04/17/2018
a front and a back
The embroidered panel in this post now has an embroidered reverse. The reverse is the strip piece. I have laid them side by side here and since I took these photographs they have been joined ready to have the edges titivated. It measures around 18x20 inches. It's going to be a resource, a resource for colour, pattern and composition. It's my own personal stitch sampler.
This piece wasn't created in 'embroidery school', but it was most certainly inspired by the stitch sampling and the creation of the little stitch book I showed you yesterday.
I'm thinking dangly for the edges, beads, sequins maybe. That's my task for this evening.
Embroidery School 2018 has now been listed as a work on your own class. You can read about that here.
04/16/2018
stitch ledger
Last year I said 2018 would be the year of my stitch ledger......and here it is, created in 'embroidery school' which is now finished. In truth I have enough stitch samples for at least one more stitch ledger. That may happen at some time in the future.
This little, completely hand embroidered, hand pieced, hand 'put together' cloth book measures six by six inches with the internal pages being five inches square. I think I am a little in love. I also think I am lucky, lucky I have this, lucky that I can pick it up every single day.
Another podcast reminder. Please go here to listen if you haven't already or even to listen again if you're a glutton for punishment.....Liza....lol.
If you are registered for my new class which began today you should have had notification of our first post, our first videos and demonstrations. If you haven't had that notification can you please let me know. You should also have received your invitation to our private Flickr group. Again, if you don't yet have the please let me know.
You can read more about my new class here.
A quick flick through of my little stitch ledger...on camera.
04/15/2018
Adornments part 3
Adornments part one and two can be seen here and here....this is part three and why I chose to use all white is a very good question as these were sooooo difficult to photograph on this gloomy day in Lancashire.
You can see two stages of creating these little embroidered beads here. The first three images are of before...'pre stuffing'. The last two images are 'post stuffing'. I will use these as a finishing touch on something as yet unknown, for an edge or a seam.
It's been hectic here today. I have taken tons of photos of a finished cloth book, of machine made cloth for embroidery, paper pieces, hexagons. I'm juggling. I have made a final video for 'embroidery school', (miss you already) they will get that video some time today hopefully. I have made a video for 'artist book class', they will also hopefully get that later today and I have had a flurry of late sign ups for my new class which starts tomorrow. (thank you..insert heart emoji)
Next on my list is 'clean the bathroom'.....no needles and thread required.
And if you are one of the only two people who haven't yet listened...below is a podcast recorded for ''stitchery stories'' where I chat about my creative life.
04/14/2018
details
There's a short video in this post where I embellish the cloth you see today, adding sequins to an embroidered stem. This cloth surface is now finished, these images show more of the detail.
I had been toying with the idea of using this cloth to make a pouch in which I could store bindings and sequins but I've decided against that. This will now be a small coverlet, a backed piece of embroidered silk which will be easy to pick up and put down in order it can be examined for stitch ideas, for composition ideas, for colour inspiration. Last night I began embroidery on a silk panel for the reverse of this. When that is complete I will make plans for the edges, for beading perhaps.
If you are registered for my new class 'create and embellish' you should have received sign in information for our private blog this morning. If you haven't received that can you please let me know.
I am posting my podcast again today. I will continue to post this until Wednesday of next week when a new podcast with a different artist will go live. I know some of you don't come here every day so this is for those of you who may not have listened yet. And....apparently.....my podcast hit number 101 out of the top 200 creative arts podcasts on i tunes this week! Who knew???? Thanks so much to everyone who has listened, downloaded, commented and emailed. I am so so grateful.
04/13/2018
front and back covers
We are coming to the end of 'embroidery school' and my little stitch ledger is almost complete. These are the embroidered front and back covers. All that remains is for the whole thing to be put together and that will happen early next week.
The piece with the tiny labels is the inside front cover. There is a more detailed image of that below. On this piece I am recording the thread choices, the sequin choices and referencing the bindings used to mount each little sample. The panel with strips of patterned cloth is the back cover which references the cloth used to frame each little sample. I'm record keeping and I love it. This little book will be an invaluable reference for years.
I will show you the finished thing next week just as soon as the girls in class have seen it.
If you need a little reminder of how the individual pages look you can see those here.
If you are registered for my new class, create and embellish, you should have received an email from me this morning. If you didn't receive that can you please let me know.
And again....my podcast with stitchery stories just in case you missed it.
04/12/2018
lace and silk velvet with sequins
Strips of vintage lace, silk velvet, metallic silk tissue with added sequin cloth.....embroidery. This is another book cover from artist books, it's a wraparound or at least it will be when it's finished. It's 27 inches long and around 7 inches wide. I think it will be narrower when it's finished, I'm leaning towards narrower. At the moment I am embellishing seams with French knots....I haven't counted them but suffice to say there are quite a lot and I don't think I am half way there yet.
There is something very appealing about French knots sinking into silk velvet, I hope you get a sense of that from these images.
Did you listen to my podcast yesterday from 'stitchery stories'? It's here again in case you missed it. (just press the red button!) I will continue to share it for the next seven days until it's someone else's turn over there.
