05/29/2014
paper, lace, pattern and print...
I'm a bit late...I've been busy playing, sampling, writing. Why? A new class....
Lace, paper, cloth and stitch
A surface for embroidery, layers of lace, paper, cloth, stitch, print. A new class, two weeks. No deadlines, permanent access...forever. A resource for you of inspiration and process from which you can create paper cloth that money could never buy.
Lace will be layered upon paper, patterned cloth will be layered under sheer cloth, embellished cloth will be trapped between layers of light paper and embroidered lace. Layer, build, create a unique surface.
Commencing Wednesday July 9 for two weeks.
No deadlines, no set tasks. Groups which
are formed through my online learning programmes are communities,
friendly, interactive, supportive communities. It is my hope that each
course takes place within a relaxed, informal and ''comfortable'' online
environment.
You are welcome to dip and and out of our experience as and when it is convenient for YOU. Access is permanent....forever.
Access to a private flickr group will be provided on commencement.
***It is essential that you have access to a sewing machine for this class.***
This programme will include techniques from my former ''lace'' class, however techniques demonstrated during the ''lace'' programme will be applied in a different manner having been extended, sampled and developed in a different direction.
Unlike previous classes this programme will not have a dedicated blog. Video links will be delivered via e-mail, as will relevant images.
05/28/2014
composition
I've been playing again, moving pages around, moving pieces around, adding things. These were all made separately yet they all live well together, at least I think they do. I think I could do this all day every day. Create mini design sheets, one after another.
Next on the list today is my sewing machine. I have a plan involving colour and paper and perhaps a little lace. I don't have any housework to do today, a rare day indeed so I am making the most of it.
I hope you're all working hard in school, SS4 and Alchemy, there will be videos later today.
05/27/2014
last nights damp stretching
It's damp stretching central here at the moment. The body bag is being attended to in simply stitch 4 and all the silk panels for that require damp stretching before they can be pieced together, I'm doing them in stages, there's a rota, a hierarchical list! Then there are other pieces that are evolving, being made alongside the body bag and the swaddling band and the zillion other things I pick up and titivate from time to time. Damp stretching is a favourite process of mine......it's just as well.
The Liberty piece here, the bright one with petals, will be a pocket pillow. There will be more piping added to that later today....
Finally, I didn't explain myself very well yesterday regarding ''cutting up'' the cloth. There is a video here, very short in which I clarify that. Please don't panic, I intend to be gentle with it.
05/26/2014
revive
Yesterday I came across this. I knew it was there but it caught my conscience. I started this a long time ago, it looked sad, neglected so I damp stretched it last night to revive it, freshen it, wake it up a bit. Looking at it this morning it won't take much work to actually finish it but I'm not sure I have any of this cloth anymore, any of the prints that are part of this. I am wondering if I should take a few sections off and finish it as a smaller piece. That's what I am going to consider today, look, think, identify areas to remove.....
there are posts about the creation of this piece here, here, here, here and here. I would love if you took some time to look....
05/25/2014
titivated, backed, lined, pillow added, pocket lined, ties added....finished
It's finished and do you know something....it came together so quickly. When I am embroidering a surface I think ''I need another applique circle, a few more prairie points, lots of bullion knots and then I need to line it, make a pocket, make the pillow, put it together, hand finish the edges''. Basically it seems like a lot of work over a long period of time. But once it's embroidered and damp stretched everything just happens, just like that it seems, quick as a flash.......and here it is. The final stitching around the edges was completed last night with time to spare before bed.
So, what's next? First this afternoon is a little dusting, domesticity. I like to dust before I sit and stitch. It's almost compulsory. I have already made three videos today. It's a holiday weekend in England but stitching goes on at Ruane Towers regardless, it's not work after all it's a pleasure. I may work on the petal piece a little more.....yes, I think I will.
05/24/2014
petals....
With fingers crossed that Typepad doesn't go 'poof' without notice I bring you applique, petals, Liberty cloth, white cloth, embroidery...prettiness. This may well have more petals next time you see it...balance. I haven't quite made my mind up yet what else it needs, that's still under consideration.
Although I said thank you last night I must say it again. Thanks for all the birthday messages. I am a year older but no wiser. I am now the happy owner of more gorgeous books than you can shake a stick at, gorgeous cloth of varying types, bathroom smelly things that will enable me to titivate myself, scented candles, earrings, embroidery scissors, pretty buttons, chocolates, yes chocolates, very expensive cream toffee, new paint brushes and on and on. I am very lucky. I ate out not once but twice yesterday and believe it or not I have yet to have a piece of cake!
