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Retro Reprint: Vestfoldsmett–New Interest in an Old Technique

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Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Volume 5, No. 2, February 1999.  (Additional notes follow the article.)

Wall hanging in Vestfoldsmett woven by Lila Nelson. Owned by Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

By Lila Nelson

A surprising variety of woven bed covers have been a part of the Norwegian folk tradition, but there is an equally surprising dearth of information about them.  Their origins, dates, history, the looms on which they were woven, sources of dyes, all are in many cases open to speculation. In fact, disagreement continues about whether some weaving was done by farm women or professionals and even if some types actually ever served as bed covers at all.

Vestfoldsmett is certainly a case in point. Ragnar Norby, in 1948 one of the first to write about the technique, stated that only 8 or 9 known examples exist and it appeared to be a local specialty.  Erling Eriksen’s 13-page monograph from 1955, which seems to be the major study extant, reveals how much is left to learn.  Former curator at the district museum in Tonsberg, he indicates that at an exhibition in 1925, when local people were invited to bring their family pieces, a Mrs. Meyer arrived with two coverlets in an unfamiliar technique.  Director Gulliksen asked the Norwegian Handcraft Association to make some copies and the discovery of more coverlets followed, thanks mainly to the interest and hard work of Ragnar Norby, who was a teacher in Larvik and a member of the Larvik Handcraft Association.

Where, Eriksen asks, did country weavers in Vestfold get the models for these unique tapestries?  Norby, Eriksen, and other Norwegian scholars argue that they derive from the Orient, possible based on the soumak technique; but how they got to Vestfold is unknown.  Some consider an impulse from Sweden, where a similar weave (krabbasnar) had tradition, though that, unlike Vestfoldsmett, often had a linen ground.  

Neither is there a solid basis for dating the coverlets since only one piece, from Svarstad, had the date 1840 actually woven in, and that is presumed to be the last one. The Kunstindustrimuseet example has a partially illegible date 17_2 which is interpreted as possible being 1762.  There seems to be a general acceptance of them having been produced in the 18th and 19th centuries, but proof is lacking.  Aase Bay Sjøvold, former textile curator at the Kunstindustrimuseet, speculates that various generations in just one family could have been responsible for the entire output; others say that the work has to have been done at least in part by professionals.

Eriksen points out that none of the coverlets seem to originate along the coast but rather are found inland in Vestfold.  He attributes this to economic factors, noting that the inner areas had wider economic distinctions and more defined economic classes.  Some farmers developed big farms and in addition made extra money by lumbering.  The landowners therefore had two sources of income while the non-landowners might in desperation turn to crafts such as weaving, especially since there was a wealthy class in a position to buy prestigious textiles. On the coastal areas, where farms were smaller and people were either farmers or fishermen, the economic distinctions were less extreme. People were generally satisfactorily situated but were not wealthy enough to be able to afford luxury textiles.  Eriksen, by these assumptions, reveals his belief that Vestfoldsmett were considered better than the everyday bed covers.

From my own examination of six Vestfold coverlets, however, I question that they were all made by professionals for a luxury class. One of them in particular shows the marks of an amateur weaver and several reveal casual and erratic methods of handling the loose pattern threads on the back side. I also wonder if they were not used quite steadily as functional coverlets because three or more show definite evidence along the sides of the wear that comes from frequent handling.  

Granting that the inland Vestfold areas were economically open to a weaving industry, this still does not tell us why this particular technique found favor there.  Similar questions apply to other areas of the country; for example, we can only speculate why Norwegian folk picture tapestries flourished in Gudbrandsdal and hardly anywhere else for over a hundred years in the 1600s and 1700s.  Neither does it tell us from where the style came and what influences were at work in its development.  

From the middle 1800s to around 1925, it appears that Vestfoldsmett was largely forgotten.  With its surfacing at the Tonsberg exhibition, it begins to show up in altered and greatly simplified forms on objects other than coverlets. It serves as decorative bands on the ends of table runners or in spots of decoration on pillows.  The results did not please Ragnar Nordby, who in his 1948 article describes them as a disaster. He calls for a return to the quality of the originals, but he is largely ignored.  Modern adaptations have continued to the present day.  

Graphed information for coverlets on which I have done sight examination

The name indicates where the coverlet was located, not necessarily where it was made.  The last listing relates to a coverlet now in the Kunstindustrimseet in Oslo;  The others are in the Tønsberg, Vestfold, museum.  

