Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

These are some huge plants in the inner courtyard of the museum that overlook a small pool. I don't know what they are.

I went to this museum on the University of Oregon campus primarily to see the collection of works by Morris Graves . They had about four of his works in a special room. Unfortunately, there were no prints or posters of them in the museum gift shop, and practically nothing in the gift shop was based upon the museum collections, except for some magnets. Perhaps because the Jordan Schnitzer Museum is small, it cannot afford to make reproductions.

It is difficult to find reproductions of Morris Graves' work. It seems that much of his work is in private hands, and many of the works in major museums are not sold as prints or posters in their shops, either. Maybe some are available when one visits in person, but not listed in the online shopping. Maybe there are not enough people who want them to make it profitable.

Has anyone been to the actual Morris Graves Museum of Art in California (Humboldt County)?

I'm especially attracted to his series of birds (Waking, Walking, Singing in the Next Dimension), and those featuring "white noise."

The other museum collections (Asian) that featured samurai outfits, intricate Chinese enameled hairpieces, and and hand-painted screens were magnificent. I reveled in seeing the embroidered clothing (silk thread in satin stitch) so closely that I could see the actual stitches.

Summer Quaker

This is the jewelry pouch that I stitched for April for the HOE Summer Quaker Exchange. The eight-petal flowers, the enclosed swan and the enclosed birds/flowerpot are from a freebie, "Six Mains," by A Mon Ami Pierre. I chose to fill in the swan and make the background look like a pond, just to add variety.

The vase is my own design; the key, initials and letters from a book of charted designs by Dover Publication.

The interior is of the finest silk, from the blouse (choli) piece of an Indian silk sari. I've had this silk for years and use it sparingly for special projects. I stuffed it with flat quilt filler and added buckram for stiffening.

Goodbye, Teacher

Last week was the final week of the school year for a young relative. We give small gifts to the teachers at Christmas break and at the end of the term. I wanted to make handmade gifts this June, not only due to our budget, but because I enjoy giving a personalized gift.

For the music teacher, I created a small hanging pillow. The front was white Aida, the back was black velveteen, and the hanging cord was gold trim from India. I cross stitched a black silhouette of a colonial violinist, from the book "Anne Orr's Charted Designs," by Dover Publications.

For one (male) teacher, I made a watercolor of his family coat-of-arms, which I had researched on the internet.

For the homeroom teacher, I wanted to make a sampler-type gift but knew I didn't have time to make a large one and frame it.

Thursday evening (June 5th) I was still working on her gift. I had wanted to make a sampler that looked like a blackboard, the same sampler that I stitched for one of my daughter's teachers many years ago. It was from an issue of the (now defunct) magazine "Cross Stitch and Country Crafts." Unfortunately, I couldn't find that issue, and realized that I'm missing 2 or 3 issues, not just that one.

I had to design my own sampler to be stitched with DMC floss on black Aida.

The sampler read, from top to bottom:
(stitched apple) Teacher's Name (in white thread) (stitched apple)
SCHOOL (white letters on green box background)
GRADE she taught(in white thread)
(x-stitch of a #2 yellow pencil)

below I stitched (in different colors):
math equations; an angle, a square, a triangle, a quadrilateral; math operation symbols; an outline of the continental USA, Alaska, and Hawaii; the sun, moon, Mars, Earth, and Saturn; a darkling beetle on oats, under a magnifying glass; and the word "SPARKLE" to commemorate a spelling game they played.

By this time it was midnight and I finished it as a small hanging pillow. The backing was green with a small black paisley-type design. The hanging cord was of white rick-rack.

I did not go to sleep until 2:30 a.m. Friday morning because it took me that long to do the watercolor coat-of-arms. I got up a few hours later, wrapped both gifts, and put them in a bag to be taken to school.

After school I was informed how much the homeroom teacher LOVED her gift, and that she wished she could have met me. Actually, I had met her several years ago, when I observed classes there for three days. She just forgot.

* * * *
This morning I began reading the local newspaper online.