And....my new class begins on Monday. I made our first videos this morning and am so excited about the possibilities of lace, scrim, paper, silk net and all things floaty. I hope I can contain myself for a few more days.
You can register here.
04/11/2018
Podcast
It's me....on Stitchery Stories.
Karen Ruane: Contemporary Hand Embroidery & Connections With Cloth
Karen Ruane: Contemporary Hand Embroidery & Connections With Cloth
Karen Ruane is our guest today on the Stitchery Stories embroidery podcast. Karen shares her life as a contemporary hand embroidery artist who specialises in teaching and building supportive communities via online embroidery courses.
Continue reading to discover the highlights of our chat and to see examples of Karen’s work …
Listen as Karen shares her embroidery journey from Cross Stitch, through leisure classes and onto a degree when her children had flown the nest. Karen’s main focus is teaching through her online embroidery courses, as well as some limited workshops in London. A key element of her online embroidery classes is the duration and levels of personal interaction, which helps build a very engaged and supportive online community with her students.
Susan Weeks chats with Karen about:
- Artists Books created to store, display and protect small embroidery samples
- The challenge of keeping up with your students when running longer term workshops
- The logistics of running online embroidery workshops
- Building strong community support in an online group
- Making friends for life online AND meeting up In Real Life
- From one Cross Stitch kit… Look at what’s happened!
- In-depth research into the role of the family and motherhood and the relationship with cloth
- Using her embroidery as a way of staying connected with her grandmas and kids
- Being inspired by her students and feeling connected to them through embroidery
- Loving hand embroidery and embellishments
- How many wraps of the needle to make a bullion knot???
- The temptation to hide mistakes and the pressure to be perfect on social media
- The value of showing mistakes as part of the online embroidery courses so students gain valuable learning
- Allowing your personality to shine through video and students having the feeling of being in the room too, in that moment.
- The massive elephant in the room….
- The self imposed pressure of feeding your blog on a daily basis
Follow the Stitchery Stories Instagram channel at: https://www.instagram.com/stitcherystories_podcast/
04/10/2018
adornments part two
Cast your mind back to Sunday
and those little partially stitched, titivated thingies. These are
those....finished. There are two hand embroidered buttons and six cloth
beads or puffs. For now these sit on a glass shelf in a cabinet and I
gaze at them every time I walk past. I have been known to pick them up
and fondle them occasionally too.
I think tomorrow is 'podcast' day. I recorded the podcast a couple of weeks ago with 'stitchery stories' and am hoping I have the day right. There will be links on here for you and on my Instagram and Facebook so you can listen to my ramblings.
My new class begins in less than a week. Later today I will be playing with a few ideas for our first set of videos. If you would like to read more about 'create and embellish' just go here.
04/09/2018
design
This piece from 'embroidery school' is developing beautifully.......what comes next I'm not so sure but as a paper based design exploration it fits the criteria up to now. It's the left hand side which needs attention next. I'm thinking 'fabric', 'pleats' and I'm thinking get your brain in gear Karen, four days of celebrating has left me floundering a little. (for the record I only had one piece of cake)
Technically 'embroidery school' finished last week. Ha, ha , ha....that'll be the day when I finish anything on time. We are going to keep going...as long as it takes....there's nothing wrong with prolonging the good times, the happy work, the creativity.
So what were we celebrating these past few days? This guys birthday.....he's not here, he's away with work, I won't get to see him on his actual special day. I'm hoping he has a wonderful day.
We love you to the moon and back.
04/07/2018
adornments
There's a family celebration going on here. It started on Wednesday and finishes on Monday.....boy do we know how to celebrate!! I've got a cold....sneeze, blow, sneeze, you get my drift but in the quiet moments I've been feeding my stitching addiction and have created these little things. They will most likely end up as buttons, you can never have too may little pretty things to adorn your embroidery.
Normal service will be resumed on Monday at some point. My new class starts on April 16 if you would like to join me to create lots of embroidered white lace and frothy stuff. Who knows, we may even replicate these little things in white and sparkles.
You can read more about the new class here.
04/03/2018
sequins on an embroidered stem
There's a ten minute video today, chat, demonstration...thoughts about this piece. It's by way of an apology as I'm going to be missing for a few days.
The shop will stay open for you to register for my new class.
I'm starting to think this piece is almost finished in terms of the surface embroidery. I mention in the video how I am trying to decide how to finish this....forget about the bag idea, the pocket, the pouch which I speak about in the video. I've gone off that idea already. This will almost certainly be backed, have the edges titivated and live it's life as a simple cloth, to gaze at but more importantly to pick up and feed more work. The surface embroidery on here in addition to being decorative is a record, a record of every stitch and a reference to composition, what lives well with what, what compliments and what perhaps doesn't.
I will be back at the weekend.
04/02/2018
bling on bling
Do you remember these hankies I was embellishing with sequins, bling and heavily embellished silk recently? Well yesterday I made an executive decision to join two of them to this paper and lace cloth piece (which still has me in raptures). As you can see in the next image for this to work I need more paper and lace cloth, another panel. That will be a chore.....not...that will actually now be the first thing we do in the new class.