Dovleteppet (the word “teppet” is also used to mean “coverlet”)
Size: L 62 ½” W 52 ½”
Warp: 2-ply linen ca. 6.40 epi
Ground weft: ca. 7/2 2-ply wool
Pattern weft: ground used doubled. Some use thinner wool
Colors: white, gold-white, yellow, dk blue, lt blue, orange, red, lt beige, dk beige, black sheep,  dk green
No. bands: 10
Joining bands: diamond, arrow, zigzag inlays bordered by kjerringtenner
Center joining seam overcast with medium heavy linen
Sandar coverlet
Size: L 75 ½” W 55”
Warp: medium heavy 2-ply linen ca. 7 epi
Ground weft: medium heavy 2-ply wool
Pattern weft: ground used double
Colors: white gold, yellow-gold, dk blue, pink-beige, brown
No. bands: 12
Joining bands: three-thread floats with kjerringtenner
Center joining seam in running stitch with medium heavy linen
Stokke coverlet
Size: L 63” W 51”
Warp:2-ply linen ca. 6.40 epi
Ground weft: ca. 7/2,  2-ply wool
Pattern weft: ground used double
Colors: white, gold, grey-green, red, dk blue
No. bands:13
Joining bands: diamond, arrow inlay, kjeffingtenner
Center joining seam in running stitch with linen
Inscription: embroidered initials ITD
Andebu coverlet
Size:  L 63” W 53”
Warp: heavy 2-ply linen ca. 6.40 epi
Ground weft: heavy 2-ply wool, rya type
Pattern weft: ground used double, some thinner wool
Colors: white, gold, 2 shades green, rust, red, brown, dk blue
No. bands: 10
Joining bands: diamond, arrow, zigzag inlays, kjerringtenner
Center Joining seam in running stich with linen
AGD coverlet 
Size: L 64”  49½”
Warp: heavy 2-ply linen ca. 6.40 epi
Ground weft: medium heavy 2-ply wool
Pattern weft: ground used double, some use of single ply
Colors: medium gold, dk gold, reddish brown, dk blue, lt blue
No. bands: 11
Joining bands: diamond, arrow, zigzag inlays, kjerringtenner borders
Center joining seam not noted
Inscription: embroidered initials and date:
AG(?)D 17 (6?)2

This 1762 coverlet, the “Askjemteppet,” is owned by the Nasjonalmuseet (formerly the Kunstindustrimuseet). See the full record.

Seen only in Xeroxed photographs:

Sverstad coverlet (dated 1840)
Hoyjord coverlet
Solum coverlet (at Brekkemuseet)
Aske coverlet (privately owned)

Weaving Technique

As noted above, the warp is generally a heavy linen with a sett of 6.40 to 7 ends per inch.  The ground is tightly packed weft-faced plain weave.  All sources have taken for granted that the pattern was lain in on the loom, although Aase Bay Sjøvold points out that no one knows this for certain. There is, however, no extension of pattern threads going across the center joining seams, one indicator of embroidery.  It is also unlikely that thread-count embroidery would be attempted on a tightly packed wool foundation.

All directions state that the technique is done wrong side up using butterflies for the pattern wefts, but again there is no certain proof. In my own experiments, I have worked right side up using a straight length of weft instead of butterflies because 1) there is less chance of making an error, and easier to spot an error, and 2) it is preferable when weaving free rather than thread-counted designs and when other techniques are included.

Two shots of foundation weft appeared to be standard between each pattern inlay although I could not examine coverlets extensively enough to be sure this was constant. Most patterns floats were over two or over three warps.  Patterns requiring longer floats appeared to be done in increments of two or three. Although some sources indicate that longer floats were done in soumak or figure eight fashion, I could not in my cursory investigation see evidence of this.  It appeared that the weaver went over three warps, under two, and so on across the pattern area, then returning to fill in the previously uncovered warps. Any of the above three methods, however would seem to be workable and would look superficially similar when used, as in the case of Vestfoldsmett, in limited fashion.

Colors

As in aged textiles generally, colors have changed in varying degrees throughout the years, and one can sometimes only surmise what they originally were.  Some have faded to a rather non-identifiable grayed tone.  In 1979 Gunn Bremnes described tests she had made to determine the original colors of Dovleteppet and she concluded that they were natural white sheep, pale yellow, darker yellow, golden, orange, beige brown, sharp red, blue, and black.  (The colors in Dovleteppet are generally better preserved than in many of the other pieces.) I will not go into the detailed studies with indigo and various plant dyes which Bremnes carried out, but she points to what is evident in most of the coverlets, the predominance of shades of gold and yellow.  She mentions that birch trees, common in the area, were widely used to produce yellows.  Blues are next in importance, along with natural white and black.  Orange-red, pinkish beige and brownish-beige tones are also found, as is a grayed green.  Generally, one can say that the colors vary a good deal from one coverlet to another, as do the designs, making for a wide variety of effects.  Though the background color usually varies within each band of design, the Svarstad coverlet is said to be on an all-black ground.

Designs

All of the Vestfoldsmett coverlets have a series of horizontal bands, each with a different motif, the total number per coverlet varying from about 8 to 13.  These are separated by narrow bands which always include kjerringtenner (two colors alternating on plain weave to produce a toothed effect) and very often inlaid diamonds, arrow, or zigzag forms.  The total has been aptly described as continuously varied repetition.  Each band is filled with a horizontally repeated motif which is built up of floating pattern wefts.  The lines usually move diagonally by one or more threads as the pattern progresses, although some, especially the more geometric motifs, have three repeats before change, giving a block appearance.  Ragnar Norby classifies the major designs as being urns of flowers, and he calls attention to 14 patterns: five with constantly changing lines, five with a primarily block orientation, and four with elaborately ornamented variations.  Karin Archer stated that the Aske coverlet was described by its owner Martha Aske as symbolizing the story of life and growth in nature through stylized seeds, growing and blooming flowers, dancing figures, and rain.  Other sources, however, question a specific symbolic significance in the motifs.  