Domesticity calls today.....back to normal. I must have clean floors. I must have a clean bathroom and we won't even begin to talk about the ironing.
Re your commnets.....don't worry if you think it hasn't posted. I am finding them EVERYHERE...
05/23/2014
birthday embroidery
Today is my birthday! I am having a truly great day, lots of cards, lots of gifts. I've been out for lunch and I'm going out again later...spoilt.
Why am I here then? Mostly because I'm happy when I'm here and I am between lunch and evening meal. Importantly though I'm here to say that Typepad decided to send all my comment notifictions in one go.................all 79 of them. I will sort through them over the weekend. You will hear from me I promise. 79? 79? 79? Not sure I know enough words to answer all those.
05/22/2014
last week
Last week as seen through my phone....I'm obsessed can't deny it. I take pictures of everything but you only get to see the embroidery related ones.
I'm not stopping long in fact I am not actually here. I am up North eating cake. I also hope to pay this part of town a visit....I love it here.
05/21/2014
a finished surface
It's finished, it's damp stretched. Well technically it's not finished, the embroidery is finished. It still needs backing, a pillow and a pocket. That won't happen until the weekend as the next 48 hours are spoken for. I don't mind waiting. The process of constructing a pocket pillow is something I really enjoy, the loops, the ties are made and it should come together quite quickly.
It appears on the surface that Typepad is back to normal.....don't be fooled. I am not receiving notification of comments and neither am I seeing all comments on my admin page. If you have left a comment recently I am going to hunt you down over the weekend so I can reply. Please don't stop leaving comments, I will find you. I can read the blog post and see them there and also if you think it hasn't posted I will find it in spam. It's OK typepad...I don't have anything else to do....no really, who cares about housework and stitching and such trivia?
Another mystery...the elusive spelling mistake from yesterday. I don't think this is American English as when I type ''colour'' for example it doesn't slap me on the wrist....it's a mystery. Who are we to wonder.....
05/20/2014
embroidery school.....
What
a day so far.....appointments and the arrival of the tent which hasn't
been opened yet. It doesn't look very big??? Husband may have to get his
own, I need enough room to ''drape'', fragrantly and serenely.
Typepad appears to be behaving but if I do disappear you will find me you know where. (in around an hour when I've attended to other, pressing things)
Today's pictures? A glimpse for you of what is happening over in Karen's Global Embroidery School. A swaddling band is taking shape over in SS4 which will remain open for registration for ages because it's easy to dip in and out. In Alchemy we are creating mini design sheets, well I am creating mini design sheets...everyone else is way ahead of me!! Registration for Alchemy is closing soon , very soon....
The swaddling band? Lace, lace cloth, delicate, fragile, precious, bullion knots, French knots, hand made ties, concealed text, transfer prints.....and on and on.
Mini design sheets? Paper, stitch, collage, cloth, paint, pencil, composition......basically playtime!
OK...enough...things to do, places to be, people to see. Alchemy girls stand by your computers videos are coming.
(typepad tells me I have a spelling mistake. It doesn't say where??? I looked, I can't see it. I apologise in advance...)
05/19/2014
yesterday....
Yesterday, amongst other things, I made lace cloth and rouleau loops. The rouleau loops are for my Liberty pocket pillow, the lace cloth for well, anything really, just to have, to cut bits from every now and then when I need to. It's good to have a small amount of lace cloth, I use it in ledgers, on the surface of other embroidery. It is particularly appealing behind cutwork windows and makes rather nice bumpy bits too.
Today is the day my tent is supposed to arrive. I'm excited. I need to practice putting it up and taking it down. The putting up bit should be easy...it's a pop up tent and should allegedly spring up as soon as it's out of the bag. I have a feeling that getting it back in the bag won't be quite so simple. I will let you know.
05/18/2014
surprise surprise
Can you spot the surprise? The surprise is that I didn't bind the piping cord with bullion knots, I didn't take the knots over the liberty cloth I laid them along the edge. I don't want to be too predictable. I don't want to make you all yawn with boredom.
The embellishment of this piece was started last night. I haven't gotten very far yet but I was distracted by the puffs I made for the other piece so I wasn't lazy....I stitched and stitched....
I THINK MY E MAIL HAS BEEN HACKED. DO NOT OPEN ANY ATTACHMENTS THAT LOOK AS IF THEY HAVE COME FROM ME
05/17/2014
still titivating the new pouch, pocket, pillow thingy...
