11/15/2013
painting, printing and piecing
Yes, it's all the P's today.....the painting I was talking about yesterday and the small pouch, (another P) that I put together with the pretty vintage handkerchief. The painting isn't finished yet. I did add more yesterday but I devote fifteen minutes and then leave, walk away and come back the next day. (devote may be an exaggeration...more like I force myself, I complain, I get stressed) I will get there. I will do some more this afternoon. I photographed it and printed it in its current state. The prints are useful to have, for collage maybe or even for a reference in the future, a reminder.
Happiness can be found in the cloth, in the piecing, in the charm of the handkerchief. Later I am going to search out a little lemon thread from my stranded cottons. This pouch needs a touch of lemon, to balance the colour of the handkerchief and plus ''lemon'', the word, makes me smile.
11/14/2013
a pouch
Another hour has been spent embroidering the latest pouch. I have added a couple more seams and two applique circles. It was damp stretched overnight and now waits for more attention. I particularly like how it looks hanging over the table....is that strange? I just think it has a softness to it in that image.
Yesterday is best forgotten....I was meant to be painting. I always suffer angst and altered behaviour when faced with a paint brush. I think I am old enough to be over it to be honest and I do severely reprimand myself but it never seems to work. Anyway.....I placed myself on the naughty step for a while, came back, painted and surprise surprise am quite satisfied with the results. I will show you tomorrow. However........don't imagine that the painting scenario will automatically be smoother next time. I hope it is but past experience tells me not to hold my breath on that one.
I pieced cloth too....the best king of therapy. Again, I will show you that tomorrow. I have used the most pretty of handkerchiefs in that one....
Finally, because I am in great need of some caffeine....I am going to close the shop tomorrow. (I'm not closing the shop because I need caffeine...I meant I need to get off the computer!!) Simply Stitch 3 is all there is available anyway. We started a week ago tomorrow and it isn't too late yet to jump in but from tomorrow it will no longer be available.
The shop will be shut until.....who knows......I may list a couple of things for sale before Christmas....otherwise it will be the New Year.
Right...kettle on.....coffee please....see you tomorrow with some (sub standard) painting.
11/13/2013
just pottering.....
I'm in a funny old frame of mind today, not sure what to do. I know what I should be doing but can't muster the will.....the motivation. The table has seen a lot of action whilst I have been dithering and flitting between various ''things''.
The main problem I have identified is the lack of cloth on these table pictures. Withdrawals.......I will piece cloth and then I will force myself to attend to the other things, the things that excite me less.
11/12/2013
paper, silk and stitch
This is the piece of paperwork I spoke about yesterday. There is another, similar one in progress but as this one was finished I decided to lay it next to some embroidery, just to see, to get a spark, help the ideas form....it worked. Now I have too many ideas, too many possible distractions. Distractions be gone!!! I will ignore you. Perhaps not ignore, perhaps write you down for another day. Actually, that is one of the best things about keeping images of your work, they are always there to look at later, to be inspired all over again. I often print images of my own work and pick them up every once in a while, leaf through them, allow them to inform or spark a new idea. I would recommend it as a tool for overcoming a creative block.
I'm a little late today, later than I hoped. My feet have been crying since I got off the plane in Las Vegas, begging for mercy they were. They have just been treated to a visit with the chiropodist, podiatrist....foot healer and helper of lame body parts. Now they are all happy and ready to skip anywhere....kitchen and kettle it is then.
11/11/2013
paper and metallic silk tissue
I'm working with paper quite a lot at the moment. Aside from this piece there are two more in progress, smaller pieces with silk dupion inserts as opposed to metallic silk tissue. All of these paper pieces will be placed in ''doodle doo''. That book is actually getting pretty full and I love leafing through it, turning the pages. I can still get a surprise when I see a piece I had forgotten about. The smaller pieces will be revealed tomorrow.....the girls need to see them first.
This piece has metallic silk tissue and cutwork inserts. Extra titivation has then been added and in fact there is more still to be added. I think it's fair to say that this one will be titivated to the n'th degree!!
Maybe when this one is finished and mounted I will make you a little video, another ''doodle doo'' show and tell......
11/10/2013
an edge, bullion knots and a few cross stitches
Yesterdays white cloth has been titivated a little more. I have edged a lace strip which runs across one of the panels with buttonhole lace and added bullion knots to a seam. I gave this piece an hour of my time yesterday evening. I will spend another hour on it today.
I have to admit that I am just a little bit in love with the first picture.