Bibliography

Andersen, Kirsten Gahrn.

RAMMEVAEV. G.E.C. Gads Forlag, Copenhagen, 1957. pp 42-51. In Danish.

Archer. Karin Fagerlund.  “De gamle Vestfoldteppene” in NORSK HUSFLID, No. 3, 1975. pp 8-10. In Norwegian.

1 This inlay technique has often been called “Vestfoldteknikk”, but that term could be applied to any woven product associated with the province of Vestfold; whereas “Vestfoldsmett”, so-called by Stromberg etal in their NORDISK TEAXTILTEKNISK TERMINOLOGI, refers specifically to an inlay process.  They classify it with the Swedish and Danish “krabbasnar”, the Icelandic “juoksupujotus”, defining them all as a folk type of two-harness brocade or in an older variant a brocade on a twill ground with double threads worked wrong side up.

2  Ragnar Norby.  “Vestfoldteppe” in Yrke, No. 2, 1948, pp 29-33.  He does not seem to be aware of one example in the Kunstindustrimuseet in Oslo, (Cat. No. 3781), which I saw in 1984.

3 Erling Eriksen. “Gammel vevkunst i Vestfolds bygder” in Vestfold Minne 1955. Translated by Torun Gulliksen 1983.

4 Karin Archer. “De gamle Vestfold Teppene” in Husflid, No. 3, 1975. Archer refers to the unmarried Meyer sisters from Nøtteroy.

5 Gunn Bremnes. “Om fargebruk i “Dovle-teppet” in Vestfold Minne 1979. pp. 30-34. Translated by Torun Gulliksen.

Lila Nelson was an excellent researcher. Her descriptions of the coverlets she included were based on personal examination. There were no photos of the pieces she examined in the original article, but I felt confident that the photos included in this reprint are the correct ones, based on the photos and descriptions in the booklet, Vestfoldteppene, published by the Vestfold Husflidlag. The Vestfoldteppe images are all from digitaltmuseet.no. I eliminated one description which I could not definitively match to an original coverlet in a photo. Robbie LaFleur

Vestfoldteppene: Discovery, Documentation and Inspiration

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By Robbie LaFleur

A long time ago (as many good folk tales begin), in the area of Norway known as Vestfold, clever weavers created bright banded wool weavings known as Vestfoldtepper (Vestfold coverlets). On large wooden looms in the 1700s and 1800s they wove patterns and symbols in a brocaded inlay technique, Vestfoldsmett (Vestfold inlay or Vestfold brocading). You can imagine the impact of a large swath of color in the interior of a Norwegian home during dark winter months. This reconstructed Vestfoldteppe has colors as warm as the fire in the hearth. 

Reconstruction woven by Laila Thorrud in 1991. Owned by Kommandør Chr. Christensens Hvalfangstmuseum. Photo: Mekonnen Wolday. Details at digitaltmuseum.no.

In 1925, two old coverlets in Vestfoldsmett were displayed publicly and sparked great interest. Within ten years, 8 more of the banded weavings with embroidery-like inlay were discovered. Nearly a century later, 16 have turned up. Vestfoldteppene, a booklet published by the Vestfold Husflidslag (2001, updated 2019), includes history and photos of the Vestfoldsmett textile treasures discovered and documented since 1925. A photo of each worn and faded coverlet is accompanied by a modern reproduction.

A page-spread example of the juxtaposition of old and new Vestfoldtepper.

The discovery of these distinctive weavings excited historians, and weavers were intrigued by the technique. The Husflid (Handcraft Organization) in Oslo published patterns. You could rent a pattern for 2 kroner for four days, or if you were weaving for sale it would cost five kroner.1 

Interest in weaving Vestfoldsmett spread around Norway, for hangings, runners and pillows. Runners produced for tourist trade were especially popular and typically included bands of Vestfold pattern combined with rosepath on each end, with plain weave in the center section. When weaving for sale, it would have been too time-consuming to weave in Vestfoldsmett over the whole piece. 

Several pieces in Vestfoldsmett have been donated to Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa, likely purchased by the owners on trips to Norway. This runner is woven in colors popular in the 20th century: rust, green, sheep-black, and gold.

Vesterheim Artifact #: 1985.101.021.JPG

The Vestfold runners in shops were made by women in home studios. From Vestfoldteppene:

There was great interest in weavings with Vestfold inlay. This gave many women an opportunity to earn some extra kroner. Many weaving studios started up around the country. One weaver said that in the 1940s a weaver could earn about 500 kroner a month weaving Vestfold runners.  That was good pay, given the cost of living. She wove from 7 am to 2 pm, and could weave two runners in that time. 

Two more runners in the Vesterheim collection have the same color palette, but slightly different patterns. 