One of the seams where hankie meets lace and paper is embellished with bead droplets, white and gold seed beads. The other has 'floaty' dangly sequins. I do hope you can make those out in these images.
Before I go...the date for 'live' access to my recently recorded podcast has been changed. It will now be April 11 not April 4. I will have a link on here when it happens so don't worry there's no chance of you missing it.
04/01/2018
Details
A bit off this and that today. 'This' being the paper based idea we are working on in 'embroidery school' and 'that' being my large embroidered silk panel which you have been seeing a lot of lately.
The paper based piece has a little more work since you last saw it, specifically it has outlines....I think they make such a difference aesthetically whilst at the same time clarifying, indicating boundaries, shape, outer edges.
The embroidered panel has more embellishment, more areas of interest. I think it's safe to say I now know what is needed to finish this. Each motif and stitch area required is now decided it's just a case of me cracking on.
03/31/2018
nine pages
Sorry I wasn't here yesterday. I was strategically placed equidistant between the bathroom, a bucket and my blanket. Today I can wander a little further...... today I am merely 'a little fragile'.
Nine pages, fronts and reverses. Stitch samples coming together for 'embroidery school. (don't worry girls, it's not put together yet. I wouldn't do that without you)
I guess I have a big week coming up. On Wednesday I think my podcast will be live. I keep trying to remember if I said anything completely ridiculous. I'm running through it in my head and I can't think of anything. That however doesn't mean I didn't so if you never hear from me again after Wednesday you will know why.
I do know that in the podcast I speak about my new class so I best have something white ready for Wednesday. Colour may have to take a back seat for a few days. Buttons, maybe buttons for Wednesday too as they will form part of the class....meanwhile there is a very short video here, a flick through of these pages as they will look when this little book is eventually put together.
You can read about the new class here.
03/29/2018
more homework
Two posts in one today. I was going to separate these images and give you a few tomorrow but I thought what the heck, caution to the wind, be reckless.....you can have them all now. (I'm such a rebel)
The first two are finished pages for my little stitch sample cloth book, the one we are working on in 'embroidery school'.
In case you didn't know....the front and back of each page is hand embroidered with each side referencing one stitch. There may be other stitches present but labels will record which is the dominant stitch for each page. Some will be more obvious than others I guess.
I'm working really hard finishing these pages so we can get our little cloth ledgers put together in class. Last night I embroidered another three reverses which you can see below. Now I've shown you all these pieces I don't have anything for tomorrow!! Oh my....I will think of something.......but actually....all my pages should be completely finished tomorrow, all barring the front and back covers. Maybe I will show you those.
03/28/2018
an added strip
Thanks for all the good wishes yesterday. The patient is improving despite having me for a nurse. Considering I can't even keep a pot plant alive he's doing well!
I had thought the size of this was set, the embroidery would be finished soon and then I could back it. But....yesterday I added the long strip you can see on the right in the image above. I just can't stop.
The teardrop like shape with the cutwork is a new addition on here too. I have no idea when this will eventually get finished, I am adding little stitched areas as and when the inspiration strikes. As you can see there's still quite a bit of space to fill. (this piece measures 18 x 20 inches at the moment)
I've had a query about the new class, specifically about requiring the use of a sewing machine. You do not need an all signing all dancing machine with millions of fancy stitches. All that is required is a basic machine which has the ability to stitch straight stitch (zigzag stitch would be useful too but not essential)
This new class is still open for registrations and you can read more here.
03/27/2018
white window mounts
Inspired by mounting little samples for my stitch ledger in embroidery school I am mounting anything else I have lying around the house. These four little pieces have been languishing for quite some time in the pile.....you know the pile, you have one too. The pile is where stuff goes that you had fun creating but you don't quite know what to do with. Well they are mounted now. Most likely they will go in anther pile because even though I've mounted them I still don't know what to do with them. They may find their way into a little book...we shall see.
My husband has Norovirus. I'm playing nurse. If I disappear it's because I've caught it too. Please have good thoughts that I don't.
03/26/2018
recent work on paper
You saw a glimpse of this large paper sheet here. More has been added to it now, it's taking shape. This piece is a little diversion we have been working on in embroidery school when we aren't all learning and practising new embroidery stitches. It's a design sheet of sorts, a reference, a source of ideas and future work. It still needs some work so watch this space for the finished piece some time soon.
Also here, a little book we are working on in 'artists books'. I haven't moved this one on for a week or so...we will be attending to that in class this week.
Embroidery school is due to finish in the next couple of weeks if I can get my act together. Once again it's me who is holding everyone up. Embroidery school is responsible for this work and I will be swapping this for whites and off whites and lace and delicate cloth when the new class begins straight after. Some days I can't believe my luck...surrounded by all this creativity.
You can read more about the new class here.
