Ragna Breivik (1891-1965) transformed the weaving cartoons of Gerhard Munthe into astonishing artworks. Munthe’s dark depictions of bloody folktales are powerful, but it is the subtle shading and strong contrasts in Ragna Breivik’s weaving that builds the impact of the images. Ten monumental tapestries woven by Ragna Breivik, which make up the “Àsmund Fragdagjeva” series, are on display at Bryggens Museum, the city museum of Bergen.
You should go to see Tales in Thread – The tapestry series “Åsmund Frægdagjeva” by Ragna Breivik. Block a good amount of time, because the descriptions of Breivik’s life and of the tales told in the tapestries are well-written and absorbing. The presentation is stunning. Visitors have enough space to see each large tapestry clearly, close up and at a distance.
Photo: Robbie LaFleur
Below is one of the full tapestries, The First Hall. The sign reads, “Inside the mountain it is cold and dark. Countless halls stretch before him. Åsmund enters the first one. The hall is empty and quiet, but there is no doubt there has been a party here. The tablecloths are drenched in blood, and black serpents slither across them. Without a sound, he moves on.” Snakes and blood! (And what is under the table?)
Gerhard Munthe, Designer. Ragna Breivik, Weaver. “The First Hall,” 1949. Photo: Robbie LaFleur
As I examined each tapestry, I took photos of details I loved, both for the images and Breivik’s brilliant weaving skills. I marvel at the subtle changes in gray and beige. Details like these:
Near the end of the exhibit a wall essay tackles the question of whether Breivik should be considered an artist.
Art or craft? Tradition or innovation? Artist or artisan? The ten tapestries that make up this exhibition reflect an artist and an art that defy easy categorisation.
Throughout her life, Ragna Breivik worked to combine modern art with ancient craftsmanship. Though celebrated for her work, she faced resistance from the established art world. By the time she completed her life’s work, “Àsmund Fragdagjeva”, time had moved on from the predominantly national romantic tapestries. Interest in her artistry faded, leaving only the image of a craftswoman who merely copied the designs of others.
Yet, it was “Asmund Fragdagjeva” that secured Ragna Breivik’s place in Norwegian and international textile art. Through this and her other work shines an innovative, modern, original artist, teacher and craftswoman. She lived and worked in the juxtaposition of tradition and innovation – both when working from her own designs and when following designs made by others.
I’m not sure whether her designation matters. Her genius is taking the lines drawn by an wonderful artist — in this case, the bones of the image by Gerhard Munthe — and bringing life to the final artwork through her use of color and her mastery of tapestry technique. Another exhibit label notes, “They called her “Munthe’s little weaver” – a craftswoman who wove tapestries from others’ designs, especially Gerhard Munthe’s. An independent artistic vision, they claimed, was out of the question. But Ragna Breivik possesses originality, skill, and a voice of her own. Her art and outlook on life resonate in Munthe’s imagery and folk ballads.”
The Bergen City Museum has a deep historical collection, and the exhibit designers clearly have the ability to include buttons to push, or things to light up — all the bells and whistles that are used to attract modern audiences. I appreciated the Breivik exhibit design with only the slightest bit of high tech. A painting of Ragna Breivik at her tapestry loom, animated with AI, is placed in a huge space as you walk down stairs to the exhibit. It’s mesmerizing to see her hands pluck the warp threads, to go back in time. But beyond that, it is the tapestries, and the stories — both of Breivik’s life and the Àsmund Fragdagjeva heroic tale — that engage the viewer.
Video: Robbie LaFleur
The paragraphs below from the exhibit are a beautiful summation of her life and work.
On a rainy September day in 1891, a new life enters the world on the Rod farm in Fana. The little girl, named Ragna Mathilde after her grandmother, is the second of what will become a family of ten siblings. She grows up between mountains and fjords, surrounded by sheep, cows, pigs, and hens. Her father’s job as a maritime pilot often takes him away from home, while her mother tends to the land, house, and home.
The days are too short, yet her mother still finds time for the loom. Countless tapestries and shawls take shape beneath her hands. It is meticulous work, and it must be done properly. Ragna watches and learns. At just eight years old, she can shear sheep, card wool, spin, and weave. Most importantly, she learns the secrets of dyeing yarn with plants. “My home was my academy, and my mother, my professor”, she would later say. The legacy of her childhood home, the craftsmanship, work ethic, and the joy of weaving – leaves an imprint that will never fade.
Art and cultural heritage meet in Ragna Breivik’s work – innovation and tradition are entwined. Like many artists of her time, she is drawn to national identity, the search for “authentic Norwegian qualities”, and a new national art. In particular, she seeks out the richly adorned and vividly coloured textiles of the Middle Ages. Here, sagas and stories from a distant past are brought back to life.
Just as important as the finished piece is the preservation and passing on of old knowledge. Ragna is firmly rooted in Norway’s old rural traditions, yet she dares to venture down new paths. With a profound understanding of wool, spinning, dyeing, and weaving, she explores colours, yarns, textures, and techniques. Plant-dyed wool and warp thread of blended hues create a shimmering, undulating effect on the fabric. In the meeting of old and new, traditional craftsmanship takes on a fresh expression – modern art, rooted in history.
For more information, a detailed article about the artist and her lifelong devotion to tapestry, “Ragna Breivik and her Works,” by Magnus Hardeland, is included in this issue. It is translated by Lisa Torvik from Frå Fjon til Fusa, Årbok 1966 for Nord-og-Midhordaland Sogelag [From Fjon to Fusa, Yearbook 1966 for North and Mid-Hordaland History League], p. 111-130.
I you are not already planning a Bergen trip to see this exhibit, here is more praise from another Minnesotan, Holly Hildebrandt, an enthusiastic weaver who is new to tapestry.
I was struck by the fact that she dyed her own yarns to achieve such specific shades for each piece to so beautifully depict the originals.To be honest, I loved how gory it was. When I think of weaving – the act of weaving personally, studying textiles and techniques – it’s such a wholesome practice, rooted in tradition, and connected to ancestry and something ancient. It’s cozy, comforting, and calming. I didn’t know what to expect from Ragna Breivik’s exhibit, as I wasn’t familiar with her prior, but what I found was anything but cozy in the best way! I loved that she used her weaving abilities to convey such a gruesome and heroic story. The increasingly present blood spatters in every panel, the disturbing trolls and witches, it was fantastic. And so different from how I’ve ever thought of weaving!
Photo: Robbie LaFleur
Finally, for tapestry fans traveling to Bergen, I have two more pieces to add to your itinerary. Frida Hansen’s Juni transparent tapestry is at KODE, the art museum in the center of Bergen (described in this post), and the Science Building at the University of Bergen houses a three-story high tapestry by Elsa Marie Jakobsen (described in this article: The Red Thread: A Monumental Tapestry by Else Marie Jakobsen).
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk
The Past/Present/Future of Folk Art Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum July 11, 2025 – January 11, 2026
This juried folk art show celebrates the past, the present, and the future of Norwegian folk art in the United States and abroad. Contemporary artists submitted pieces to honor folk art masters of the past; draw inspiration from contemporary culture bearers; explore what folk art might become in the future; or play with some combination of past, present, and future all in one piece. A good portion of the exhibit featured fiber in many techniques, 21 pieces out of 103 works.
Below are photos and artist information for all of the fiber-related entries. The stories will deepen your admiration for the beautiful crafted works. And you have several months to catch the exhibit in person.
Susan Griebling Blue Ash, Ohio “Naturally Dyed Krokbragd Rug”
I began knitting as a child and have studied many forms of folk art, most recently weaving. I am drawn to the weaving patterns available using the Norwegian structure of krokbragd. I have used this weaving structure to weave samplers in the past.
I have a particular interest in Norwegian rug designs. I was gifted white rug wool and decided to use it to create a rug using the beautiful patterns found in the krokbragd weaving structure. In 2023, I visited Vesterheim to see the krokbragd coverlets, which inspired me in color and size.
I dyed the white wool using cochineal, indigo, and weld, resulting in two shades of each color (pink, blue, and green). I taught myself the technique from Debby Greenlaw’s book, Krokbragd. I didn’t plan the design before weaving; instead, I let inspiration guide me as I created the patterns.
