, so I am not being defamatory either!

CJ STITCHING AND BLOOMS said...

Hello karen, Congratulation on your on wonderful lovely work being published. Well deserved indeed. James is a sweetie. Hugs Judy

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

Happy Birthday to James. All the handknit baby gear noted! Congratulations to you Karen! When is this, and where? (the magazine, not baby James!)