03/25/2018
still practising
The large sampler piece on silk continues to grow and meanwhile more work is happening on my 'stitch ledger' for embroidery school. I honestly can't tell you how much I love this work. Embroidery school has fed my library of favourite stitches and inspired more than the large silk panel you see here. I have many more ideas for using this work, for developing it and moving it forward.
I am so inspired I have almost worked my way through a yard of silk Dupion I bought last week. More was ordered this morning. Just goes to show you can never have too much cloth whatever your favourite might be.
03/24/2018
homework
This is my homework from 'embroidery school'. We are nearly at the end of this class and we're at the stage where everything comes together. There are two pages here for my 'embroidery stitch ledger', you can see the front and back of those and there's also a glimpse for you of some work we have been doing on paper.
Looking at these images I am hoping you can see the connections with this piece from yesterday.
There are still several pages to be put together for the stitch ledger and I am desperate too to progress the piece from yesterday. I have a feeling you will be seeing that work tomorrow. Meanwhile.....the new class. You can read more about that here.
03/23/2018
it continues to grow....
Since you last saw this yesterday I have added another panel. I have also added a cross stitch seam, a strip of cross stitch along one side, more gingham and three drops of bullion knots and the loopy stitch I love so much and am fast becoming obsessed with.
This will stay at this size now. The next stage is to fill the remaining open spaces.
Tomorrow I will give you a break from this and show you my progress from 'embroidery school'. Things are rapidly coming together over there, we are in the latter stages of class with only a couple of weeks left to go. Time flies when you're having fun and learning new stitches.
03/22/2018
piecing
The embroidered panel from yesterday and the embroidered panel from Monday are joined, pieced together, a seam of loopy stitch and sequins and a strip of pretty binding. Later today it will be the piece from Thursday (which isn't even started yet.) I'm going to put that together, play with colours and bindings and try and come up with something good enough to do these two justice.
I loved Jillayne's description in the comments yesterday of what is going on here...'serial sampling'.
She is also a serial sampler. I bet one or two of you are too.
Don't forget the new class. April 16th. 9 am sharp. You can read all about that here.
03/21/2018
still sampling
I'm wondering if I should change what I call myself from 'embroiderer' to 'sampler'. Recently I am sampling a lot. I guess it's because I am inspired by many things around me and that leads to questions and wondering and thoughts of 'maybe this would work', perhaps that colour would be perfect if used for that stitch'. Then I create something like this from Sunday and I begin to wonder if it might need a little friend to sit alongside it, to be applied to the edge, to be laid down somewhere as another idea, another extension of the sampling.
(the piece from Sunday)
So that's where the gingham piece today came in, a possible playmate for the Sunday piece. It also gave me a chance to use some new Swarovski crystals I bought and before you faint they weren't that expensive. I haven't won the lottery unfortunately. Sadly they don't glisten here like they do in real life but if you look closely at the top image in between the French knots and the web stitches you just might be able to spot them.
Now I am compelled to sample more, to see if I can make these two fit and if not then to make something else which might fit and on it goes. Meanwhile I can't stop looking at these.....do you see why I can't stop?
03/20/2018
vintage net
Yesterday evening I spent a little time playing with this net. It's vintage, it was gifted to me some time ago and it came in partial garment pieces. I have a beautiful, partial bodice edged with lace from the same garment which I have yet to use, for now I am playing with the plain sections which I'm guessing came from the skirt area of a dress.
As you can imagine, being net it's a very open, light surface without any weight or substance which limits the processes you can apply to the surface which won't detract from its delicacy. Hence my play, my sampling. I see uses for this in artist books of course, for fragile and frothy compositions. It would also of course be perfect if used in a veil like piece.
I'm also thinking it could well be destined to evolve into overlays, into delicate surfaces ripe for gentle hand embroidery, the surfaces we will be creating in my next class.
You can read more about that here.
Meanwhile, inspired by yesterdays post I am putting another embroidered silk panel together today. I know I seem to spend my life sampling but I think we are all sampling repeatedly and regularly aren't we? Trying new ideas, playing with placement and stitches, thread choices, cloth choices. If we don't test these things how will we ever learn and develop?
03/19/2018
practising my stitches
Not only do I have 'artist books' firing me up, inspiring me but there's embroidery school too. We have been learning new stitches over there and this is me playing with my favourites along with a few old reliable's. You can most likely deduce from this piece that the loopy one is my number one favourite from class. There is a double edge of that one along the top of the piping cord which isn't clearly visible. I tried to capture it better in the last image, not sure that was successful. I'm going to keep going with this piece, see where it takes me....
I'm running slightly late today. There's a very good reason for that. This morning I recorded a podcast for 'stitchery stories'. I was interviewed...insert huge open mouthed emoji. Yes, little old me. I will let you know when that goes live in a few weeks. I hope I didn't disgrace myself or let you down.
And before I go, a reminder of my next class....get your name down quick!! You can read more here.
03/18/2018
treasures from embroidery school
This is my homework from Embroidery School. These little three inch square stitch samples will eventually be collected, combined, made into a little cloth book. (they will have labels so I don't forget what they are) The reverse of all the pages will have little embroidered compositions referencing the stitch on the front of that page.....