Elizabeth Hunter Kennebunk, Maine “Deforestation” Rya Weaving
I started weaving on an inkle loom when I was ten. In the 1970s, I spent six months at Friuntervisnig’s Tegne og Vevstue in Oslo. I concentrated on rya technique at Hemslojden Skåne, folk art school and Landskrona, Sweden. I also studied in Iceland and Faroe Islands.
Rya rugs date from medieval times when they were used by mariners against the frigid cold at sea. They’ve been used as carriage blankets and inside homes without central heat as bedding. Their bold, graphic colors and design were a signature of the mid-century Scandinavian modern era. I am using the rya technique for social comment. Here, Deforestation is one of a three-rug series I did on climate change.
Robbie studied weaving at Valdres Husflidsskole in Fagernes, Norway, in 1977. She received a Vesterheim Gold Medal in Weaving in 2006. She received an American Scandinavian Foundation grant in 2019 to study the wool open-warp transparent tapestry technique of Norwegian artist Frida Hansen.
Frida Hansen (1855-1931) was influential in the revival of Norwegian billedvev (tapestry), and her technique had many elements in common with historical tapestries, including clear, abstracted pattern areas, and the use of Norwegian wool. She often wove birds!
My contemporary American bird is a symbol of success of federal regulations that banned the DDT that threated the eagle’s existence. The eagles seen by the first Norwegian immigrants disappeared from the skies for decades. Now they soar over the countryside and cities.
Siri Bergløff Berrefjord Hønefoss, Norway Embellished Jacket
My education and inspiration of Norwegian folk art comes from objects. I worked as a photographer for antique auction houses in Oslo, Norway. There I had the privilege of seeing and touching thousands of objects in a variety of materials.
I work intuitively. Merging the richness of peasant culture in colors and details with new materials, adding new life to traditional expressions. I want the time spent visible in my art. Nowadays time itself has become a scarce commodity. Looking at previous eras, our relationship with time becomes a paradox.
Before, people worked more, spent more time on everyday tasks. Yet they spend an incredible amount of time on decoration. What is time in such a context? For me, it is an expression of care, of sustained attention and love. When things are thoroughly processed and have had time and attention, only then can they reach their potential. I deliberately use a few expensive and exclusive materials. It is about selected, correct materials – that suit the nature of things, and then it is the time, the duration, that gives my work its exclusivity.
Mike Ellingsen Decorah, Iowa “Nordic Flower Basket” Wall Hanging
I have been a hobby quilter for over 40 years. While I do teach, lecture, and design patterns, I do not sell my quilts or do quilting for hire. While quilting is itself a folk art, moving to Decorah in 2019 brought me closer to Vesterheim – allowing me to see the possibilities in interpreting classic Nordic folk art forms (basketry, weaving, textiles) into the more American folk art of quilting.
This 3D wall hanging is based on a basket from the Vesterheim collection. I worked to replicate that woven basket for the base but added a more contemporary handle. When creating the flowers, I started with those that were traditionally grown in Norway (crocus, daffodil, pansy, tulip), and then added those that are less common but could be grown in that climate (poppy, rose, tiger lily). The background quilting is a continuous loop that is reminiscent of contemporary rosemaling.
Julia LeKander Batavia, Illinois “Weaving with Stitches and Paint”
Scandinavian folk art has been at the center of my artistic practice since childhood. I remember spending summers at Swedish camp weaving on floor looms and taking classes with my mother to learn rosemaling. I’ve applied skills learned in these classes to my own art, in both traditional contexts and contemporary interpretations.
This work explores the intersection of paint, needlework, and weaving, creating the illusion of weaving with paint and cross-stitch, neither of which are woven but are both embedded into a woven substrate. Paint strokes made with a dual-loaded paintbrush, the same technique used in rosemaling, are painted directly onto the cotton textile. Vertical lines of cross-stitch are then added, alternately stopping at the edges of the paint and stitching through the paint to create the woven illusion. The cross-stitch “warp” includes multiple shades of floss to create a gradient like the painted “weft,” furthering the trompe l’oeil effect. Inspiration for this piece includes needlepoint patterns designed during the mid-1900s for the Norwegian needlepoint company Gunnar Pedersen, as well as Sigmund Årseth’s unique, modern interpretations of traditional rosemaling.
Carol Charette Newberry, South Carolina “Håpets Reise” (Voyage of Hope) Weaving
My parents were of Norwegian ancestry, and I have learned all kinds of weaving techniques including Norwegian krokbragd or boundweave. I am fascinated by exploring colors and combinations.
Most ship sails 200 years ago were of flax and linen and handsewn. It is fascinating how much work went into sailmaking. I took interest in the voyage that the Norwegians took across the Atlantic Ocean in 1825. I imagined the huge waves and white caps. This tiny ship being a home for 14 weeks, the people wondering and hoping to make it to America. The people who made the journey were heroic.
Carolyn Pieper Benforado Madison, Wisconsin “Small Tribute, Big Idea: the Stoughton Bunad”
I am a textile artist and clothing designer. I began making folk costumes for elementary school students and now assist with making them for a local Norwegian dance group.
The tradition of wearing a bunad (Norwegian national costume) flourished in my hometown of Stoughton, Wisconsin. I wanted to honor Marion Keebaugh, who designed a bunad for Stoughton. Rosemaling by Ethel Kvalheim was used for the breastplate. This bunad celebrates the ongoing heritage brought from Norway and blends it with the American hometown.
Stephenie Anderson Fosston, Minnesota “PÅL-INBÆR’s Laptop Bag”
I have been knitting ever since my grandmothers taught me to knit more than 50 years ago. More recently I have been deep diving into Norwegian knitting as well as many other Scandinavian handcrafts.
The knitting in this bag was highly influenced by PÅL-INBÆR’s mitten. This mitten can be seen in “Selbu Mittens” book. The rose in the mitten is still named after her. Her mitten also had a version of the line dance in the cuff; I used it as a base for the knitting. The dog/horse in her cuff I incorporated into the sides. The sides also have a more traditional version of the Selbu Rose. True to the bags of her time, I put my initials and the year on the bag (sides). This bag will carry her mitten design and my current laptop into the future.
Laura Berlage Hayward, Wisconsin “Zoomorphic Seahorse” Textile
I am a folk-art instructor for Vesterheim, focusing on a variety of fiber art mediums, but my first love is tapestry weaving. I first learned embroidery from my mother as a pre-teen and have more recently been branching into wool embroidery with both English and Scandinavian influences.
This was a fun, experimental piece I made while starting to dream up future classes. I was interested in taking a traditional design but interpreting it in stitches both ancient – like stem stitch – and new like using ultra punch needle. The piece is full of texture and different height stitches, intertwined like our stories and histories.
Juli Seydell Johnson Iowa City, Iowa “Treasure from a Trunk” Quilt
As an adult, I connected through Vesterheim with my Norwegian heritage while also learning folk art. I experiment across mediums, often using something I learned in a class to make something completely different once home. I like that I am sharing snippets of Norwegian history through the art that I create.
I took pictures of a trunk from Rogaland in Vesterheim’s collection. I used the design as a basis for an appliqued quilt. The quilt applique is made from recycled denim jeans and flannel work shirts. I use hardworking farm materials from the past to honor that past in a new, contemporary beautiful design, just the hard work of our Norwegian ancestors on Midwest farms led to our lives today.
Jan Mostrom Chanhassen, Minnesota “Remembrance” Weaving
I have been weaving since college, when I took a January Term class at Luther College that was taught by Lila Nelson. That was the beginning of my love for weaving and for Vesterheim. I have taken and taught many classes at Vesterheim and enjoy Vesterheim Textile Study Tours.
I wanted to create a piece using several Norwegian weaving techniques in combination, resulting in something new yet based in historical textiles. I combined rutevev (square weave), krokbragd (boundweave), inlay, tapestry, and rya (pile weave) techniques and used colors not usually combined in older pieces. Building on traditions and using them in new ways keeps the old techniques living and growing.
I’ve always loved working with fiber, but it wasn’t until adulthood that I began weaving. Moving to Decorah brought Norwegian weaving into my life. I fell in love with the designs, colors, and the unique ability of folk art to bring beauty to everyday objects.