Vesterheim artifact #: 1986.122.009

Vesterheim artifact #: 1996.103.001

The designer Else Poulsson, as head of the Husflid organization, was responsible for designing new patterns using Vestfoldsmett. She incorporated traditional designs from the bands of the old coverlets, as in the runners shown above. She also used the inlay technique for more modern designs, like these.

Pillow top designed by Else Poulsson, Model 7084, owned by the Norsk Folkemuseum. Details from digitaltmuseet.no

A pillow top designed by Else Poulsson, Model 1480, owned by the Norsk Folkemuseum. Details from digitaltmuseet.no

Table runners with Vestfoldsmett are still sold in Norway as tourist items. In 2011 the Vesterheim Textile tour to Norway included a stop at the flagship store of Audhild Viken in stunningly beautiful Skei, Norway, north of Bergen.  Stacks of runners were folded on display tables. 

Photo: Robbie LaFleur

Shortly after World War II, at a time when many Norwegians were losing interest in traditional textiles and wanted modern pieces, Audhild Viken began a weaving workshop to preserve the old textile traditions and to sell them.  She began by selling weavings from her bicycle, and her son continued the tradition by selling from a moped and then a car.  The business grew tremendously and in the 1960s she employed over 200 weavers, mostly providing piecework.  Now Audhild Viken is the name of several high-end souvenir shops around Norway. (I don’t know where these new models are woven.)

After seeing the historical Vestfold pieces and the weavings they inspired in Norway in the following decades, you might start recognizing Vestfoldsmett in museums or antique shops. A recent search in the Norwegian auction site, finn.no, turned up several available pieces. This nice runner was available for $43–you can’t buy the Norwegian yarn for that price! Or perhaps it’s time to weave your own piece in Vestfoldsmett, inspired by the vibrant designs and deep history of this historical technique. 

Viewed on the finn.no auction site on February 13, 2021.

1 According to the Vestfoldteppene booklet, the patterns were designed by Else Poulsson. Poulsson was a designer and head of the textile division at Den Norske Husflidsforening (the Norwegian Handcraft Association) from 1929-1954, so this was likely in the 1930s or 1940s.

Source:

Vestfoldteppene. Tønsberg: Vestfold Husflidslag, 2001. This is not an instructional booklet, but it includes beautiful photos of the original and reconstructed Vestfoldtepper. A new edition was published in 2019. Limited copies will be available from the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum Store. Email for information. 

Flesberg: The Norwegian Pattern Book Shared

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30 Pattern Drafts

These pattern drafts were created by Anna Bakken, based on her analysis of historical  Flesbergplegg, coverlets woven in three-shaft bound rosepath technique. The drafts, which are treadling guides to obtain a variety of patterns, are available below as separate pdf documents. Background information on the project and the technique are included in “Flesbergplegg: An Enduring Norwegian Regional Design.”

The basic threading and tie-up are here. 

How to Read the Pattern Drafts

For each pattern below, the corresponding pdf file includes the treadling order for the pattern and a color photograph (a bigger version of each numbered photo).

The treadling patterns are written in columns. Begin at the bottom of the right-hand column, weave to the top of the column, and then up the succeeding columns to the left. Occasionally more than one border is on a sheet. They are labeled “Bord 1,” “Bord 2,” etc.  (example)

  1. Gåseberg
  2. Juveli Søndre
  3. Brekke
  4. Høimyr Nordre

5. Væråsmagen
6. Nordre Gjellerud
7. Gjellerud Søndre
8. Berget Vestre

9. Berget Vestre 2
10. Underberget Nordre 1
11. Underberget Nordre 2
12. Underberget Nordre 3

13A and 13B. Åsland Vestre A and Åsland Vestre B  (Note: The photos were labeled A and B. There are two borders in the draft, but it is unclear which border goes with which photo.)
14. Åsland Nordre 1
15. Åsland Nordre 2
16. Rindem

17. Aslefedt
18. Førli Nordre (Photo of a sample woven by Jan Mostrom)
19. Sønstegård
20. Wangestad Nordre 1

21. Wangestad 2
22. Ørstein A and Ørstein B
23. Ørstein 2

24. Ørstein 4
25. Ørstein 5
26A and 26B. Wingestad (Note: This is slightly confusing. It is unclear which photo goes with which treadling pattern. The draft is noted “Bord I and Bord II” and the photos are marked “Wingestad” and “Wingestad 1.”)

27. Wingestad 2
28. Wingestad 3
29. Wingestad 4 (Photo of a sample woven by Jan Mostrom)
30. Håvardsrud

A Note about Materials

By Robbie LaFleur

For the Norwegian Textile Guild study project, and in the original pattern drafts, the suggested materials were 12/6 black seine twine for warp (set at 6 ends per inch) and Rauma åklegarn for weft. To some weavers, that might seem like a thin warp for a wide sett. But the late Syvilla Bolson, a dealer in Norwegian yarn and an expert weaver from Decorah, Iowa, wrote to our study group members, “Don’t think that the patterns are wrong when the 6 ends per inch of the 12/6 cotton is given as the warp measurement. I tried other arrangements, but it has to be the 6 epi to work with the Åklegarn in this form of boundweave.”