What I am particularly enamoured with here are the little window frames and the opportunity they give me to titivate even more with beads and sequins.
One book isn't going to be enough I don't think. I have quite a few of these and I am thinking I will end up with two or three little ledgers of stitch. It's a win win....
Yesterday I listed a new class. There is a short version of the details here.
Create and Embellish. Online learning.
Create.
to evolve from one's own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention
Create and embellish.....twelve weeks centred upon the creation of delicate. fragile surfaces which will then be enhanced with hand stitch. Designed and produced using lace, delicate papers and finely woven cloth these surfaces will be enhanced with hand embroidery and used to produce soft panels of embellished cloth, pages for ledgers/artist books and hand embroidered buttons.
Techniques used during this programme will include basic machine stitch, simple free machine embroidery and hand embroidery.
It is hoped that at the end of our twelve weeks of study and sampling you will have the skills to create your own unique surfaces for hand stitch along with a small collection of delicate cloth pieces. In addition you should also have a small collection of complimentary hand embroidered buttons for use as adornments or fastenings.
As you have unlimited access to all resources provided during this course there is no need to 'keep up''. There are no 'set tasks' for those participating. Follow along at your own pace or merely observe and use techniques demonstrated in future work. There is no obligation on you to produce anything. You are not required to copy me or even work on pieces similar to those I am working on. Just pull up a chair, relax, observe, take from this class what you wish. My only hope is that you have fun.
You can read more and register here
03/17/2018
Create and Embellish. Online learning.
Create.
to evolve from one's own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention
My next online learning class....froth, white, layers, lace.......
Create and embellish.....twelve weeks centred upon the creation of delicate. fragile surfaces which will then be enhanced with hand stitch. Designed and produced using lace, delicate papers and finely woven cloth these surfaces will be enhanced with hand embroidery and used to produce soft panels of embellished cloth, pages for ledgers/artist books and hand embroidered buttons.
Techniques used during this programme will include basic machine stitch, simple free machine embroidery and hand embroidery.
It is hoped that at the end of our twelve weeks of study and sampling you will have the skills to create your own unique surfaces for hand stitch along with a small collection of delicate cloth pieces. In addition you should also have a small collection of complimentary hand embroidered buttons for use as adornments or fastenings.
As you have unlimited access to all resources provided during this course there is no need to 'keep up''. There are no 'set tasks' for those participating. Follow along at your own pace or merely observe and use techniques demonstrated in future work. There is no obligation on you to produce anything. You are not required to copy me or even work on pieces similar to those I am working on. Just pull up a chair, relax, observe, take from this class what you wish. My only hope is that you have fun.
You can read more and register here
03/15/2018
beaded edge
Well I don't know what they put in the water round here but I am so inspired at the moment. Last weeks creative brain freeze is history. This piece is 'overlay' like, it could in fact serve as an overlay. It's the softness, the delicacy and the fragile qualities of the paper areas that have me salivating. I have a plan for this one.....I need to attend to the reverse now before I can see if my idea works but I am so desperate to create more pieces like this, overlays, soft pieces, fragile pieces. Perhaps a little artist book of overlays? who knows...I am just making the most of this inspired state whilst it lasts.
Working on these pieces led me back, poring over images from way back. Who remembers 'extending embellishment'? I can't believe that was in 2012. That work has similar qualities to this piece and it's evident from looking back how although my work has evolved the connections remain.
from 2012 'extending embellishment'
There's going to be a 2018 version of 'extending embellishment', of lace, of soft cloth, of fragile paper, of surfaces itching to be stitched...stay tuned for that one. There will be buttons thrown in too. Buttons was next on my list for a class subject so why not combine the two.
Meanwhile....exciting things are happening in Embroidery school. I am close to putting my stitch ledger together and tomorrow the girls will hear more about that...this little collection is building....
apologies for the light....it's a very dreary day in Lancashire. Video created very 'last minute' with my phone.
(I won't be here tomorrow)
03/14/2018
my sewing machine
Once upon a time I had a hate hate relationship with my sewing machine....zero love. Now I have a love love relationship with it. It's my best friend. It enables me to create delicate cloth, lacy froth, fragile surfaces with paper and silk and net and lace....
It's been busy this past couple of weeks....overlays, veil like pieces....
Although I was desperate yesterday to start my new collection of overlays which I speak about here I was part way through adding to this colourful veil like piece so that is what I concentrated on first. My overlay collection will begin to take shape this afternoon...meanwhile I can enjoy looking at pretty sequins, embroidered seams and edges and froth.
03/13/2018
soft whites
Last week I did a little bit of drawing...don't faint! I use the word drawing very loosely as I am no artist, especially with a pencil. The aim was to spark something, anything.....go back to basics Karen like you were taught, make marks on paper. It didn't work. Drawing induces fear and feelings of inadequacy in me not creativity. Then I remembered Dennis, a tutor on my Art foundation degree who reassured me once by pointing out that there is more than one way of mark making and stitching is equally as valid as sketching. Thank you Dennis.