Nature always was and always will be bound up with weaving. Our Viking ancestors used what they found in nature to weave and what they saw in nature for design and color inspiration. The items woven were practical but also beautiful to bring the beauty of nature into their lives and homes. Centuries have passed, the need for making practical items is less, but our need for expressing our love for the beauty of nature is the same. So now we weave with our hands what we feel with our heart and see with our eyes. Yarns, dyes, and patterns come from around the world. The nature around us, however, will still be daring us to take new items and try to create something as beautiful as it is. And we, mere mortals, will still feel the need to try.
Rebecca Utecht Ogilvie, Minnesota “Frankie’s Legacy” Hide with Skinnfell Printing
My folk-art journey began in 1998 when I started making psanky (Ukrainian eggs). I first heard about skinnfell from a Swedish felting student in 2016. I was drawn to skinnfell because, like pysanky, it uses symbolism to promote goodwill to the receiver. I was fortunate to study with Britt Solheim at Vesterheim in 2019, and I continue to study this beautiful folk art.
This large Gotland cross sheepskin is from a lamb born into my flock right after my mother passed away. I named him Frankie in honor of her (Frances). His long lustrous locks were used in my fiber art for years. When he passed away, I had his hide tanned. I was happy the finished skin was smooth enough to print. The skin is large, and it is washable. I hand-stitched patches on the small holes and after much contemplation, used traditional skinnfell colors (grey and red) to print it. I made sure to incorporate the five traditionally required elements of skinnfell in my choice of motifs: plants, animals, sun, water, and love/protection.
Shan Rayray Puyallup, Washington “Mixing the Past with the Present with Hardangersøm”
My “aunt” (great-great-grandmother’s sister-in-law) visited when I was a young girl in 1977. She spoke no English, but taught hardangersøm to me in the traditional way. I continued the art as I grew. I began teaching in 2019 and for Vesterheim in 2021. Teaching at Vesterheim has allowed me to share and grow my art, from teaching basic stitches to recreating older pieces and gaining inspiration from them.
This piece represents the past combined with the present as it is using colored fabric with colored threads and mixing common past stitching techniques with techniques more widely used today. The kloster blocks, dove’s eyes, picots, and eyelets are stitched in traditional white thread and are the traditional stitches of Hardanger embroidery along with woven bars and cable stitching which I stitched in the more modern light grey thread. I then added in stitches commonly used today including adjoining Algerian eyelets (in both white and grey threads) and adjoining wrapped bars finishing with a lacy edge (in light grey thread). The lacy edge is basically the older technique of woven (or wrapped) bars, but I used it as a finishing edge instead of a filling stitch.
Shan Rayray Puyallup, Washington “Honoring the Past with Hardangersøm”
My “aunt” (great-great-grandmother’s sister-in-law) visited when I was a young girl in 1977. She spoke no English, but taught hardangersøm to me in the traditional way. I continued the art as I grew. I began teaching in 2019 and for Vesterheim in 2021. Teaching at Vesterheim has allowed me to share and grow my art, from teaching basic stitches to recreating older pieces and gaining inspiration from them.
This is a replica of a piece in the collection of the Scandinavian Cultural Center at Pacific Lutheran University. It is worked on 25-count linen fabric with DMC Pearl Cotton thread. The stitches are traditional including kloster blocks, woven bars, dove’s eye, spokes, and buttonhole edge. This piece represents the past as I wanted to honor the older ways of Hardanger embroidery by using white stitch thread on white fabric or in this case, ecru thread on ecru fabric and stitches commonly used in years past.
Renee Thoreson Rochester, Minnesota “Christmas is Here!” Doily
I began stitching at age three learning basic techniques. I moved on to the proverbial potholders and samplers. When I was given a 100-year-old hardangersøm band, I was intrigued and kept it on my dresser. I taught myself (as a “lefty”, this wasn’t easy) and have been hooked ever since!
Long ago, this embroidery style flourished in the Hardanger Fjord. Immigrants brought it to American, and the craft nearly became extinct until its revival in the 1960s. Originally, Hardanger embroidery was done in white or cream on linen fabric. In my piece, I continue the tradition, use modern style, and look to the future.
I belong to a Facebook group whose members include designers and stitchers. Roz Watnemo (one of the founders of Nordic Needle in Fargo, North Dakota) offered her the original pattern which I purchased and stitched. What appealed to me was the non-traditional shape and the bright colors. I deviated from the original pattern by adding my own stitch patterns and beads.
I am a Sámi doudjar (handcrafter/artist) with great interest in the traditional crafts of Sápmi, the traditional Sámi homelands. I use old techniques and methods in my work. I am the owner of the Sámi trademark “Sámi Made and Sámi Duodji.” I have been working with this since the 1990s. I am committed to passing on knowledge that is almost gone in the coastal areas of Sápmi.
The headpiece for costal Sámi women has been gone from use since the 1920s. It has been reconstructed for the present and will be visible and used in the future as a sign of our culture.
Carol Colburn and Kala Exworthy Duluth, Minnesota, and Minneapolis, Minnesota “Busserull til Blomsterhagen” (Busserull for the Flower Garden)
Carol was introduced to the world of Norwegian textiles and clothing as a Vesterheim intern in 1974 while a graduate student in Art History and Textiles and Clothing at the University of Minnesota. Finding inspiration in everyday rural clothing of Norway, she is interested in studying historic garments and making contemporary garments of handwoven fabrics.
Kala learned to weave at Skiringssal Folkehøyskole in Sandefjord, Norway in 1980. She finished her BFA in Fiber Art at Northern Michigan University. Now, she creates handwoven fabrics for garments and interiors. She enjoys teaching anywhere she can share weaving, dyeing and sewing.
The busserull is a loose overshirt for fishing, forestry, and farming. The pattern of squares and rectangles uses woven fabric economically, making a shirt which allows a full range of movement. A common fabric choice for over 150 years has been striped cotton or linen in twill or plain weave – in colors of blue or red with white stripes. Our “Busserull til Blomsterhagen” reflects these well-loved rural garments, and is a contemporary interpretation crafted for outdoor work in the summer flower garden.
Kala’s handwoven fabric has stripes similar to the familiar busserull fabric, highlighted here with bright blue and green. Combining twill and plain weave gives this fabric variation in texture and a fluid drape, the shirt moving beautifully when animated while gardening. Carol’s enthusiasm for gardening guides her patterning, pocket design, and sturdy sewing by hand and machine. It is a shirt meant to last a lifetime.
Sallie Haugen DeReus Leighton, Iowa “1825 Story in Stitches” Tapestry
I was awarded a Vesterheim Gold Medal in Rosemaling in 1994. My B.A. is in Applied Art from Iowa State University, 1961. I have taken many rosemaling classes with both American and Norwegian instructors.
The linen used for the tapestry is a 60-year-old roller towel inherited from my in-laws and used here on my family farm. The wool yarn is from Norway. The two leather tabs for hanging are from a deer that my father shot more than 50 years ago.
The tapestry is in three 3 frames and is to be read from right to left as this was the direction east to west that the immigrants traveled. Each frame is divided by a post. The beginning post on the right margin signifies winter, 2nd post spring, 3rd post summer, and 4th post fall. Please note the humor in each frame.
Frame One: Norway, land of the midnight sun and fjords. A government supported minister is peeking out from the doorway of the stave church as he watches the Quakers leave. The script is a revision of a poetic piece by Oliver Wendel Homes: “Where we love is home. Home that our feet may leave but not our hearts. The chain may lengthen but it never parts.”
Frame Two: The crowded ship to America. 54 souls plus one hanging over the back of the ship, seasick. That would have been me!
Frame Three: Corn and wheat representing the first crops. A church and school bell depict the immigrants’ ties to religion and education. One apple tree humorously represents the beginning of their religion and the second is for the teacher. The clock is the personification of time to indicate the future continues to evolve as does the story of Norwegians in America.
Priscilla Lynch Saugatuck, Michigan “Leaves and Blossoms” Transparent Weaving
All my grandparents immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s, so my childhood was filled with Norwegian traditions, food, and craft. When I started weaving in the 1970s, it was natural for me to study and emulate Norwegian weaving techniques and design. I have two large tapestries in the Vesterheim collection.
I was inspired by a Japanese stencil design to create this weaving using Norwegian weaver, Frida Hansen’s transparency technique. I grew up in Japan, so it was a way of uniting my Japanese and Norwegian worlds, illustrating, I hope, the connectivity of our global textile traditions.