Yes, as it says at the top.....still titivating, lots more titivating done lots still to do. This one needs puffs. I shall make those today.
My fairy lights came. My son thinks I will have allcomers queueing at my tent door expecting tarot card readings.....perhaps I should buy some.
05/16/2014
process....
I've started a new pouch, pocket, pillow...thingy? I thought I would show you the cutting part, the pinning part, the putting together and preparation part. There's a strip of piped cloth, a little bit of piecing, some prairie points are ready to go and there's also a tiny tab. The other one isn't finished yet, this one. I have worked more on it and may show you tomorrow depending how much progress I make.
In other news.....I ordered a tent....oh my. I'm not a camping person by any stretch of anyones imagination so why? If I had a bucket list then going to Glastonbury would be at the top. I can't not go, chance of a lifetime. People try for years to get tickets without success. What to do? Embrace the camping....the tent will be titivated. I've also ordered fairy lights.
and there has just been a mini shop update...
05/15/2014
new lace
I have been making lace and working with lace. Two new pieces were put together yesterday afternoon and two others have been embroidered, bullion knots, French knots, buttons, hooks and eyes have all been added along with too many buttonhole lace edges to count. There are also piped edges here, very fine piped edges, fiddly central...good thing I am a fan of fiddly.
The lace, the blue, the text, it's all happening over in Simply stitch 4, which to remind you will be open for registration throughout.....until the very last day, unlike Alchemy which will close soon.
Back to the lace.....I think I'm in love. It's so very delicate and wonderful to stitch on, like butter, like breath. I have big plans for these pieces....watch this space.
I am so behind today, running late for everything. I had an appointment this morning which took forever. I haven't even checked on class yet, goodness knows what they're up to. But I must say thanks for the feedback re the workshop idea. It needs to be London because there are other things to tempt you to London such as Liberty, the V&A, the silk shops of Soho, the vintage shops.......and much much more. I'm thinking one day for the workshop and if there is enough demand running it twice. I would prefer a weekend, April? May? around then.....keep the feedback coming whilst I consult my brain for more in the way of firm plans.
05/14/2014
progress
The new pocket pouch is progressing in terms of surface embellishment. The offending loops have been removed and as if by magic applique has appeared with pointy bits. Bumpy bits are popping up along the central strip and all things considered it's a thumbs up from me.
I wanted to throw something out there, an idea, a question which needs a response if that's OK. If I were to arrange a workshop in central London would you come? It's a tentative plan for next year. Format as yet undecided. ........your thoughts?...a one day workshop....
05/13/2014
last week and a new page
Oh boy, I hope you're not in a hurry today. There are lots of pictures from my phone, taken over the last week or so.
As you can see my table features prominently in my days....every day. And we eat on here, as a family, every day....hence the salt and pepper and the butter dish! Don't begin to wonder how they get used in my embroidery. There's also a look at my bedtime reading....
I washed and ironed my Marimekko cushion covers, never a chore. The floor gets quite a bit of action too. It's been covered in design sheets most days, old design sheets brought out of mothballs for Alchemy.
Speaking of Alchemy, I'm putting out a final call. It's still listed but not for much longer. I created a page, a glimpse of what's happening over there. You can see that here.
(SS4...Kathy L. your e mails are bouncing back??)
05/12/2014
Broderie Anglaise and Liberty cloth
The London cloth is in use. I started a new pocket pillow with Broderie Anglaise from MacCulloch and Wallis and new prints from Liberty. I am using two of the five prints I bought in this piece, the others are waiting patiently to be cut up and embellished. I like this mix, I think these work well together but......can you see I have started to embroider bullion loops along the seam next to the single prairie point? I don't like them, they don't work for me. I will definitely be unpicking those later on. Otherwise, it's all systems go.....tonight, in addition to unpicking there may be bumpy bits and there will definitely be applique.
05/11/2014
lace?
The black and white backgrounds here are from a book, ''doodle doo'' which I bought from Anthropologie. I cannot take any credit for those.
Yesterday afternoon I planned to make lace, lace cloth. You can never have too much lace cloth. However, I sampled using some new cloth I bought in London as a background and what I have is not lace cloth but snippet cloth. Oh well, you can never have too much of that either.
I also found a little time to play with some Liberty fabric, to begin something new. At the moment it is merely pinned, no tacking as yet and not a hint of titivation. If that changes before tomorrow, if I manage a tiny amount of embellishment I will show you.
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