The point of all this? I felt a little directionless. I am very excited about what is happening in both my current classes yet I still need something else to excite me and feed me creatively. In order I deliver the best kind of class I need to keep testing, trying new ideas, varying processes, using favourite techniques in different ways.
The artist book I showed you yesterday has been under my nose for days. It's always in my line of vision, I often turn the pages and I realised that at some point in that act of turning those pages something in particular gets me all of a flutter......the overlays. So....I am going to create 'overlays', sample overlays (soft cloth and paper combinations, surfaces on which to hand embroider) and whilst I am doing that think of other ways they could be used.
The piece today with the blue and white beads is similar to an overlay but it's quite big. I have other plans for that. I'm going to start small with the new pieces and see where it takes me.
Also today, something else we are working on in artist book class, the next book....pages of soft white paper with added embroidery and bling. What's not to love.
This is the video from yesterday if you want to understand an 'overlay' better.
03/12/2018
an artist book
OK, I am in love. I adore this book. I can't put it down. Nothing is getting done because I am constantly examining every inch of this artist book which we just finished over in class. It's got me excited to do more too, to keep going with overlays and scraps of white, compositions, pages, stitched fragments. This book is the reason I spent last weekend making lace cloth. I'm building a stash for another one.....not exactly the same but inspired by this.
I hope you watch the video....take three minutes....
03/11/2018
creating cloth
The past couple of days have been spent with my sewing machine.....creating soft, delicate surfaces for embroidery. Some of these pieces will be used to extend my veil like piece, some will be used for page overlays in artist books and some will go in my stash pile to be used in sampling. It's so satisfying to create this cloth.....it's individual, no two pieces are ever the same and there's a certain amount of contentment embroidering upon a surface you have personally created.
It's Mothers day today...I have been spoilt and I am treating myself to more of this cloth later too.
Happy Mothers day!
03/10/2018
embroidery school sampling
Three inch square pieces of silk, edged with patterned fabric windows then laid on a piece of silk which will eventually become a page. This is progress from my work in 'embroidery school', the pages of my stitch ledger taking shape. We are learning two stitches a week, some familiar old favourites and some new, new to me anyway. I already have favourites (fourth image). I also have gazillions of these still to mount, still to attach to pages before I can put this tiny little cloth book together. Then there's the reverse of each page.....those will be embellished too.
These little samples are labelled with the stitch name and the thread used to embroider them. That's essential for me personally....I would never remember.
03/06/2018
extending a handkerchief with lace
I am still working on my ''blinged'' up hankies. It's going to be slow work, as and when work, pick up and put down work. If you recall, one handkerchief was quite a bit smaller than the others. That hankie now has lace added around all four sides which I am securing with masses of French knots.
There's a little bit of a show and tell here and a chat....
I'm going to be away for a few days now.....see you at the weekend.
03/05/2018
veil
It's been a while...months, many months since I worked on this. This is one of those pieces which is a joy to pick up again after a few weeks, months....I last worked on when I was on holiday in Spain last summer so there are associated memories not only of the cloth and embroidery.
The first post I came across about this piece when I was looking earlier today is here. There are only two panels in that post I think, now there are four, the most recent being the lower left in the top image. I joined that one on yesterday and last night added rows of buttonhole lace and a seam of bullion knots with pretty sequins.
I call this one a 'veil' piece because of the sheerness of the cloth I am using. I create each cloth panel myself before it can be added to the main body and before I begin to embellish. The panels are a mixture of silk scrim, silk muslin, silk net and metallic silk tissue. In terms of the finished size I am aiming for the only thing decided up to now is ''big''. And again recently I have been asked ''what do you do with it?'', not about this piece specifically but in general so just in case you are wondering......I won't do anything with it except 'have' it, hold it, fold it, unfold it, enjoy it.
03/04/2018
the second one?
I think this one is the second one I started in my hankie, bling exercise. You last saw it here....it's a lot different now. One of the seams was a bit 'vulnerable' at the edge where I have added white lace and beads, hopefully that will strengthen it.
There's lots of gimp on here, gimp I have couched down with coloured purl and a few sparkly sequins. The paler area on one side tones it down a little, I was aiming for that.
I am over my funny mood from yesterday, my creative angst, my creative freeze. A good friend of mine said it would be the weather getting me down. She might be right, snow, gales, Siberian temperatures...I'm not surprised my brain froze.
03/03/2018
just a sample....
I'm just faffing, playing, toying with cloth. A few stitches here and there, a little bit of gingham and a few spots. Lace? what would lace look like on here? what's the point of it? I haven't a clue. Does it matter? I'm only really happy when I am stitching but I'm not always happy with what I stitch if you know what I mean.
Today I am in a strange mood...directionless? I don't know. I do know it happens to us all sometimes and I also know it's happened to me before. Playing usually helps, playing for no reason, with no end result in mind so that's what I am going to do....