All my grandparents immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s, so my childhood was filled with Norwegian traditions, food, and craft. When I started weaving in the 1970s, it was natural for me to study and emulate Norwegian weaving techniques and design. I have two large tapestries in the Vesterheim collection.
Frida Hansen was part of the Art Nouveau movement. I have re-interpreted a typical design from that period using a Norwegian technique and wool as my medium. Our artistic past continues to inform my present and future work”
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!
Explore the colorful work and legacy of Karin Larsson—a trendsetting artist, designer, and style icon ahead of her time—in a special exhibition at the American Swedish Institute from Carl Larsson-gården.
Karin Bergöö Larsson (1859–1928) was a groundbreaking artist whose approach to textiles and design ushered in a new era of interior design and established the iconic Swedish style that continues to inspire contemporary artists worldwide. The floral motifs, vivid colors, and charming simplicity of her style remain heavily influential nearly a century after her death, inspiring both independent makers and major brands like IKEA.
Many of Karin’s works were forever captured in husband Carl Larsson’s iconic paintings of Swedish life. It was Karin who designed and created Lilla Hyttnäs, the Larsson’s home just outside of Falun in Sundborn, Sweden, which was so often the subject of Carl’s paintings.
This exhibition presents Karin Larsson as an artist, designer, dressmaker, and style icon through her art and textiles.
Tendencies 2024 – In the Right Hands. Galleri F15, March 23 – June 12, 2024. Moss, Norway.
The 46th edition of Tendencies focuses on craft’s materiality, the work of the hands, and making statements through textiles. The exhibition presents the practices of 15 artists based in Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
For those who can’t travel to Norway, a short video on the gallery website gives an overview of the works. The Norwegian text of the video is mostly in English in the exhibit description, except for this, “The source of inspiration for this edition of the Tendencies exhibit is the artistry of the Norwegian textile artist Brit Fuglevaag. She is an 84 year old woman who was very significant n the development of textile art and weaving in the 1960s, and who remains active in textile art today.” Photos of individual works can be seen in the Media Gallery.
Lectures Online
Nearly Wild Weaving. Tapestry: In Conversation – With Robbie LaFleur. Wed, April 24, 2024 7 pm UK time. (Eventbrite calculates the time for each guest’s time zone. It costs 10 pounds, which Eventbrite conveniently charges you for in your own currency.)Register here.
During our conversations we find out how our guests approach their work, what inspires them, what techniques they favour and why. Throughout this season we are taking a more international view of tapestry weaving, and this month delighted to be crossing the Atlantic once again, this time to talk to Robbie LaFleur who is based in Minnesota. And as we talk, we’ll also be travelling back across to Scandinavia, finding out more about Robbie’s long association with weaving in Norway.
Robbie’s work is strongly influenced by traditional Norwegian weaving. She has a particular interest in the work of Frida Hansen, which she studied in depth during a funded research programme in 2019. Robbie has been the editor of the Norwegian Textile Letter for many years and is also an instructor, introducing many others to the different facets of Scandinavian approaches to tapestry weaving.
We will find out what brought Robbie into tapestry weaving and especially the world of Scandinavian weaving, how she approaches her designs, the influences on her work and discover where her work has taken her.
“Early Swedish Folk Weavings” with Wendel Swan. May 1, 2024, 1 pm EDT, 7 pm CET. Registration is required. Click Here to Register. Cost: Free
Wendel Swan, who has loaned 54 rare and exemplary textiles for the current exhibition Swedish Folk Weavings for Marriage, Carriage, and Home 1750-1840, at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia. He will discuss the historical background of Scandinavian weavings since the Viking era and, with numerous illustrations, the enormous diversity and aesthetic merit of design elements, color and weaving techniques of Swedish textiles that were produced for personal household use in relatively small Scania.
Lectures (In Person)
“Norwegian Folk Costumes: A Living Tradition.” Lauran Gilbertson, Curator, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. May 18, 2024. 11 am. Location: New Directions Real Estate Building, lower level, 110 North Main Street, Westby, Wisconsin.
As part of the Westby Syttende Mai celebration, Vesterheim Chief Curator Laurann Gilbertson will explore Norway’s tradition of colorful folk costumes is as old as the Middle Ages, and as young as the 1940s. Learn about the history of costumes from Hardanger, Telemark, Hallingdal, and many other regions of Norway. The forces of politics, fashion, and immigration have left their mark on this important part of Norwegian and Norwegian-American folk culture.
The program is open to the public and starts at 11:00 am. For more details about the event contact Dave Amundson at nissedal@mwt.net or visit HOME | Westby Syttende Mai (syttendemaiwestby.com).
“Hernmarck Tapestries at Hudson Yards: Artist Talk with Helena Hernmarck and Matilda McQuaid.” Wednesday, May 22, 7 pm. Free. (Reserve tickets.) Scandinavia House, located in New York City at 58 Park Avenue, four blocks south of Grand Central Station.
Tapestry artist Helena Hernmarck and moderator Matilda McQuaid discuss Hernmarck’s latest commission: two sets of monumental tapestries for a residential lobby at 35 Hudson Yards in New York City, Flowers and Maple Tree. The program will also include a screening of the documentary Hernmarck Tapestries at Hudson Yards (20 min.), which showcases Helena’s ongoing collaboration with weavers and spinners in Sweden. The film also explores the complex design and installation requirements for the unique commission, and highlights the relevance of tapestry as an art form in contemporary architectural settings.
“The Influence of Karin Larsson on the Art World and the Work of Helena Hernmark,” an artist talk by Helena Hernmarck. Sunday, June 9, 5-9 pm. American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis Minnesota. Cost: $30 ($25 ASI members) (Register here.)
Be the first to view Karin Larsson: Let the Hand Be Seen at this preview event featuring a special FIKA Café menu and artist discussion from the renowned Swedish textile artist, Helena Hernmarck, who was heavily influenced by the work of Karin Larsson.
Have you ever caught yourself marveling at the massive tapestry in the Nelson Cultural Center? Now’s your chance to meet the artist herself! Following a screening of a new short film about her work, Helena Hernmarck will discuss her work and the influence of Karin Larsson on the art world.
Join ASI for small plates in the courtyard available for purchase, featuring a menu inspired by Karin Larsson’s cookbook and curated by FIKA Café’s executive chef, Amalia Obermeier-Smith. Dress up inspired by Karin or come as you are!
This short essay begins, “Garments worn for special occasions make up a significant percentage of many museums’ collections because they are the textiles that people tend to save and pass along.” Beautiful textiles become even more meaningful when accompanied by the stories of the people who made and used them.
Anna Anderson began her tablecloth on her journey from Norway to the United States. “My mother gave me the tablecloth when I was leaving and told me that when I was feeling lonesome I should work on it,” she recalled.
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!
Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson.“With Sail over the Baltic Sea.” (On the potential connection between the introduction of sails and the Viking phenomenon). Part of a 2022 conference, “Vikings before Vikings.”
From the description: “The iconic image of the Viking Age is arguably the sailing boat, as e.g. seen on the Gotlandic picture stones… Sail production was an extensive and in research often underestimated process, requiring extensive amounts of raw material that then had to be processed, spun and woven. Sailing provided quicker and less arduous means of transportation, increasing the range of travel, but the making of sails was an advancement that required a new level of organisation and planning. The connection between sails and the Viking Phenomenon is significant, but the social development it reflects is equally important, constituting an even more significant indicator of the beginning of a new era.”
This brief museum video highlights båtryer [pile coverlets, or rya, used on boats]. Båtryer has English subtitles. (It seems odd they chose to make it black-and-white.)
From the description: “Swedish Folk Weavings for Marriage, Carriage, and Home is an exhibition of rare and artful cushions and bed covers woven by women for their households. Many have inscribed dates ranging from 1750 to 1840. Such textiles were used on or displayed for special occasions and were a significant form of decoration for the typical household.
“The design elements and patterns reflect the influence of centuries of trade since the Viking era. Visitors will see colorful geometric patterns, exotic birds, real and mythical creatures, religious depictions, crowns, floral themes, and even patterns from Roman mosaics. Swedish Folk Weavings for Marriage, Carriage, and Home was developed in collaboration with Wendel and Diane Swan, both of whom are of Swedish descent, and whose collection is primarily featured in the exhibition.”