I see her last name on the obituaries. I see the same first name as hers.

It states she was a teacher at the same school.

I cannot believe what I am reading.

I call the mother of one of the classmates and find that it is true.

She had a heart attack the day after school ended, the day after she announced her retirement, the day after she received my cross stitched gift--a gift that both acknowledged her teaching and brought her happiness.

All of you--my friends in stitching--la communaute des brodeuses, never underestimate the power of your needle and thread.

With needle and thread we create joy, we create friendships, we mark milestones.

Your embroidery may be the only cross stitched gift a person ever receives. Your embroidery may be the last gift someone receives.

Cherish your skills, pass them on, teach someone to cross stitch. Je brode, et vous?

Goodbye to a wonderful TEACHER

Baby Washcloths for Shower Gift

Here's another gift for the mother-to-be who is going to get the crocheted blanket.

This is the flannel cloth that I'm hemming by hand in order to to create 4 washcloths. This flannel is not suitable for children's sleepwear (U.S. makes manufacturers treat sleepwear with chemicals) and I only had a small piece, so I decided to make baby washcloths. I'm hemming them by hand because I need to keep the thread hidden, as my thread is not 100% cotton and it would cause the cloths to be scratchy if hemmed by machine.

The brightly-colored animals will catch the baby's eye.

Crocheted Baby Blanket

This is a crib blanket that I am making for someone who is going to have a baby shower soon. I am using Jaggerspun 100% wool yarn in Winter White. The mesh pattern is from an old book , "Lovable Hand Knits," Vol. 30, published MLXVIII by Bernhard Ullman Company (makers of Botany, and Bear Brand yarns.

The pattern says to bind with nylon satin blanket binding, but I'm going to crochet a shell border. I don't want to put synthetic materials on a pure wool blanket.

Coeur de Printemps Finished

I finished my Coeur de Printemps and mailed it (late) on the 9th of May. I used the DMC colors suggested by the designer. This was my first time mailing an overseas package, and so I finished it simply in order to mail it in a first-class envelope. I was surprised to learn that the cost was reasonable.

To you, the recipient:
I did not have time to take a picture of it. Will you please photograph it and put it up on Ness's blog?

I Received My Coeur de Printemps

This is the lovely stitcher's "folder" that I received from Marie-Ange
This pattern is the "Coeur de Corinne" exchange organized by Ness. (I'll put a link in later to her blog). These pictures show the front and the inside. (The pic of the inside is sideways).

The stitching is over one thread of Lugana and is finer than anything I could do, even with magnifying lenses.

It has the pumpkin-shaped pincushion inside, anchored by a mother-of-pearl flower-shaped bead. There's a cute scissors charm on the scissors pocket.

I've always wanted one of these stitcher's accessory folders and am very happy to get this beautiful piece of needlework.

I'm sorry to be so late in posting this. I am swamped right now, currently working on a batch of stuffed dolls!

A Spring WIP

This is a WIP, from a Maryse chart that I received from Irmeli, a Hooked on Exchanging blog member.

Pinkeep Received

This is the beautiful spring pinkeep that I received from Irmeli (HOE).

A Current Project

This is a piece I'm working on at present. It's "P'tits Coeurs Bienvenue," by Isabelle Vautier, stitched on linen with Tentakulum overdyed thread "Lisa." I received the linen, chart, and thread from Gaby as part of the HOE biscornu exchange.

Katrina's Pinkeep

This is the front of the pinkeep and the matching scissors fob that I made for Katrina in the Hooked on Exchanging project. It is DMC floss on (about) 32 ct. linen. The chart is a LHN/CCN collaboration from The Gift of Stitching magazine (a back issue). The entire pinkeep is sewn together, not glued, including the ribbon.


Here are the reverse sides:


The initials are taken from a Dover Publications book, Charted Monograms for Counted Cross Stitch.

Mon Poisson d'Avril

This is a picture of the stuffed fish toy that I made for the "Bisque d'Avril" of Chacharose. He is Matsya, the horned fish of (Asian) Indian lore.