Of course the warp, weft, and sett can all be varied successfully. Sample, sample, sample! I wove  pieces with the heavier åklegarn, like this rug. 

I also wove two pieces with the same 12/6 cotton seine twine, but at 10 ends per inch, with Rauma prydvevgarn (a thinner plied yarn). This photo shows the difference in outcome. The finer sett yields tinier, crisp patterns. 

Fabric strips give a speckly look to this wall hanging (woven with 12/6 seiners twine at 6 epi).

Weaving and photo: Robbie LaFleur

In another exploration of Flesberg in fabric strips, here is a close-up of the bands in Jan Mostrom’s nature-inspired piece.  

Weaving and photo: Jan Mostrom

How to Draft Your Own Flesberg Patterns

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By Bonnie Datta

Editor’s note: Two technically-minded smart weavers were roommates on the Textile Tour to Norway in 2003 when the group saw the exhibit of Flesbergplegg. Katharine Dickerson’s examination of the technique is included in this issue, “Retro Reprint: Flesberg Bound Weave System.” Fellow Canadian Bonnie Datta was her roommate, and was equally smitten by the technique. In this pdf instructional article, Bonnie explains how to draft your own patterns. 

Flesbergplegg by Bonnie Datta 

If you want to draft your own flesberg technique variations, Bonnie Datta provides expert background and a template to use.

Note: After checking her explanations, written several years ago, Bonnie added the following: 

The lines of symmetry that are drawn appear to cross out picks and may be confused with the picks that do actually need to be removed.  The picks with the line of symmetry running through them are woven.  The picks that have been removed have left empty squares in the treadling sequence.
 
Also, please note that in the explanatory sample, the vertical column of pattern is divided at the half-way point by a line of symmetry.  This makes the angle of the floats change and enhances the symmetry of the motif.
Bio: Bonnie Datta completed a B.A. in mathematics at the University of Calgary and a M.Sc. in Mathematics at the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island. Her career in the computer industry spanned two decades, and after early retirement she was able to turn to her lifelong interest in textiles. Handweaving became the medium of choice, and she undertook extensive research, applying mathematical principles such as proportion, series, symmetry, tessellations, and randomness, to the patterning and structure of woven textiles. She now lives in the same farmhouse in Alberta, Canada, that her family moved to when she was a child. She spends most days weaving one-of-a-kind scarves, shawls, wraps and throws.

Flesbergplegg: An Enduring Norwegian Regional Design

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By Robbie LaFleur

This detail from an old piece shows the wide variety of patterns possible with the three-shaft bound rosepath technique known as flesberg.

In the Flesberg area of Norway, in Numedal, a style of three-shaft bound rosepath coverlet gained deep regional popularity. It became known by the place name, and the technique will be referred to hereafter as flesberg technique. The technique offered endless pattern variation, and weavers on farms in the prosperous agricultural area were inventive. Patterns were shared and spread. A young girl who married and moved to a farm would have weavings from her home farm and her new farm as examples. Professional weavers who traveled from farm to farm would have their own patterns. When members of the Flesberg Bondekvinnelag (the Flesberg Farm Women’s Organization) recorded coverlets in flesberg technique in the early 1990s and published pattern drafts, they chose pattern names from the farms where they were found. 

Today the Bondekvinnelag has become the Flesberg Bygdekvinnelag (Flesberg Women’s Community Association) and the members who weave are still interested in these banded coverlets, called Flesbergplegg in Norway.  “Plegg” is a local word, not used elsewhere in Norway. Historically it refers to a decorative woven bed covering, often placed on top of other bedclothes, but today the word is also used for wall hangings in the technique.

A flesberg weaving on the loom at the Flesberg Bygdekvinnelag weaving studio.

Weaving in flesberg technique are still on display in modern homes. Marit Stevning from Flesberg sent a photo of the flesberg piece on her wall, flanked by a sweater knitted in similar patterns. The hanging was woven by her sister, who took a class from Anna Bakken, the weaver responsible for documenting the old Flesbergplegg coverlets in the area. The sweater was knitted by a local professional knitter. 

And Now, A Connection to the U.S.

In 2003, weavers on the Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum Textile Tour to Norway were awed by a museum exhibit of old coverlets in flesberg technique. Afterwards a study group sponsored by the Norwegian Textile Guild was launched, after getting permission to use a compilation of patterns based on the old coverlets. Kay Larson described the impetus of the study group. 

In the summer of 2003, the Vesterheim Museum/Norwegian Textile Guild Textile Study Tour to Norway visited Lågdal Folk Museum in Numedal. While there, tour members were shown coverlets from the small community of Flesberg. These coverlets proved to be a combination of typical Norwegian three-shaft krokbragd and the rosepath threading more commonly used in Sweden. Immediate interest developed among tour members, and inquiries were made about this local tradition. Fortuitously, meticulous documentation had already been undertaken.

