Another Textile Museum to Visit

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Cheddar Quilts from the Joanna S. Rose Collection on exhibit through February 3, 2019 at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum

Recently, I was fortunate to see the William Morris exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The next textile museum on my bucket list to visit? The International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The International Quilt Study Center & Museum’s mission is to build a global collection and audience that celebrate the cultural and artistic significance of quilts.

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And they have a gift shop too!

The Quilt Study Center is a superb building dedicated to exhibiting and preserving our quilt heritage. It is also educating future textile lovers as part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design.

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Pine Burr pattern, maker unknown, around 1879, possibly North Carolina

The galleries are beautifully curated and quilts are displayed with love and reverence. I highly recommend a visit and becoming a member in support of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum. You can even get a behind-the-scenes tour! (Another thing on my bucket list.)

Two Museums to Visit

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Snakeshead textile design by William Morris

I’m one lucky gal! In the past month I’ve be able to visit 2 museums with wonderful textile collections. Here you see an image of Snakeshead a design from the William Morris: Designing an Earthly Paradise exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art. This fabric design features one of Morris’s (and my) favorite flowers, the fritillaria, a flower with a checkerboard bloom.

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Embroidered bed hanging by May Morris

Items on exhibit range from actual William Morris fabrics to an embroidered bed hanging by May Morris to wood engravings illustrating books for the Kelmscott Press. Contained in one gallery, the exhibit extends until January 13, 2019.

Can you guess what other museum I was lucky enough to visit?

 

A Yellow Chair Stitch Along

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For those of you touring Germany this Fall, please stop in to your local quilt store for a copy of Quilt & Textilkunst Patchwork Professional.

You’ll know which magazine to pick up by the sight of my blue chair, Arm Chair Gardener, featured on the cover.

There is also a gift inside for you.

 

yellowchair1bA free tutorial shows you how to make this free-form Yellow Chair embroidery on wool. Step-by-step directions and images lead you through the process.

Not in Germany? Unable to read the German directions? Ah, then I have a solution for you. Check out the  Yellow Chair Tutorial on my website. And here is a Yellow Chair Stitch Kit to get you started.

Glückliche Stickerei!

How Long It Takes

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housestitching2Do people ask you how long it takes to make something? I get this often, but never keep track of my time.  But I have finally come up with an answer.

housestitching1To do this much hand embroidery on this little house quilt took about 6 hours. How do I know? Because that’s how much time it takes to drive from Chicago to Akron, OH. So from now on, that’s my answer. You may use it as well.

Teach a Kid to Stitch

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dishtowel Like many of you I began as a child. My mom taught me the basic hand stitches for that time honored craft of embroidery on dish towels. I took to it like a dancing tomato.

kidstitchingNow it’s time to teach our children (or grandchildren) to stitch. Hand embroidery is an art form that deals with color, texture, pattern, and the joy of making something by hand. Instead of a video game, give them a needle and thread.

handoffortunemaxSo here’s an idea. Trace your child’s hand onto cotton or silk fabric. Put it in a hoop or fuse it to batting for stability (this is how the Hand of Fortune embroidery is done). Basic stitches like the Running Stitch, Stem Stitches, and Cross Stitches are easy to learn. Older children can learn Lazy Daisy Stitches and French Knots.

That’s all you need to have fun. Teach a kid to stitch.

Random Acts of Dyeing

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dyedthread3It’s back to school time! And that means dyeing thread for all my fall classes. The threads you see above are destined for my students as part of their class kits. Whether taking a quilting class or hand embroidery class, everybody gets some colorful thread. Ooooooh! Aren’t they pretty!

dyebottlesThese threads are dyed using the “random acts of dyeing” method. I don’t following the repeatable color formulas for Artfabrik threads. Instead, I use up all my left over dye stock to dye threads in random colorways. It’s a great way to discover new color combinations and prepare for my classes at the same time. See you in the classroom!