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







Sunday, April 1, 2012

lace and mirrors

Two ongoing hoops. Mirrors in one and all kinds of stuff in the other....truth be told I needed to 'move on' with the lower piece last night...but...that meant the sewing machine and basically I couldn't be bothered. I know that sounds terrible, idle, unmotivated but it was late...am I excused? I embroidered mirrors instead, didn't get the gin out, still stitched...am I forgiven? The machine will come out later today when I have attended to a few other pressing things...
You may have noticed that I have moved my copyright text to the centre of my images. Why? Well there is a huge debate going on at the moment about pinterest and copyright etc..I haven't  contributed to it in any way, just read and digested. Basically I think the concern surrounds copyright of an image being lost somewhere down the line and it has been (rightly) pointed out that this is more likely if the text asserting your copyright is at the edge of the image as this can be cropped out...good point. So it has been moved, slap bang in the middle. I hope it doesn't intrude too much, it is quite small....
I don't have any other news really. I went out to panic buy some petrol this morning...fumes won't get me very far and I have a theory...panic is over now, well it might be....BUT.......they are talking tomorrow...ha!! Suppose the talks break down at lunch time?  You know what will happen don't you....panic! So you best get off the computer and go get some too...don't say you weren't warned.
(who needs a Prime Minister to create panic when you have me?)

13 comments:

deanna7trees said...

if i didn't have my sewing machine in a separate room and always opened, i would probably never use it. beautiful images.

Jane said...

That bottom hoop looks really interesting, very pretty lace

Anonymous said...

Karen, I just can't help it. I don't get to visit very often, but when I do, sorry for the poor manners, but I DROOL! *sigh* What exquisitely done needlework. Wish I could spend the day with you.

XO Diane

Suztats said...

I love the juxtaposition of the straight line of repeating embroidered mirrors against the soft, airy and curly-shaped lace below.....lace and embroidery--is there anything better?

Tina said...

I am the same way, sometimes I just don't want to bother getting the machine set up-thread, etc. Lazy, I know, but I understand!

These are beautiful! Off to clean now!

Carol Q said...

I envy the people who have the space to keep their machine out all the time. Guess I should just be glad I have my craft table ready and available. Have always loved mirrors and stitching Karen. Reminds me of barnacles again.

Rachel said...

Looks lovely - I like your mirrors!

Anonymous said...

If there's no petrol, we'll all have to stay at home and stitch. Doesn't sound so bad like that!

Karen said...

yes but....If I want my other half out from under my feet, at work, (20 miles each way) then I need petrol…hence my panic and not his!!

DIAN said...

These hoops look really interesting. I like the idea of the mirrors.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Gas problems? Here the price is going up and down (mostly up) and when it does go down it never quite gets back to previous levels. The price of crude oil is supposedly gone down so how come consumers are having to pay through the nose? Oooo - don't get me started!!

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

Lovely work, as usual of course. As for the sewing machine, I understand, as you have probably worked out by now!

I filled up the day before the panic buying began and should be good for some time...

Karen, where do you get your little shisha mirrors? I've been looking for some, to no avail.

sharon young said...

Beautiful seems an overused word, but what else can I say! How about exquisite! Love the the lace sooooo delicate.