From Scissors to Stitches: The Unexpected Journey That Brought Portland’s Bridges to Your Kitchen
Life Lately
I’ve just returned from three weeks in the UK – visiting family, attending the Hay Literary Festival with college friends, and celebrating at a family wedding. Of course, I packed several sets of my handmade Portland tea towels as gifts, including our two latest designs that celebrate Portland from its iconic bridges to Forest Park, the largest urban park in the United States. We’re lucky enough to live by the park and walk our dog there regularly on the Wildwood Trail. (As I write this, there’s a flicker drinking from the bird bath outside my studio window – these small moments of joy never get old!)
We rented an old farmhouse in the Welsh hills during the festival, and I was struck by one of the kitchen towels hanging in the kitchen – occupational hazard! It featured a colorful floral pattern that we were amazed to learn had been designed by a Huguenot silk weaver in the early 1700s, yet looked completely contemporary. Even the color palette of oranges and pinks felt fresh and modern. This discovery got me thinking about timeless design and how to elevate my own handmade kitchen towels to the next level.
The Moment
Earlier this year, I had come across a vintage postcard – “Greetings from Portland” – and here was another example of design that still resonates today as a way to celebrate the many facets of a city. The Welsh tea towel discovery reinforced what I was already sensing: this vintage postcard style seemed like the perfect opportunity to create Portland tea towels using some of my paper cut design now available as holiday ornaments.
The connection felt natural. Those paper cuts had been my way of getting to know Portland, one landmark at a time. Now they could find new life as Oregon souvenirs that celebrate the city while serving a practical purpose in daily life.
The Inspiration
I live very close to the St. Johns Bridge with its distinctive Gothic arches, iconic pale aqua color, and Mt. Hood in the background. It became a frequent subject for my paper cuts – through the seasons and from many angles : underneath the arches where weddings are held, looking towards Mt Hood, or gazing toward the west hills with mist hanging in the trees. The bridge naturally became both the “P” and the “D” in my Portland lettering.
For a recent collaboration with the Japanese Garden, I had created paper cut cards featuring the two cranes that stand near the Moon Bridge in the Strolling Pond area. One of these graceful cranes became the “R” in the design. Each letter holds a story, a specific Portland moment captured first in paper, now translated to these unique kitchen textiles. And don’t forget the strolling chickens! We used to keep chickens, as so many Portland families do. Watching them dust bathe on a warm afternoon in a couple of my old flower pots always made me smile! (Check out these chicken tea towels)
From Nature to Design
The vintage postcard style felt perfect for this collection – celebratory and nostalgic, the way you want to share a special place with people you care about. Each letter in “PORTLAND” contains one of those carefully observed scenes, translated from dimensional paper cuts into surface pattern design for these Portland gifts.
When I moved to Portland and started my Fibers Post Baccalaureate at OCAC, I was working in fabric collage and free motion embroidery. A book arts class introduced me to tunnel books – those accordion-folded structures that create depth and movement. This led to my fascination with 3D paper cutting, spending years working with framed layered cut cardstock to create dimensional scenes. The pandemic then shifted my focus to surface pattern design, and suddenly all those years of observation and composition found a new outlet in creating handmade textiles.
The second design in this collection – the Wildwood Trail towel – features native Oregon grape, trillium, and sword ferns as well as a pair of well-loved hiking boots. Because Portland isn’t just about bridges and buildings; it’s about having the largest urban forest in the country minutes from downtown. Those daily walks remind us how fortunate we are to call Portland home. These dish towels capture that connection to Portland’s natural beauty.
The Art of Noticing
“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle
This quote has been on my mind as I think about artistic evolution. We often see creativity as linear – learn this, then that, move forward in straight lines. But my Portland tea towels taught me that creative growth is more like the city itself: bridges connecting neighborhoods, trails winding through unexpected places, old structures finding new purposes.
Those years making paper cuts weren’t preparation for surface design – they were part of the same conversation about place and belonging, just in a different medium.
I’ve been thinking about seasonal variations of this collection. There’s something about Portland in winter – the cozy lights, the way the bridges disappear into mist – that would translate beautifully into holiday travel gifts. The idea of capturing our rainy season magic alongside the summer celebration feels right for these Portland mementos.
For now, though, I’m excited to share these first two designs. The Portland towel works perfectly as a hostess gift for visitors wanting to take home something truly local, or for anyone who calls this city home. The Wildwood Trail design speaks to hikers and outdoor lovers who know that Portland’s real treasure is having wilderness minutes from downtown.
A Parting Thought
What moments in your own life’s journey have circled back to surprise you? Sometimes ideas and experiences we think we’ve left behind are actually waiting to feed our future in ways we couldn’t have expected.
Both tea towels are available now and ready to become part of your Portland story. Perfect timing for summer hosting and gift-giving season ahead.
Sue creates nature-inspired home textiles from her Portland studio, where she’s still discovering new sides to this interesting city. You can follow her creative process at @greenstitchpdx or sign up for weekly inspiration below.