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you for all your appreciation along the way. Tusen takk!
No textile fiber has as strong a presence in the museum’s historical collections as wool. In past times, it’s hard to imagine people’s everyday lives in the biting cold of Norway’s interior, along our damp, stormy coastline, or in the festive interior of a church, without the valuable fibers of Norwegian sheep. Can we learn something from the use of resources in former times?
People with a sheep and a bucket. Rachel Haarseth, Anno Museum in North Østerdalen
Vital textiles
Through history sheep have given us materials from which we have made both work clothes and decorative textiles. Skilled hands have carefully transformed these fibers through shearing, washing, carding, combing, spinning, dyeing, weaving, knitting and sewing. Thus have our foremothers and forefathers made for themselves the vital textiles that they could count on – in their work and in life in general. In Anno’s collections we find work mitts, coverlets, skin blankets, wadmal trousers, work shirts, leggings, jackets, cushions, blankets and several other types of textiles where wool is used as a material, either in total or in part. Cloth remnants and yarn samples show how valuable a material wool was, especially when you had to spin the yarn or weave the cloth yourself. All these articles offer clear witness to the role wool played in the lives of people in our area.
Fabric scraps of different qualities and a selection of leftover yarns of various qualities and colors. Photos: Emir Curt
At Glomdal Museum we have a collection of nearly 100 houses. A person’s social status, the century in which they lived and their access to resources determined who lived in which houses, but there were some things most had in common. They were dependent on wool, and they had the knowledge of how to work it.
The drop spindle represents the knowledge of the hands and the maximum utilization of time that could not be wasted. One could always spin yarn on the drop spindle while doing something else. Anno Glomdal Museum
Adaptability
Sheep were domesticated over 10,000 years ago. Only the dog has been with us longer. Sheep played a key role as we developed agriculture, grazing in scrub and forested areas not easily reachable by farmers. Even today, this is one of a sheep’s capabilities that is highly valued.
The climate in our country, with its extreme changes in temperature and humidity, has contributed to the development of wool with a unique quality, a fine under wool [bunnull] and a protective outer hair [dekkhår].Together these factors have made wool from Norwegian sheep quite effective at regulating temperature, but it also has a unique glossy quality, pills very little, and is better at holding its shape than its modern international competitors.
These are part of the reason that Norwegian wool is sought after by the modern textile industry. Its ability to “spring” back into its original form after being stretched makes Norwegian wool especially well suited to rugs, and furniture shows no marks as it does in those made of other fibers such as viscose. Did you know that statesmen walk on Norwegian wool every day in the White House in Washington D. C.?
Yarn qualities
In earlier times wool fibers were carded by hand. One could easily separate the under wool from the outer hair, sorting the fibers to suit the textile to be made. For clothing that would be close to the body the soft under wool was best, but for a rya or a wall hanging, the durable and glossy outer hair was preferred.Today wool is carded by machine, with the result that carded yarn consists of both types of fiber. No one produces combed (worsted) Norwegian wool. As a result we lose the potential from Norwegian under wool. If you want a soft and comfortable under garment [trøye] made from that wool, you have to make it yourself.It’s not impossible, but it requires a good deal of knowledge that is not readily available these days.
Thrifty livestock
Sheep were kept as domestic animals by all levels of society. The need for wool was large and sheep were thrifty animals to keep.They could graze on growth that was not accessible to other animals – or to people. In this way households were outfitted with clothes and tools that were exclusively made from local resources. The fiber was local, work tools were for the most part locally produced, and knowledge of the steps in processing was also local. When a pair of trousers was worn out, one repaired it with yarn and cloth that was also produced of the same local resources. When a mitten could no longer be repaired, it was used as insulation around the windows. In this way people and nature, both in their home and in the community to which they belonged, adapted to one another.Consumption was low, necessity could be great, but riches and possibilities were based on that which was to be found of resources and knowledge in the vicinity. Thus in the course of normal use, a piece of clothing could end up never leaving the community in which it was made.
Work mittens mended innumerable times. Emir Curt, Anno Glomdal Museum
A welcome income
Wool provided the basis for both home production of goods for sale and for larger factory production. The knitting of mittens and sweaters commissioned by the Handcraft Association [Husfliden] has provided a welcome extra income for families throughout the country. In 1785 the small industry Enighetsfabrikken was established in Stor-Elvdal, and it later become part of the basis for the successful textile factory Devold.
The extraordinary in the ordinary
It is wool’s fiber properties that give it such a large presence in museum collections. Here we find stockings with clear indications of long and careful use, and beautiful decorative textiles for church and home.
These stockings received a newly knitted foot when the earlier foot could no longer be mended. Anno Glomdal Museum
Some of these have clearly been repaired time and again with coarse materials, while on others time and exacting skill have been lavished, seemingly with eternity in mind.Wool fibers themselves are long lasting, and the tools for preparing yarn and cloth have traditionally been well cared for in homes and on farms. These are tools that carry with them stories of knowledge and resource utilization, of wealth and of hard times.
Beneath the decoratively patterned fabrics of different qualities and fibers lies a warm layer of wool batting. Emir Curt, Anno Trysil Engerdal Museum
Environmental enemy?
In a well meant sidetrack in 2006, climate activists, basing their activities on a metric for measuring the international textile industry’s climate footprint (the Higg Index), accused Norwegian wool of being the least sustainable fiber in which you could clothe yourself. Now wool has resumed its rightful place as the lasting, sustainable fiber that it truly is – still just as perfectly adapted to the climate that we live in.
In the excitement of giving consumers guidance in their choice of sustainable clothes, people forgot to take into account a textile’s lifespan.The Higg Index did not value a textile’s service life as a factor, and based its metric solely on the climate impact from production.Sheep are ruminants, and like cows they release gas – a known argument against animal products and materials. What the Higg Index forgot to evaluate was that wool clothes are the ones in our closets that we keep the longest and of which we take the most care.Many people have a national costume [bunad], an exclusive dress, costly to buy yet infused inside and out with life’s changes. One has a bunad for a long time.Wool underwear is often kept until it completely wears out: darned, repaired and used again. To maintain wool clothing has again become something to admire, with social media tips for visible and invisible mending shared by eager enthusiasts.
Agricultural- and climate-aware consumers are now for the most part united in their view that wool is a sustainable choice of materials. The understanding that production based on local and regional resources is sustainable has established itself for both food and textiles.
Lasting and timeless
We can draw inspiration from an earlier time’s use of resources. We can shop for quality clothes, make clothes ourselves, and we can lower our climate footprint by increasing our knowledge about washing and caring for the clothes that we already own.
Unfortunately the Norwegian textile industry is only minimally accommodating of Norwegian wool. In order to fully utilize the sustainable properties that wool embodies, you would have to take up wool cards yourself. But on the road towards your finished sweater, you can enjoy becoming part of the long line of those bearing these traditions. The number of artifacts from which to take inspiration in the museum’s collection is enormous, a fact that many designers have discovered.
Veronika Glitsch holds a doctorate in design, redesign and clothing. She is a textile designer who prefers to look back in time for inspiration. For her Bynhild Sweater she found inspiration in older sweaters from Byneset [in Trøndelag]. (Instructions for this sweater can be purchased. Instructions for a version of the original sweater are available via Byneset Husflidslag.) Photo: Svensson Glitsch
Sofa produced by Elverum Møbel- og Trevarefabrikk [Elverum furniture and wood products factory]. The upholstery is woven from Norwegian wool. Roger Johansen, Anno Glomdal Museum
Museum collections of the future
The story of Norwegian wool stands in stark contrast to the modern consumer society in which we live. The textile industry has a higher climate impact than ship traffic and air traffic combined. The dust in our homes is dominated by textile fibers processed with carcinogenic and DNA-damaging flame retardants. The mountains of refuse from Europe’s internet-purchased and returned clothes coming from the other side of the globe is a cause for concern that draws major media attention.
We don’t yet know how the future’s museum collections will reflect the profusion and abundance of fibers with which we live. Perhaps the largest paradox will be that the future’s museums reveal few traces of today’s intense overconsumption?
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Sølvi Westvang Skirbekk is a museologist and curator with Anno Glomdalsmuseet, the cultural history museum in Hedmark. Anno Museum is a regional museum in eastern Norway; Glomdal Museum is a member of this regional museum.