03/02/2018
hello Clara
It's been a long time. I found this panel of embroidered silk yesterday when I was looking for something. It's from a past class, stitching a story. This is a piece I stitched in order to make a drawstring bag for my story book....ooops, I forgot. I hope you weren't holding your breath waiting for it to be finished.
Now I have found it again I'm not sure what to do with it. I'm not inspired by the drawstring bag idea any more and I am scratching my head as we speak.
For those of you who weren't around whilst this class was going on I have added more images from way back then to give you an idea of what it was about. Happy memories for sure.
03/01/2018
hand embroidery samples
Yesterday afternoon was spent 'sample sorting'. There were one or two samples which needed to be placed into cloth sample books and the others are samples from the current class 'embroidery school'. I have so many samples now I could open a shop.....but I'm not going to.
The little framed pieces are stitch samples for a 'stitch ledger' which is in progress in class. They are tiny, three inches square including the fabric frames. Each of them is one embroidery stitch, some explored more than others. The labels hold the name of the stitch and the thread used to embroider them. This little stitch ledger is going to be a wonderful, invaluable resource by the time it's finished.
02/28/2018
blue sequins and gold beads with a little buttonhole stitch and French knots.
This one is finished now....that makes two with this one and when this one is finished there will be three. I added gold beads to the turquoise cloth here, another row of sequins to an edge, sequins to which I added silver beads. Two edges have been embroidered with buttonhole stitch and I have scattered French knots across the fabric snippets on the surface....being impatient I am going to play around with joining the two finished hankies later today. I'm not saying I will join them today but I am desperate to see how that might work, to generate ideas.
I'm getting closer to finishing an artist book which has been in the making for a long time over in class. The actual making, the putting together will happen with my group and I will show you on here when it's done but for now I was playing with those pages and overlays this morning and there is a very short video if you want to see my progress.
02/27/2018
silk and sequins
A couple of pieces I managed to finish last night. One is the final overlay for a book we will soon be putting together in artist book class, the other a little sampling I have done on paper with the beaded silk I bought in London.
The overlay now has a sequined edge to accompany the seam of buttons I added last week. This as I said is the final piece we were waiting for in class and now that particular artist book can be put together . We will be doing that in a couple of weeks and as soon as it's done I will share that with you here.
(these pieces, here, here and here were created in our artist book class. It's not too late for you to join us and get access to everything from day one.)
The beaded silk I bought in London is taking over my life or so it would seem. It's featuring on the handkerchiefs you have seen over the past week and here it is again on the first page of what I hope will become a little ledger devoted entirely to this cloth. I purchased 10 cm x 60 cm....not much at all. The test will be how far I can stretch it. I guess it's so ornate and beautiful I only need to use tiny pieces and it will still stand out.
02/26/2018
more bling
Following on from my post yesterday this is embellished handkerchief number three. It's a little smaller than the other two which may present problems in the future when it comes to joining them all together but I will worry about that when I get there. For now I'm just enjoying working on these. I'm enjoying the over the top nature of the bling, of the sequins, beads and luxurious cloth snippets.
This one is probably 'understated' when you compare it to the other two but bear in mind it isn't finished yet.
Looking at this image which I took yesterday when today's piece was only at the pinning stage I realise I will need to add a tiny piece of the turquoise cloth for cohesion and I know that will transform it all over again.
02/25/2018
the first of who knows how many
This one is finished now. I have titivated it to death. I have been undecided as to what to do with it. Pin pillow was winning in that department but I have changed my mind...a woman's prerogative I believe.
This morning I was working on videos, demonstration for my artist book class and I got to thinking...we were creating a surface for a page when a penny dropped....replicate that idea on a hankie which will mean that along with this one which is in progress I will have three. Make another, then another and on and on....
Then, wait for it, I could join them all together and have a very ornate, opulent throw, wrapping cloth, shawl...whatever. it sounds like a plan to me. (the finer points of which are yet to be thought through. How to join lace edges without losing that floatiness, that delicacy for instance?) I'm not worried.....I will get there in the end.
02/24/2018
the last overlay
This is the final overlay for my current piece over in artist book class. I spoke about it this particular artist book here a couple of days ago. Once this is embroidered we can put our books together in class. This one has buttons along a seam....... because I wanted to, because they are pretty, because I was in the mood to adorn....there is more work to do on this, more seams to enhance, edges to embroider. This one has more weight too, I have included silk velvet along with metallic silk tissue. The velvet is beautiful to handle and to embroider into and is a perfect contrast for the metallic silk.
I'm running late today. I had a leak under my sink. Just what you need on a Saturday morning...kitchen paddling. Drawing on all my plumbing skills of which I have none I think I have fixed it. Let's hope I'm not tempting fate....stay tuned.
02/23/2018
bling
Indulge me.......I'm in bling mode. When I was in London a couple of weeks ago I bought this beautiful, encrusted trim from The Cloth House and now I want to play with it all the time. There are a few a little bits of it on this piece from earlier this week and yesterday I added some to the hankie you see here along with a little lace cloth and started to embellish it some more. (there is a stain on this hankie...it's vintage and it has been laundered so I guess that stain is here to stay)
So what parts of this are my work and what parts were already there? I added the three dangly bead things at the top of the ribbon, I also added the ribbon. All the gimp has been added by me along with the embellishments on and around that. The gimp was couched before I added sequins and coloured purl.