In the course of a four-year project that began in 1991, the Flesberg Farm Women’s Organization (Flesberg Bondekvinnelag [now the Flesberg Bygdekvinnelag]), researched their community coverlet tradition, gathering a collection of 30 historic textiles from farms in their area. In 1994 they created a booklet of samples and drafts based on these 30 coverlets, each named after the farm with which it was associated. They called their local tradition, and their booklet, “Flesbergplegg.”

Now we are lucky enough to share the samples that were woven and drafts that were painstakingly recorded in the 1990s by Anna Bakken. (See “Flesberg: The Norwegian Pattern Book Shared“) Marit Stevning from the Flesberg Bygdekvinnelag was enthusiastic about letting more people know about the patterns, writing, “It is so important that the tradition is being communicated to new generations.” Unfortunately Anna Bakken won’t be able to enjoy this celebration of her research, as she died in 2019, at almost 101 years old(!).

Background on the Flesbergplegg Registration Project (1991-1994)

The following description was written by the Flesberg Bondekvinnelag and translated by Kay Larson.

FLESBERGPLEGG

The Flesberg Farm Women’s Organization has taken on the project of bringing to light handwork and techniques of earlier times. Many of our foremothers were unbelievably capable and versatile.  As a major registration project, we have chosen “Flesbergplegg.”

Anna Bakken, Kongsberg, has woven up the coverlet patterns.  According to her, there are certain traits that characterize the “Flesbergplegg.” Three shaft structure, always a black cotton warp, color use, and the unbelievable variation on the same theme.  Each farm has its combinations and variations in patterns.  Therefore, it is an impossible exercise to include all patterns, but in this booklet, we show a representative selection.

Anna Bakken borrowed the coverlets, “plucked” from each their patterns, attempted to find the original colors, and woven them anew.  The patterns are drawn up and written out on computer by her grandson, Håvard Strand. The patterns are divided into 3 sections, in A3 format and with a (woven) pattern each in its own plastic sleeve.  There are 30 patterns in all.

One should note that the original weft yarn was often homespun and naturally dyed.  Therefore, both the yarn thickness and colors can vary from the original. The yarn that is used in the samples is two-ply Rauma yarn, corresponding to the original as closely as possible.

USE OF THE COVERLETS

The patterns match nicely on this old plegg owned by Åse Bjøråsen.

In our day the coverlets are used for the most part as wall hangings.  They are woven in one width, often with fringes.  Earlier they were always the length for a bed, woven in two pieces sewn up the middle.  This required the weaver to beat the weft evenly so that the patterns matched when the two pieces were sewn together.  The two lengths were sewn together by hand with tight stitches.  At each end was a narrow, doubled fold of approximately 2-3 cm, also hand sewn of course.

These textiles were used as coverlets on the bed.  They were also used as wall hangings but not for daily use. The coverlets were wall decorations for large family affairs like weddings, christenings and funerals. As the coverlets became worn, they were used for less decorative purposes, for example as an under layer to sit upon in a horse-drawn sleigh.  Finally, they become horse blankets, laid over the horses’ backs on cold winter days when they had earned a well-deserved rest, warm and sweaty, after drawing the farm folk to church, town or on Christmas visits. Some of the coverlets we have woven were in fact found in the stable.

The coverlets we have taken patterns from were woven in the period from 1850 to 1920. The coverlet project was begun in 1991 and concluded in 1994. Leaders of the project were Astri Kari Førlie and Sølvie Wingestad.

MANY THANKS-

To all who have loaned us coverlets, and in other ways contributed to the project. We would especially like to name again Anne Bakken, Kongsberg, born in 1918, who has woven the coverlet samples.  She received her earliest introduction to weaving from her grandmother and has since had the home arts as her profession and hobby.  She participated in the establishment of Husfliden in Kongsberg and has received awards and honors of various types including Norway’s Handcraft Organization Gold Medal.

Source: “Viel Stevning nedre g. Juvenes 1882-1942,” Flesberg historielag. https://flesberg.samlinger.no/items/show/15114

In the course of our registration, certain names have been noteworthy, mentioned as especially capable in weaving and other home arts.  Along with other recognition they have received medals and honors for their handiwork.

    • Viel Juvenes née Stevning, 1882-1942
    • Jøran Lie née Wingstad, 1874-1966
    • The sisters Strand in Svene: Marit Fossan, Mari Høimyr, Anne Berget, Marte Eie, Jøran Sandbekk. They lived and worked in the time period 1850-1940.
    • Marit Kroeset Krokmogen, 1877-1930
    • Beol Fekjan

There are surely many other capable weavers who should be named, but it has been difficult to trace back to the original weavers in any cases.

This issue of the Norwegian Textile Letter is intended to be both informative and inspirational, with technical information and photos of newer and historical Flesbergplegg–these wonderful banded coverlets in bound rosepath. 