Translated in April, 2023, by Katherine Larson, Affiliate Assistant Professor, Department of Scandinavian Studies, University of Washington, Seattle
Editor’s note, Veronika Glitch, whose sweater design is featured in a photo, held a very interesting TED talk, “The Power of Favorite Garments,” basically arguing that well-fitting clothes are more sustainable because you will wear them longer. Smart!
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!
This past summer my husband and I traveled to Iceland for a 12-day self-guided tour around the famous Ring Road. We were drawn to Iceland by its amazing waterfalls, geo-thermal areas, mountains, surrounding seas, crater lakes, glaciers, and glacial lagoons. Its natural beauty did not disappoint! We also took in some of its cultural sites by visiting the Skógar Folk Museum, Skógasafn, along the southern coast, the Herring Era Museum in Siglufjörõur, the Iceland Textile Museum in Blönduós, northwestern Iceland and the Snorrastofa Cultural Center in Reykholt.
The Skógar Folk Museum was a treasure of artifacts, some of which included lovely examples of pieces from the 1800s woven in monk’s belt and glit techniques . (See this previous article on the Icelandic glit technique.)
Saddle blanket made by Sigridur Jónsdóttir in Svartinúpur in the year 1859.
The Iceland Textile Museum (next to the Icelandic Textile Center) houses several permanent exhibits: Icelandic national costume; embroidery (primarily white on white); the role of wool in Iceland from early settlers to the present day; and a section based on the life and work of Halldóra Bjarnadóttir (1873-1981). Halldóra Bjarnadóttir was a teacher and was active in writing and speaking about women’s rights. She promoted women’s unions based on the work women did in their homes to produce wool into clothing. In 1946 she founded a wool and textile college and ran the school for nine years.
White on white embroidery display.
Each year the museum hosts special exhibitions by Icelandic textile artists and designers. I was able to view the work of Philippe Ricart, (1952-2021) who specialized in tablet weaving. He became a teacher at The Icelandic Handicraft School where he taught tablet weaving, tapestry, leather stitching and Haddock bone carving.
At the Icelandic Textile Museum, I purchased the Second Edition of Halldóra Bjarnadóttir’sbook, Vefnadur [Textile], her 1966 fundamental book about weaving in Iceland. The preface and forward are in English, but the rest of the book is in Icelandic.
To finish, here are some of the beautiful works donning the walls of the museum. You should visit!
Detail of an Icelandic glit weaving.
October 2023
Nancy Ebner is a newly retired pharmacist from St. Louis Park, Minnesota, who learned to weave in earnest in 2017. She likes the process, the finished product and the math needed to operate the computer precursor: the loom. She has her next sixprojects planned, two of which include a skillbragd and a rutevev. There is a rich tradition of Scandinavian weaving in Minnesota, and she is drawn to its traditional designs and art weaves.
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!
Our 2023 Vesterheim Textile Tour began in London on May 8, two days after the coronation of King Charles III, while the city was filled with celebration. There we visited Marble Arch and enjoyed a stroll along Oxford Street, with its iconic Selfridges Department Store.
The second day brought us to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where we were guided through historical displays of fashion worn in the United Kingdom and elsewhere and had time to explore other exhibits, among them one devoted to William Morris, legendary textile designer associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement.
Next, we were welcomed to the atelier of Hand & Lock, custom embroiderers to the Royal Family, England’s military, and fashion houses.
Traveling on to Yorkshire, we arrived in the lovely, ancient city of York, where we visited magnificent York Minster Cathedral, one of Europe’s oldest and largest cathedrals, and were given an excellent hands-on introduction to the cathedral’s textiles by members of the York Minster Broderers, skilled volunteers who embroider cloth and make vestments for use in worship and for display.
Reserved chapel seating and a detail from an embroidered panel.
The following day, master designer and knitter Angharad Thomas, who has specialized in the Scottish Sanquhar knitted glove, and her colleague from the Knitting and Crochet Guild, Barbara Smith, gave a most interesting and entertaining trunk show of pieces from the Guild’s more than 2,000 items. Once again, we were welcomed to touch and examine vintage pieces, ask questions, and learn from delightful, knowledgeable women.
Above, Angharad Thomas and Barbara Smith. Below: Sanquhar gloves.
On May 12 we boarded a plane in Manchester and flew to Trondheim to begin the Norwegian leg of our journey. Trøndelag, with Trondheim as its center, is known for its rich agriculture, traditions, and distinctive textile arts. First, we visited Berit Bjerkem’s studio at Henning, where Nord Trøndelag bunader from the 1750s to 1830s are documented, displayed, and re-created for sale. Bjerkem has been recognized by King Harald for her work.
Berit Bjerkem’s modern reproductions of traditional Nord Trøndelag’s bunader.
The next day, May 14, we met Anne Bårdsgård, who has collected, registered, and graphed traditional local knitting patterns for her book, Selbu Mittens (Trafalgar Square, 2019, available from the Vesterheim Norwegian-American store). Anne’s presentation was a valuable introduction to what we were about to witness, the overwhelming number and quality of vintage and modern examples of beautiful Selbu knitting on display in the Selbu Bygdemuseum.
Leaving Trondheim May 15, we traveled by bus to Sandane, Nordfjord, and settled into our grand old hotel, Gloppen.
In Sandane we visited the Nordfjord Folkemuseum and enjoyed an introduction to textile production in local coastal and inland communities. Museum staff had prepared fine displays for us to enjoy, among them local traditional clothing from earlier eras.
Man’s bunad with multiple handwoven and knitted garments.
Also displayed was a colorful assortment of vintage bukseseler, men’s suspenders, one of which served as the model for the tour group’s embroidery project.
Left: Buksesele in the Nordford Folkemuseum collection. Right: Tammy Barclay’s finished project.
Along the way from Sandane to Bergen, we stopped at the home of beloved Norwegian artist Nikolai Astrup (1880-1928) and his wife Engel. Perched above the fjord, this homestead, Astruptunet, in Jølster, has been preserved as a cultural site and museum.
Kitchen interior and view to the water at Astruptunet.
From Jølster our bus took us through the beautiful, dramatic mountains to Lom, then down to Sognefjord, and on to Bergen, where Syttende Mai, Norway’s Constitution Day, is celebrated with enthusiasm! And bunads!
We wrapped up on May 18 with a visit to Bergen Husflidslag’s studio, where artist Åse Eriksen gave an illustrated presentation on samitum, a weft-patterned twill used in historic textiles. We enjoyed, as well, a talk about Norwegian bunad jewelry from Sylvsmidja’s Anne Kari Salbu.
How precarious it felt, for some of us, to venture overseas after the pandemic, to take a chance that all would be safe and good. Vesterheim’s Laurann Gilbertson and Andrew Ellingsen and Norwegian tour guide Ingebjørg Monsen took us on a wonderful adventure, opening our minds and providing us with access to rich textile resources. Enjoying the sights, sounds, and, above all people in England and Norway was an affirmation of what good textile study tours are all about: Camaraderie, learning, and inspiration.
Karen Weiberg and Edi Thorstensson, 2023
Edi Thorstensson is a retired librarian and archivist who has appreciated the history and creation of Scandinavian textiles since her first visit to Europe in 1961. She is a member of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota Scandinavian Weavers Study Group and the Pioneer Spinners and Fiber Artists guild. She lives in St. Peter, Minnesota, with her husband Roland and Icelandic sheep dog Ára.
Karen Weiberg has been a member of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum for many years; this was her fifth Vesterheim Textile Tour. She had a career in textiles, including owning a yarn shop, and now enjoys traveling, often with textiles as a theme. Karen teaches a variety of classes at the Textile Center of Minnesota, and volunteers in the Textile Center Library. She participates in three knitting groups, including one at Norway House and another she has been part of for over 30 years.
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!
Each year Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum holds an absorbing exhibition of folk art in the Norwegian tradition. Visitors examine examples of weaving, knife-making, rosemaling, woodcarving, and chip-carving by renowned craftspeople. The Norwegian Textile Letter features the weaving entries each year–until this unprecedented coronavirus year. The exhibition was not held! We can only hope that people are working on extra-special pieces for 2021. For now, here are a handful of early entries to the exhibition instead, from years before the Norwegian Textile Letter began in 1993.
