Before my teaching assignment we spent a few days exploring Sweden and were amazed at the textile collection in the cathedral in Uppsala. The Treasury shows a superb collection of wonderful church textiles from the 13th century onwards. There are also some exquisite crowns, sceptres and gold and silver artefacts.
The Virgin Mary chasuble is just one of the stunning pieces to be seen.
Virgin Mary chasuble
This is believed to be the work of the workshop of Albertus Pictor about 1480.
Swedish handicrafts at Liljevalchs, Stockholm
In contrast to these medieval textiles we saw an exhibition of leaves showing contemporary craft skills. They represented the work submitted by makers from all parts of Sweden. This picture shows only part of the exhibition. The gigantic collective work ‘Can you see the leaves on the trees?’is composed of 2,000 leaves. Everyone who applied to be a leaf maker decorated and designed their own leaves on a wooden frame all of the same size.The oldest participant is 88 and the youngest is six years old.
Can you see the leaves on the trees?
This exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of Swedish handicrafts Societies and it was great to see how handicrafts are blossoming in Sweden.
Mary Sleigh 
Food for thought for my leaf making! good to hear your news Mary.
Certainly makes you think on a large scale, Jean!
I have also been on the exhibition at Liljevalchs (I live in Stockholm). I really liked the leaves! The only thing that bothered me was that the “trees” were so high, to I missed many of the leaves, because it was hard to see them in the tops.