Vesterheim Folk Art School Pivots to Online Offerings for the Pandemic and Beyond

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By Lea Lovelace, Director of Folk Art Education, Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum

If you would have interviewed me about online folk art programs eight months ago, I would have told you that I did not like the idea. Vesterheim’s Folk Art School mission is to bring people together in community and to share in the healing power of handcraft, inspired by our amazing collection. I’ve been quoted saying that “Folk Art is about putting our screens down, connecting our hearts with our hands, and sharing in the magic of making together.” However, when Covid-19 hit, we quickly realized that the only way forward was to embrace our screens. After we stopped mourning all we could not offer and do, we found creativity, inspiration, and new audiences through digital platforms. We abandoned the idea that folk art education could only be served in ways that we knew, through in-person instruction. Words like “pivot,” “pilot'” and “zooming,” as well as phrases like “being nimble,” found their way into our everyday vernacular. We were fortunate to receive funding to help us try new things and we were supported by our beloved instructors, who were willing to rethink teaching, learning, and connecting through virtual experiences. 

An online class on plantefarging (natural dyeing) sold out quickly.

In just a few months’ time and over sixty online programs later, we have shifted our mindset about what outreach looks like and have discovered just how unexpectedly warm and engaging digital platforms can be. Someday we will welcome people back to campus with Norwegian treats to share and learn with us, but we also see online programs as a new arm of the Folk Art School, not just as a temporary measure during the pandemic. We have created a new position dedicated to Digital Learning and Outreach (Hooray for Josh Torkelson!) and our online classes, Bokprats (book talks), Family Adventures, Folk Art Conversation Webinars, and Collections Connections have reached friends new and old all over the country and all over the world. Comparing online class experiences with in-person class experiences is like comparing apples to oranges. They’re both unique and have a lot to offer. Here is what we like about our new online programs:

Uplifting our Master Artists, Providing Access to the Collection

Since the start of our digital work we’ve offered several programs to connect past folk art class participants to our master folk-art instructors whom they might have missed taking classes from during this time. In one example, our Collection Connections series, Vesterheim Gold Medalists Laura Demuth and Jan Mostrom shared some of their favorite weavings from the collection in an informal presentation over the lunch hour. They highlighted history and techniques used and how these objects have inspired their own work. Programs such as these uplift our folk art instructors and our collection, and also provide greater access to students for whom it might be difficult to visit Vesterheim, even in normal circumstances. These classes and events provide a warm small group sense of community where participants can share things they are working on and connect with other weavers both near and far. 

In a Collection Connection talk, Jan Mostrom discussed four of her favorite Vesterheim weavings, including this rutevev.

New Instructors, New Kinds of Classes

Our digital platform provides opportunities to feature new instructors and offer more introductory level classes which provide an entry point for new learners to try their hand at Folk Art. For these classes, we provide kits that are shipped to participant homes with all the items needed to have a successful experience (including a Norwegian chocolate bar – a most essential item!). These online programs have allowed us to engage new instructors and new students living far away from Vesterheim for whom both the travel distance and the nature of a short class might be hard to justify. Being able to offer a greater number of beginner courses online will also allow us to differentiate and provide more speciality in-person classes. In this way, our online programs support our in-person offerings.

New Audiences

The author in her new role as online host.

Recently, I hosted an online “Beginning Rosemaling” class and had fifteen participants, representing 12 different states (including someone from Alaska!). There were men, women, a grad school student, and a new grandmother. This is what online classes look like at Vesterheim. In another event, when Robbie LaFleur was featured in an evening Zoom Webinar conversation on Lila Nelson’s weavings, we had hundreds of people in attendance including folks from Canada, Northern Ireland, and Norway. In one of our smaller and cozier events, Kate Martinson’s recent Collection Connection on knitted mittens, we gathered non-textile producing Vesterheim Gold Medalists, a homeschooling high schooler, and even a graduate student from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Part of our job is to facilitate the intergenerational transmission of these rich folk art traditions and we are excited about the ways in which digital programming facilitates this.

Increased Access

It is so great to see familiar faces as we convene a program, but it is also exciting to see new folks because of the greater accessibility of online programs. Vesterheim Gold Medalist Rosemaler Patti Goke said it first and others have since echoed her statement. “I love the accessibility of online classes. I have wanted to try so many other folk art traditions for so long, but I couldn’t justify investing the time or the cost in trying onsite classes in other disciplines, as I needed to prioritize taking Rosemaling classes. Now with online classes I can try something new and see if I want to return to Vesterheim to take a more intensive class in-person.” We are seeing weavers trying tinsmithing and woodcarving online for the first time. Perhaps there is a pandemic inspired freedom in exploring similar design elements but through a different material. After all that is what art is about– exploring, creative problem solving, and negotiating history and the world around us in new inspiring ways.