1981
The National Exhibition of Folk Art in the Norwegian Tradition began in 1967; weaving was added as a category in 1981. A jacket woven by Marie Nodland of St. Paul, Minnesota, won a blue ribbon that first year. It’s too bad the photo doesn’t show the rya pile inside.
The diamond twill reverses to rya (pile weave) and there are handknit collar and cuffs.
1985
In 1985 Phyllis Waggoner of Minneapolis won two ribbons. She won a blue ribbon and the Handweavers Guild of America Award for a rug done in bound rosepath technique. (wool weft, 12/6 cotton seine twine warp, 8 epi) This rug was also featured in an article by Phyllis, “Boundweave: Learning from the Past,” in Weaver’s Journal, Spring 1986.
Phyllis Waggoner also won a white ribbon for this piece in four-shaft bound rosepath technique. (wool weft, 12/6 cotton seine twine warp, 8 epi)
1987
John Skare won the Best of Show award and a blue ribbon in 1987 for this handwoven rya wall hanging. It was also purchased for the museum collection. It was created with handspun wool yarns and wool blankets scraps from the Faribault Woolen Mill. Wool carpet mill ends were used for the weft.
1989?
Laura Demuth remembered that this doubleweave piece was exhibited at Vesterheim before 1996. She wove it for her husband on their tenth anniversary in 1988, so 1989 is a good guess!
As more entries from the early years of the exhibitions turn up, we’ll continue to share.
In the early 70s, when I began my real love affair with fibers, I thought that weaving and spinning were the end-all, but as the decades flip by I find ever more techniques to be delighted by. The Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum has been a great asset and support in my explorations and research. The 2019 Vesterheim Textile Tour was an overflow repeat of the 2017 itinerary, with a variety of visits in Denmark and Southwest Norway. The experience literally “threw me for a loop.”
Loop History
Simple blanket stitch from “A Stitch in Time” (link below).
I will wager that for many of us, one of our first textile experiences included simple embroidery. I recall the blanket stitch as part of my first attempts with a needle and thread. I am not alone in this entry experience. Little did we know we were using one of the oldest textile techniques humans created—the blanket stitch, a form of simple looping. This basic stitch predated even the invention of the needle, which archaeologists suggest was at least 61,000 years ago and was discovered in Sibudu Cave, South Africa. That first blanket stitch, probably done using fingers and fiber strands or sinew, has a whole family of variants. It was surprising to me to see all the simple looping that kept showing up as we traveled across Southern Scandinavia.
Textile specialists and curators alike define looping using Irene Emery’s book The Primary Structure of Fabrics. Looping is a single element thread. Emery states that looping is “a technique that has a ‘curved enclosing boundary.’ It is an active elementwhich doubles back on itself to form a complete closed loop.” The single element,or thread, goes through a loop by means of sewing or netting and continuing on to create and sew through adjacent loops. It includes a variety of categories from half hitch in rope work to the blanket stitch used to edge woven fabrics, from a sewn edging for warps while on the loom to simple and complex cutwork embroidery lace in Asia and Europe. This stitch is a global work-horse.
Our first full day on the trip found us in Copenhagen at the National Museum of Denmark, at the Viking and Middle Age textile exhibitions. We were introduced to a variety of clothing pieces, jewelry, etc. in two separate galleries. One of the pieces given special note was the Viking Mammen Mantle.
We were able to take a peek at the fiber strips from a key burial find from the winter of 970 to 971 AD. The high status owner wore these strips either as decorative bands or as a form of headwear. Discovered in 1868, there has yet to be consensus about use but materials are principally silk and silver and gold thread, and techniques include cardweaving and nålebinding, in Danish. This flexible and complex looping technique is more advanced than the simple looping of blanket stitch, as the needle passes in a variety of directions in the work. The fabric can be made more dense, variously shaped, thin but strong, and flexible with these sorts of variations. Since there were others on the trip who practice this complex looping technique to create items such as hats, mittens, cowls and socks, it was exciting for many of us to see this important and high status archeological find. For those aware of nålbinding, the “mammen stitch” in current nålbinding is named for the work on these strips on display in Copenhagen.
In the late 1980s I was able to study these and other nålbinding items at this museum but because of rarity, these treasures are behind glass and impossible to photograph. The easiest way to see these pieces up close and to learn more is on the National Museum website.
Looping at the Greve Museum
The courtyard of the Greve Museum…many years ago.
After adventures in Copenhagen, we headed into the countryside and the GreveMuseum, notable for its collection of Hedebosom. This white on white embroidered cutwork is special to the rich farming area of Hedebo. The group toured the farmstead and its extensive and varied collection of the local cutwork. We also had an option to participate in an introductory class with a local teacher. Having the opportunity to study a variety of examples up close and to try our hands at the technique reinforced that looping appears in a variety of forms and uses. In one piece the looping might hold together the decoratively strands of cut fabric, and in another the loops are connected to look like lace.
Hedebo lace from the Greve Museum
Edi Thorstensson, a participant on the 2017 Vesterheim trip to Denmark, wrote about her time at the Greve Museum for the Norwegian Textile Letter. To learn more about Hedebosom, see her article on the collection and class at the museum with Laila Glienke, “Hedebosyning at Greve Museum.”
Going Back in Time
The Vikings used looping along seams.
Getting off the bus, who knew that in a few hours we would travel back in time through rural 18th century Denmark, to Viking times, and to Iron age living and the mysteries of the stone age? We did all that atSagnlandet Lejre, Land of Legends—and with time out for lunch!
This museum-like park is developed as a place to explore experimental archeology, especially in the workshops, including a pottery, textile workshop, and smithy. There trained staff strive to study, experiment and reproduce handcraft from the past. No surprise that our group enjoyed the various historical clusters of houses and farms. However, the real treat for us was time spent in and around the textile workshop.
Reconstructed Viking skirt with looping along the seams
We entered when the workshop was very busy, among other things, outfitting some teens in Viking garb for their stay at the park. In my quest for looping, I asked the staff at work around a big welcoming table. One excited specialist led me to shelving along one wall of the busy workshop where samples were arranged to illustrate basic joining techniques used from Viking times onward. The handspun cloth pieces included different applications for the blanket stitch and its loop cousins to create neat, firm, sometimes elastic, and often visually pleasing seams. Imagine finding such interesting uses of simple looping when I had hardly hoped for it!
Before leaving Denmark our group had an inspiring experience at the year-end celebration at Skals Design og Håndarbejdsskole, the High School for Design and Handwork, in the small town of Skals. The day-long celebration included a student fashion show, an outdoor craft fair for local artists, tours of studios, and displays of student work. We spent hours soaking up the fine design and technical work of these proud students and craftspeople. While the fashion show was avant garde, much of the student work represented techniques easy to identify from our own fiber work and exploration. Where to start? Weaving of all sorts, knitting, dyeing, printing, spinning, and embroidery were on display. The items were well made, using mostly traditional practices, with a focus on good design. We were inspired by the work of these mostly young students. As for looping, it was wonderfully represented in a variety of elegant nålbinding articles. In addition, various forms of embroidery, both plain and cutwork of loops and regular stitches, were on display, looking fresh and new. For those wondering about the future of folk art and handcrafts, this visit was an inspiration.
On to Norway for Hands-On Classes
Taking the ferry to Norway signaled the second part of the trip and the adventures ahead. Our Norwegian adventures included an optional half day of ‘hands-on’ work on the 17th of May. To miss as few of the festivities as possible, early in the day a number of us gathered to attend mini classes organized by our leader, Laurann Gilbertson. Finger woven bands, Singlada balls and Hardanger embroidery classes were offered. Two of the three options were based on the use of loops, although a quick look at the balls or embroidery would not automatically make the association with a needle formed loop.
Vesterheim Curator Laurann Gilbertson tries her hand at Hardangersom.
Barbara Berg led the intrepid Hardanger class. Though the technique carries a place name from Norway, its origin comes from much farther south, from India and Persia to Italy, where it evolved into Reticella and Venetian Lacework, Dutch and Danish cutwork, Ruskin Work and many more—including the famous Norwegian drawn work, Hardanger embroidery. Among the many stitches and techniques included in Hardangersom, the classic and important single loop is seen. One of the most important stitches in cutwork is a buttonhole stitch, which keeps the cut edges from raveling. It can also help by filling in the shapes that have been removed with a lace-like look. As in Hedebosom and other techniques in this family, the thread closely stitched in this way also adds texture and shine to the pattern.
