Half inch Suffolk puffs for white.

 

My recent work on paper is continuing.

Stitched papers as a base, embellished with hand embroidery, snippets of vintage cloth, trims at edges, a button or two, tiny pom poms and now half inch, hand made Suffolk puffs.

I am aiming for five pieces here which will then be backed with stitched paper before being turned into a small book. 

A small book of white and embroidery.

(white is so difficult to photograph....hope the image quality is ok for you) 

White

 

White on white.

Hand embroidered panels which will be joined, seams embellished and which will become a pouch.

Each panel is pieced using a mix of vintage and new fabric, trims and lace scraps.

The surfaces are then embellished with hand embroidery, applique, cutwork, gimp, ribbons and lace. 

 

white and gimp......for a sample portfolio

Another sample, white, gimp, pleated net...the next step in my sample portfolio play. This one has couched gimp overlaid across pleated net,  a seam of French knots and four tiny cutwork circles worked on a strip of cotton lace. There was quite a bit of response to my queries, my ''wondering'' from Tuesday, thank you for that. I am leaning towards three double spreads, six embroidered pieces in total and keeping them all the same colour, consistent, for example...shades of white, subtle blues and grey in one collection. Other portfolios will have brighter colours, pinks, lemons, brighter blues......it's still very much a ''work in process'' and requires much more ''wondering'' but I am part way there. - See more at: http://karenannruane.typepad.com/karen_ruane/#sthash.jptzsoQX.dpuf

complete white...

late, late, late, everything is late today. I was late for school, my blog is late, my lunch was late...I have a to do list that would scare the Queen.....still, I don't have to go anywhere so it doesn't matter. The only effect my lateness will have on today is the delaying of housework...result!

Anyway...here it is, in it's entirety...my latest white cloth. Lots of images for you to peruse. Tomorrow I venture 'up North' to the industrial, frozen wastelands where everyone wears cloth caps and lives up chimneys and where they don't know what a cow is or a sheep and have never seen the sea..... in order to deliver this. They deserve something lovely in their lives up there.....

(that little paragraph is dedicated to someone who shall remain nameless but who I am convinced actually believes all that rubbish) I am allowed a little sarcasm, it's my blog.

Tomorrow I am going to deliver this and then go to Mothers...you know what that means? ...cake....another result!

white....

It's finished, complete, ready, titivated to within an inch of its life. Feel free to pat me on the back! Today you have a short video...sometime within the next week you will have millions of pictures. Brace yourself....

ledgers and a new white cloth....

I am still consumed by ledgers.....and white. My wrapping cloth is finished in terms of joining, titivating and marking out the edges. All I need now is space, mental and physical in order to lay it out and attach the back. Yes, I need an empty house,......maybe Thursday. In the meantime I have started another white cloth...why? Because I really needed to stitch with white, piece some white.

Ledgers is so much fun too, it's like play time at school...paints and mess and a little chaos....

the final piece.....

The final section is now finished, titivated and embroidered...completely finished....not almost finished, not nearly there...actually there, it has arrived. This now has to be added to the cloth along with my long, narrow pocket and the backing process can begin. I am SO excited. I have puffs for the edge, lovely white puffs....I am hoping all this will happen over the weekend. I can't do it today, I am working on ledgers. I can't do it tomorrow as I have the dreaded Friday big shop and then a visitor in the evening who will eat with us...yikes!!! You do realise that this will mean I have to venture into the kitchen to make more than a coffee?Touch an appliance other than a kettle? I think I need a lie down......

white

I made a short video for class today showing and discussing progress on my wrapping cloth. I thought you may enjoy something similar so here is the edited version...

damp stretched

Lots of pictures today because a lot of damp stretching went on last night. I was awake until 4 am as I had to drop my men off for their flight. What to do to pass the time? Stitch and stretch of course. There are three pieces of work here. Two white sections that now need to be added to my wrapping cloth and a surface for hand embroidery that I created using paper, silk and vintage scraps as in my extending embellishment class. On the white pieces there is cutwork, applique, a variety of hand stitch, prairie points, lace and loops. I will add these to the cloth over the next couple of days and when my girls have seen that I will show you too. 

I am going to hand embroider on my other surface, add mirrors and perhaps a little lace. I will have progress for you on that tomorrow.

The house is empty and beautifully quiet. I am going to clean and titivate....see you soon.

my cloth.....

Embellishment so far on my cloth for class. I love this cloth. I love how it feels in my hand when I am stitching. I love how it all seems to ''fit together'. How each piece compliments the other. If you want to see what the girls are up to then have a look here. I am certain they would appreciate your comments, your support.

In the bottom image you can see that the loop seam has been attended to. Not a triple seam this time, more random, web stitches and French Knots. Can you see the little corner turned over too? That is deliberately caught down with a few bullion knots. The reason? That beautiful little label on the underside of this piece of vintage cloth. I discovered it as I was piecing and it is so precious it absolutely cannot be hidden. So far it's my favourite thing of the whole batch.....

There has been a bit of a late flurry with people signing up to the class. That's great, the more the merrier. I do think though that after next week it will be too late to come in, we will be too far ahead so for that reason I am closing registration on Tuesday 15. If you are tempted then just go here to read more....I do not know when I will run this one again, it may not be this year as I have other things planned.

With that in mind I best get going.....photographs to take, lists to write....have a lovely Saturday.

back to white

Wow! Thanks for the reaction to my sugary post yesterday.....might be more of that tomorrow...meantime I have been home to white. White padded applique, white bullion knots, white French knots, all damp stretched and glorious. I think the third picture down is my favourite, it sums this piece up really. This is the third section of my cloth. By my reckoning I need at least six so white will continue along with occasional (short lived) forays into other stuff. I am making this cloth with the girls in my current embroidery class. I never tire of white, if I ran 50 white classes and as a result accumulated 50 white cloths it wouldn't be a problem....it would be a bonus.

on my table.....

If you have taken one of my classes you will know that there is a table I use.....a lot. It is always covered with stuff, in progress, finished, cloth, pins...you know. Well this is another table, yes there's two. I take over the whole house basically. It wouldn't make  a difference if I had a huge studio I would still take over the whole house. Not that there's any chance of a studio here, house as small as a cupboard and believe me I still lose stuff. Don't know how I would cope with 20 rooms....

Yesterdays surface has cutwork now, it is worked on a small section of the piece along with some crossed bullions.

If you are wondering where the May newsletter is then I will point out that it is still May. I have weeks....What's holding it up? My fingers are what's holding it up. I will have an announcement but I can't stitch fast enough...

surfaces and seams....

More work on white, surfaces and seams. French knots, bullion knots, edges of lace not caught down but left free giving little glimpses into what's below. Covering beautifully embroidered vintage cloth with hand stitch but leaving areas untouched.....

This morning I was on window boxes. I much prefer to embroider. I have to say that I detest gardening. Please don't hate me it's part of who I am. I love flowers, the clean kind, the no mess kind, in a vase, from a shop....

extending two is now in big cartel.....we shall see.