Aside from this I am playing with paper and I will show you what I've been doing tomorrow. Can't have you thinking I'm still slacking after my holiday!!
The wedding/holiday pictures are still on my phone, not yet transferred to the computer. Time has flown these past couple of days but rest assured I haven't forgotten. On the plus side everything here is back to normal. The sleep pattern, the dirty washing, the unpacking, the ironing, all ticked off the list. Nobody is more surprised than me.
11/09/2013
white.....
Yesterday afternoon I had a need to piece cloth, white cloth, in the manner of a wrapping cloth yet not a wrapping cloth. Then I remembered that some time ago I was asked to make a pouch for someone.......a perfect reason to piece white cloth. This is it, only sparingly embellished at the moment but knowing that it's there is comforting somehow. I can pick this up when I NEED to. It is a fact that every now and then I NEED to work on white, pieced cloth. I can't explain it. I don't suppose I need to explain it.
One thing I do have to do is check that the person who asked for this still wants it....it was so long ago.
This morning it has poured with rain here, then hailstones, then more rain. It is so dark, like night. I made video for tomorrow for SS3. I have more video to make later and an errand to run. Rain, rain go away....give me some light...please.
11/08/2013
house
Is this picture way too weird? I took this earlier .....this is how my house looks when I am piecing cloth. It's obviously a ''bad'' image, something drastic went wrong but in a strange kind of way I like it.....
composed? contrived? staged?
Two of my favourite things....embroidery and flowers. I could pretend this was an exercise in composition. It wasn't. It was an ''oh my goodness what AM I going to put on my blog today'' exercise.....which resulted in a composition exercise. Actually, now I have done this it has value. I'm thinking this would be a good ''still life'' to doodle from. What do you think?
I like these images yet I don't like these images. Make your mind up woman!!! I Know, I know.....they are just slightly ''twee'' for my taste. I don't normally do twee, at least I hope I don't. Not that there's anything wrong with twee....it just isn't ''me'', doesn't speak of who I am.
I bet you're glad you came today aren't you.......not! What a confused, rambling, useless post....sorry!!
11/07/2013
progressing doodle doo....
Doodle doo is back......I suspect you will be seeing a lot of this over the next few weeks. Lots of paper, lots of metallic silk, lots of doodle doo. I will be working with this during the early stages of Simply Stitch Three. To those of you who are waiting patiently for tomorrow this is little teaser....a very small glimpse of what is going to be happening....... literally can't wait, I can't!
Later today I am off ''up North'' delivering USA related things. It has to be done. I don't know if there will be cake and to answer a wedding question...yes there was cake..too much. Yes too much cake, a whole table of choice. I couldn't decide and to be fair I had eaten enough already. My favourite, favourite thing of the whole meal was the ''crab and shrimp fondue''.....there are no words. I want some now!!!
I have to apologise again too.....I have managed to reply to some of the mails and comments but not all. I will definitely do it over the weekend, I promise....so specifically sorry to Sharon, Mary Anne, Susan, Cherie, Barbara, Rachel, Alex, Amanda, Jan, Liza, Annet, Janice, Joanna, Gerd, Tammie, Judy, Jillayne, Sara, Kirsty, Emmy, Dianne, Barb and Nadine. Oh my goodness....I'm horrible aren't I. I do try to be good.....and I really hope I haven't missed anyone out?????
(I am hoping that if I missed you out you have heard from me already...xxx)
11/06/2013
mishmash
mish-mash definition. [ˈmɪʃmæʃ] and [ˈmɪʃmɑʃ] and mish-mosh. n. a mixture; a disorderly conglomeration.
A mix of images today.....my morning in photographs. I washed the lace and silk I bought in New York. Why? Actually I don't really know, I just wanted to. It wasn't dirty, didn't smell...it's a mystery but I'm pleased I did because it makes for a lovely photograph.
The other images are of my table, busy me, getting ready for Friday.
(if you are registered for Simply Stitch 3 you should have received an e mail from me today containing links, videos, information. If you didn't then let me know....please. Check your junk first, your spam.)
In other news....I slept last night!!! Result!!! Long may it continue. I also tried getting my wedding/holiday images from my phone onto my computer......don't ask......fog brain....technologically challenged....failed miserably.....I will try again.....soon.....if my returned sleep continues....honest.
