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 22, 2012

half.....







The first half of my next piece is now finished, damp stretched, edges cut away neatly. I am working on the second half but please don't ask for a specific date...it's like a mad house here.
This morning I made a video for my new class. I am hoping that the blog will go live tomorrow. On Thursday I am going to London for five days as it is my little girls birthday on Sunday...there is more news on that (and a gorgeous picture!) in my April news letter.
My ''to do'' list is mammoth, you don't really want to hear about the furniture moving I have planned...for cleaning purposes or the shopping I need to do to stock cupboards for my home alone son...The laundry that is stacking up, the gifts I still need to buy and of course more importantly the embroidery I need...no want to do...
Are there any volunteers for the ironing?

11 comments:

Ingrid said...

its beautiful Karen!
have fun visiting your daughter:-)

Carol Q said...

that's beautiful Karen. love the coloured fabric trapped under the bullion stitches. at first glance it looks like half of the front of a chemise lol.

ersimarina said...

I'll be in this New Class and I am still as excited about it as a month ago, when I enrolled. And everything you do amazes me, chosing favourites is a hard job!

Rachel said...

A treasury of textures, Karen! If you get a volunteer for the ironing, pass them on to me when they've finished yours!

Elizabeth said...

What a gorgeous piece. If I lived closer I would do happily your ironing and make you a cup of coffee :))

Enjoy your sunday.

Gayle said...

Love the way the second photograph shows off they lovely work...such a beautiful piece.

Flaming Nora said...

Umm um! Lovely. Really beautiful.

Suztats said...

That gorgeous piece is something I would love to 'half and to hold'!

Linda Carole Bloom said...

I love to iron - weird I know! My mother did too. Have a wonderful time with your daughter. Next you need to do an Extending Extending Embellishment for those of us who have taken the first two!! Almost ready to post my next section - will send you the link. Now have to wash dogs . . . .

Jane said...

Is spring in the air? We've got to move furniture this week too, not sure about the ironing though, I've just caught up with ours.
Love the way this piece has finished, it's been great seeing it's progress from the start. I am sure the second piece will live up to expectations

Magpie's Mumblings said...

You know, I actually can almost feel this in my hands. Sounds weird, but it's true! It's an intriguing shape - can't wait to see what it ends up becoming.