What comes next? I have no idea....I'm just playing, spoiling myself with shiny things.
I have been asked a couple of times this week about an online 'workshop calendar' for the coming year. Oh dear....I am definitely not that organised and my motivations change all the time, my itches aren't consistent if you know what I mean. Today I am in raptures over this bling work, yesterday I was in raptures over fine, delicate overlays (and still am).....who knows what will happen tomorrow. Actually....... I just had a thought....fine, delicate overlays with bling!! See, that's what happens here, one word and any plan is out of the window. Workshop calendar? That person has never lived here.....I don't know who she is.
BUT....I am very grateful for the interest, hugely grateful, flattered............ and inadequate in some ways because I am not that 'organised' person.
So, at the moment I have two classes running both of which it is possible to join at any time and get access to the full class content from day 1. It's impossible for me to hold three at once, it's just me, on my own in a little room and there just isn't the time to devote to a third class, to give that class the devotion I would want to, the attention it would deserve.
The two classes which are available are rather amazing though, they are, trust me. Artist books has been running since September 2017 and continues through to September of this year. You can read more about that here.
2018 Embroidery school is delightful, I think of it as ''the pretty class'' as it's full of colour and happy discovery in terms of new embroidery stitches, sampling and pretty patterns. It is a 12 week class and you can read more about it here.
I hope that helps? and I hope it goes some way to explaining how my mind works in terms of the planning of future classes and learning programmes.
02/22/2018
overlays, edges
I hope the girls in my artist book class can see I am working hard....overlays for the book just waiting to be put together and finished off. I have edged the last two, one with dangly beads, one with tiny pom pom things. There is still one to make, from scratch, I'm thinking about that one....
I've also added two more embroidered little scraps to a couple of pages, they are visible here in the last two images. It's all coming together. It's exciting!
02/21/2018
continuing the pink fringe piece
I'm rapidly falling in love with this. It was supposed to be the top of a pin pillow which was started in my London workshop but I'm getting carried away. Who knows, it may still become a pin pillow but for now I'm enjoying encrusting it with off cuts of beaded silk before adding my own hand stitch and sequins.
I actually think it will be easier to care for long term if it does become a pin pillow. It will have substance and weight and won't get creased if it is placed on a shelf or a table. As a bag or a pocket there is so much more potential for creasing with use. Pin pillow it is then, I've talked myself into it.
I'm going to leave it for a couple of days now. I'm busy creating overlays for artist book class and also putting finishing touches to pages over there. Pages excite me.....they are also very easy to fall in love with.
02/20/2018
lemon sequins
A spare hour or so, a desperation to play with lemon sequins received as a gift, a scrap of lace cloth embellished with buttonhole stitch, a little silver net, my grids and guides book and hey presto. The page was intentionally folded back....it serves as a pleat to hold the edge of my lace cloth and it also allows the page below to be seen. I love the marks on that page, those illustrations which are from 'alternative alphabets', braille, semaphore, sign language and morse code.
Back to the lemon sequins...aren't they lovely? They lift, they brighten, they're like happy little lollipops.
02/19/2018
overlays
Yesterday I mentioned I was going to make overlays for a paper based book we are making over on the artist book blog. Whilst making those.....well one of those....I wondered if they would work on cloth books, overlaid on embroidered samples. Now I know the answer. I knew the answer before I tried it actually...of course they will, why wouldn't they. But I still tried it this morning anyway. Part of me wishes I hadn't because now I want to create soft, protective overlays for all my stitched samples too. I never know when to stop.....
That will be pushed to the very back of my mind. I need to resist that temptation for now as there are still two more to be made for my paper based artist book which I intend to start work on shortly, in around ten minutes to be precise.
02/18/2018
looking
At them moment I seem to be completely surrounded by things which are inspiring me, leading to lists forming in my head, ideas taking shape and a dilemma as to what to do first. The piece here with the gimp, pink purl and hankie corner was inspired by the image below which popped up on my Facebook timeline earlier this week from one year ago.
It's the coloured discs which particularly make me salivate and as I was gifted some of those last week I was compelled to use at least a couple of them. This morning as I was removing the new piece (top three images) from the damp stretching board it occurred to me how comfortable this little piece of stitched cloth would be if it were to live alongside the handkerchief from yesterday, if not actually that handkerchief but those colours and trims. Now I'm thinking about wrapping cloths....these colours, these techniques, delicate cloth and lace edges.
You don't have time Karen, really you don't but it's an idea that can burn slowly whilst these pieces live in my cloth sample books. Meanwhile in the spirit of these pieces there will be more sampling especially as I have yet to use my new ribbon which arrived earlier this week...
And don't get me started on the exciting things which have me in raptures over on the artist book blog. I am beginning to think about putting these pages together and will begin to embroider delicate overlays for them later today, to protect them, to create soft layers.
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