11/05/2013
cohesion
Where do I start today? I'm not even completely sure what day it is anyway, I'm doubting my own name too. I feel so strange, in limbo....don't assume it's a complaint, it's an explanation. An explanation of my inability to function normally at the moment, but I will try, I will do my best. Firstly.....I posted to the blog this morning from my phone. I then deleted it because it was a rubbish picture so if you are looking for it I apologise. Secondly.....I am nowhere near sorting out the wedding pictures. Again I apologise.....more waiting for you. Thirdly.....and I really, really am sorry about this......I haven't been near flickr. I haven't looked to see the amazing things you have been doing whilst I was gone. I know....I'm a disgrace.
Today though, and yesterday evening I was kind of with it, functioning in the creative sense at least. Paper........ paper, cloth, a body of work and cohesion. I hope that what I have added to the paper piece since you last saw it helps to create the beginnings of a cohesive collection of work when placed alongside the embroidery. Does it? I sure hope it does......
11/04/2013
need and thread
Wow....embroidery. This silk piece was started before I went away and has been given a little attention since I got back. It's inspired, informed by the piece of paperwork which is still in progress.
My trip? Wonderful. I had the most fantastic holiday. The wedding was beautiful. The days in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York were amazing. There is so much to say, so much for me to recall, to think about, to remember. I may need to write it all down. Most of my pictures are on my Instagram but over the next couple of days I am going to try and post about it all here, bear with me.
I have so many mails to answer too, again, bear with me. The house is upside down. Spotless towers is beautifully clean.....but disgracefully untidy. Add to that my jet lagged induced insomnia and nocturnal facebook activity....(it's quite exciting over there in the middle of the night).... things are slow getting back to normal. Last night I went to sleep at around 5 am. I tried to sleep from midnight until 2 am and gave up, came downstairs, stalked facebook and instragram for a while and finally said hello to rest at around 5....consequently I didn't wake until 11 today. Tonight I will stay up until 1....and then order myself to sleep. Hopefully the body clock will reset soon.
A couple of mass messages now.....Simply Stitch 2 group....how are you??? I missed you. I haven't looked at flickr yet....I'm scared.....I will be there for days....
Last but definitely not least....if you have signed up for Simply Stitch 3 then expect some information, a video and e mail ramblings either tomorrow or Wednesday. Are you as excited as me?!!
11/03/2013
home.....
Sent from Samsung Mobile
Hi everyone!! I just wanted to say a quick hello......I am home, there really is no place like home. I am missing a suitcase......trying not to cry....simply stitch three is now listed again......
Normal service will be resumed shortly!!!
11/02/2013
At Heathrow airport waiting for
At Heathrow airport waiting for a connecting flight. Will be happy to get home after an amazing holiday. This picture is cloth related, it's flags!! NYC what a place.
Sent from Samsung Mobile
11/01/2013
Shopping heaven in the Garment
Shopping heaven in the Garment District NYC. I bought these wonderful things. Counting the minutes until SS3
Sent from Samsung Mobile
10/31/2013
My little girl got married.
My little girl got married. She looked so beautiful! !
Sent from Samsung Mobile
My little girl got married.
My little girl got married. She looked so beautiful! !
Sent from Samsung Mobile
10/23/2013
see you soon....
An image of a jumble today, a jumble of pieces that will remain untouched for a little while now. I am off early in the morning.........Yesterday I was up North....eating cake. Today I am packing suitcases.
Don't forget you can follow me on Instagram....@karenruane and I will be lurking over on facebook too.
The shop will be closed later and will re open on November 4 in case you want to be part of Simply Stitch 3.
Thank you to ALL of you who have wished my daughter well. I appreciate it more than you know.
Miss you already.
10/21/2013
products of a weekend
I am about to pat myself on the back. The whole weekend wasn't, as it happens, spent cleaning the house there was a fair amount of creativity happening too. Another block is finished for the sampler cloth/pocket/body bag and a new piece of paperwork is taking shape.
Gauging how much more work I can do before I leave the country is a little difficult. I can stitch this evening but not tomorrow. Tomorrow I am going ''up North''. Wednesday there will be last minute things to attend to and then I may stitch a little in the evening. All in all I may not get much more done embroidery wise until I come back.
So....I won't be here tomorrow...insert sad face....but I will be here one final time on Wednesday. Following on from that I may post whilst I am away. I have tested that process out and my images do post but the wrong way round. I guess it might be exciting not knowing whether or not you will get to see something upside down! I have visions of you all standing on your heads to look at whatever picture I post. I will most definitely have a presence on Instagram whilst I am away...wi fi access permitting and you will see me lurking on facebook too. But.....I haven't gone yet......see you on Wednesday!
I'm having trouble with facebook....can't upload, can't update my status. Anyone else having problems or should take it personally?
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