Making Singlada balls was another choice. In northern Europe and southern Scandinavia, the ancient detached blanket stitch was used to cover handfuls of yarn scraps to create a toy ball for a child. A needle and scrap yarn are employed to make a covering for the ball, usually employing decorative geometric patterns. The detached blanket stitch was used in the same manner American natives used when constructing the bottoms of arrow quivers, and prehistoric folks used to make bags to carry their belongings. Medieval English over-decorated clothing with this same technique in silk gold and silver threads. Making a singlada ball is one of a wealth of applications of the simple loop. That day I taught them to squeeze thrums into balls, wrap and tack their ball shapes with scrap yarn and add colorful yarns using the detached blanket stitch needle-looped into a fabric coverings for their balls. Our group, while trying a new technique, were helping to protect and popularize this tradition and become familiar with new textile options.
While two classes involved looping in some form, the third class worked on finger-woven sock garters, hosebånd, with Ingeborg Monson, our Norwegian tour leader. While no loops were involved in that project, note the book mentioned last on the information list below, for a great compendium of using loops and other sewn stitching in woven projects.
Factory Time
Our stop at the Sjølingstad Uldvarefabrik in Mandal allowed a tour of a living history textile factory. Built in 1894, in it its day this mill spun yarn, dyed wool, wove cloth and finished that fabric in a variety of ways. It still carries on many of those same activities, but it cannot exist with that revenue alone. It has been designated as a national monument for the textile industry in Norway. In a spinning and weaving mill one does not expect ‘exotic’ textiles like simple loops—so I thought. However, around one corner in the finishing department were hung decorative blankets that had been spun, dyed and woven. Before it would be a soft, warm, long lasting item two additional steps were needed. The blankets had to be finished or “fulled” by brushing with teasel heads and lastly, the edges of the fuzzy fabric needed to be treated for longer wear. A sturdy looped blanket stitch is sewn on as the last step before sale and use in a fortunate home.
Oleana!
The Oleana factory is also a mecca for those who love color.
A Norwegian ‘mecca’ for those who love good design and high quality fibers, The Oleana factory at Ytre Arna was an important stop on our journey. What is the connection to looping? Well, naturally, knitted garments are made with loops. However, as most of us are aware, knitting and crochet have structures wherein one loop is pulled through another. On the other hand, simple looping passes a thread, rope, wire, agave fiber, etc. through a loop and on to an adjacent loop with fingers or a needle. Knitting ravels, looping does not. Knitting uses long lengths of fiber but simple looping has shorter lengths because the entire length passes through each loop. Many on the tour purchased irresistible machine-knitted garments while at the shop. They may eventually find themselves wearing their garments while using an eyed needle, looped techniques and short yarn ends to create or embellish a piece of fiber work. Thus they will be connecting the earliest f techniques with the most current methods of fiber work.
Time Flies By
One of our last adventures found us traveling to the Osterøy Museum, which included a beautiful bus ride out of Bergen into rural Norway. This folk museum is a busy place with a contemporary building for classes and a large hall for events as well as storage, offices etc. We had coffee and the local sweet, stompekakad, and then enjoyed a presentation by Marta Kløve Juuhl on the museum, and on teaching and writing about the warp weighted loom. (A few tour group members returned a few days later for a class on warp weighted weaving.)
Looped blanket stitches on a blanket at Osterøy.
The museum has collected a number of buildings from the island and arranged them into an open air section that illustrates architecture from different eras. Tour members enjoyed walking through these old, restored buildings, and discovering what life might have been like in this place. As I entered an upstairs bedroom of a wealthier farmhouse, I heard another loop-wise tour member exclaim “Look, FINALLY, blanket stitch is being used in a real bed!” In the corner was a beautifully painted built-in bed with stone age loops strengthening and decorating the edge of the bedding it contained. It is one of my favorite memories of the trip, during which many of us became ever more aware and appreciative of simple loops in our textile work and lives.
In Conclusion
Readers can imagine how much of the excellent tour has not been included because of space. It is impossible to express all that was learned, the places visited, conversations shared, food enjoyed, landscape admired and people cherished.
The loop is a device to organize and make items useful. So are travel and learning when well done. Readers have missed the tour experience itself, but now have a chance to be more aware of and excited about the history and potential for the simple loop.
Participants in the 2019 Vesterheim Textile Tour
Kate Martinson’s tea cozy in nålbinding.
Kate Martinson is Professor Emerita of Art at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where she taught weaving and a variety of Scandinavian fiber techniques. In addition, she taught bookmaking, papermaking, and art education, and developed study abroad experiences. She has taught spinning and other textile-related classes throughout the United States and in Norway at Rauland Academy, and is known for introducing nålbinding to many American fiber artists. Kate is an enthusiastic supporter of Vesterheim Museum.
News from Trevor Brandt, Curator, American Swedish Historical Museum
An important exhibit of Swedish textiles, From the Heart, Made by Hand: Treasures from the Women of Sweden, is currently on view at the American Swedish Historical Museum (ASHM) in Philadelphia. Founded in 1926, it is the oldest Swedish museum in the United States. The exhibit includes selections of handmade textiles presented to the museum in 1938 from every province of Sweden. The gift speaks of more than Swedish regionalism, though–for the person who organized the gift, these artifacts represented female power.
Dr. Hanna Rydh (1891-1964) was a member of the Swedish parliament, international women’s rights activist, Sweden’s first female archaeologist, and a great friend of the American Swedish Historical Museum. She organized one of the museum’s most extensive collections—a gift of 75 textiles and other hand-crafted materials made by women in every Swedish province. Through this gift, Dr. Rydh won a place of international honor for Nordic craftswomen.
In celebration of the collection’s 80th birthday, ASHM is presenting the material legacy of Dr. Hanna Rydh through the gift presented in 1938. Of course, the objects are marvels in their own right—all celebrating the identities of Swedish provinces. But even more than highlighting regional craft, these goods are activist objects emphasizing the role of craftswomen through history. To Rydh, handicraft—within the traditional women’s sphere—was a symbol of female accomplishment and signified their equality with men both in Sweden and America.
What makes the perfect gift?
For many people, it is something that is handmade. This collection is one of the museum’s most cherished gifts. Monsters and animals weave their way around these objects and delight the eye. Both explosions of color and tame geometric patterns inspire curiosity. The variety within this collection means that each object reflects elements from the Swedish provinces to Americans and Swedish Americans.
![Veronika Glitsch holds a doctorate in design, redesign and clothing. She is a textile designer who prefers to look back in time for inspiration. For her Bynhild Sweater she found inspiration in older sweaters from Byneset [in Trøndelag]. Instructions for this sweater are available for those who would like to give it a try. Photo: Svensson Glitsch](https://i0.wp.com/norwegiantextileletter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/glitch-1024x761.jpg?resize=625%2C464&ssl=1)
Our first full day on the trip found us in Copenhagen at the 
Before leaving Denmark our group had an inspiring experience at the year-end celebration at 
Making Singlada balls was another choice. In northern Europe and southern Scandinavia, the ancient detached blanket stitch was used to cover handfuls of yarn scraps to create a toy ball for a child. A needle and scrap yarn are employed to make a covering for the ball, usually employing decorative geometric patterns. The detached blanket stitch was used in the same manner American natives used when constructing the bottoms of arrow quivers, and prehistoric folks used to make bags to carry their belongings. Medieval English over-decorated clothing with this same technique in silk gold and silver threads. Making a singlada ball is one of a wealth of applications of the simple loop. That day I taught them to squeeze thrums into balls, wrap and tack their ball shapes with scrap yarn and add colorful yarns using the detached blanket stitch needle-looped into a fabric coverings for their balls. Our group, while trying a new technique, were helping to protect and popularize this tradition and become familiar with new textile options. 
Our stop at the 
News from Trevor Brandt, Curator, American Swedish Historical Museum
For many people, it is something that is handmade. This collection is one of the museum’s most cherished gifts. Monsters and animals weave their way around these objects and delight the eye. Both explosions of color and tame geometric patterns inspire curiosity. The variety within this collection means that each object reflects elements from the Swedish provinces to Americans and Swedish Americans.