Fostering Community, Having Fun

Online programs can be warm and build community? Yes they can! During my time hosting these programs, I’ve witnessed some wonderful things. A college student joined her mother from across the country while attending a jewelry class together to celebrate their Norwegian heritage. We’ve seen folks give each other a thumbs up emoji for sharing their first attempts at band-weaving and laughing over the lessons they learned during the class. We’ve seen a group of 50 raise a glass of wine to one another during a monthly Bokprat (book club featuring books by Scandinavian authors). Even our largest events, the free Folk Art Conversation Webinars foster community as we see people greeting friends on the chat feature and offering comments to one another. I’ve seen dogs and cats and kids climb onto participant laps during a class, which may feel embarrassing but really just makes for a warm, authentic experience. (I’ve certainly had my own share of zoom moments with my furry coworkers ever present by my side). In one of my favorite moments, on Halloween Weekend during a Sami Mitten Class, the students had an impromptu costume contest. Instructor Laura Ricketts switched out her hat each time the camera panned back to her and a participant surprised Vesterheim host, Josh Torkelson, by dressing up as him, resulting in all kinds of spontaneous laughter. 

Where does Laura Ricketts get all her hats? Photo: Josh Torkelson

Digital programs have humanized us all and reminded us that we are in this together, negotiating this pandemic, and finding some silver linings along the way. We have learned new things, had fun, met new friends along the way, and we are building a community in these tough times. This is what learning at Vesterheim is all about: sharing stories and experiences, bringing people together from all corners of the country and beyond, making connections to our collection, our history, and our folk artists, and perhaps even finding a passion for folk art for years to come.

Lea Lovelace, Director of Folk Art Education, brings over twelve years of museum education experience to the position and twenty years of experience in visual arts programming. Prior to her start at Vesterheim in 2018, she developed school and teacher programs for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, as Manager of School Programs. Most recently, she served for seven years as adjunct faculty at Luther College teaching and developing curriculum for the Art Education program, often leading study abroad courses related to museum studies. She was awarded Outstanding Higher Education Art Educator by Art Educators of Iowa in 2017. In 2008 Lovelace co-founded ArtHaus, a not-for-profit center for visual, performing and literary arts for all ages located in Decorah, IA. 

On a Flesberg “Fotojakt” (A Photo Hunt) with Marit Stevning

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By Robbie LaFleur 

Marit Stevning with the Flesberg Bydgekvinnelag (Women’s Community Association) set out this month to take photos of some historical flesberg coverlets in her area. Of course this is a project complicated by COVID. She took snapshots of several wonderful weavings, mostly historical ones, and offered to continue the fotojakt in the post-pandemic future. Thank you to Marit! All readers will appreciate the colors and patterns in these pieces, and many may be inspired to try the technique themselves. 

Wiil Wangestad

Here are three coverlets from the home of Wiil Wangestad. Wiil has woven a number of new flesberg pieces, too, but these are from her collection of many old coverlets. 

Wiil Wangestad, Coverlet 1

Wiil Wangestad, Coverlet 1, detail 1

Wiil Wangestad, Coverlet 1, detail 2

Wiil Wangestad, Coverlet 2

Wiil Wangestad, Coverlet 2, detail

Wiil Wangestad, Coverlet 3

Åse Bjøråsen

Åse Bjøråsen, from Væåsmogen, displayed old coverlets for Marit.

Åse Bjøråsen, Coverlet 1. You can tell the weaver was skilled; the coverlet is woven in two lengths, and the patterns match nicely. 

Åse Bjøråsen, Coverlet 1, Detail

Åse Bjøråsen, Coverlet 2

Åse Bjøråsen, Coverlet 2, Detail

Astri Førli

Astri Førli was one of the women who was active in the original collecting and registering of flesberg coverlets in the area. The first piece is one that Astri inherited from her uncle. The second was woven by Astri. 

Astri Førli, owner. In this piece inherited from her uncle, it is interesting that the patterns are not matching along the seam.

Astri Førli, owner. Detail.

Flesbergplegg woven by Astri Førli

Flesbergplegg woven by Astri Førli, detail.

Lampeland Hotel 

Marit photographed this old piece at at the hotel in Lampeland. 

Lampeland Hotell coverlet in flesberg.

Lampeland Hotell coverlet in flesberg, detail.

Flesberg Exhibit 2005: Americans (and a Canadian) Try Out the Norwegian Technique

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The Flesberg Study Group concluded their exploration with an exhibit of Flesberg weaving in the Gustafson Gallery at Luther College’s Center for the Arts, October 10 – 22, 2005. 

From the catalog: 

In the summer of 2003, the Vesterheim Museum/Norwegian Textile Guild Textile Study Tour to Norway visited Lågdal Folk Museum in Numedal.While there, tour members were shown coverlets from the small community of Flesberg. These coverlets proved to be a combination of typical Norwegian three-shaft krokbragd and the rosepath threading more commonly used in Sweden.Immediate interest developed among tour members, and inquiries were made about this local tradition.Fortuitously, meticulous documention had already been undertaken.

In the course of a four-year project that began in 1991, the Flesberg Farm Women’s Organization (Flesberg Bondekvinnelag) researched their community coverlet tradition, gathering a collection of 30 historic textiles from farms in their area.In 1994 they created a booklet of samples and drafts based on these 30 coverlets, each named after the farm with which it was associated.They called their local tradition, and their booklet, Flesbergplegg.

In 2004, the Flesberg Farm Women’s Organization was kind enough to share their traditions and their booklet with Vesterheim Museum and the Norwegian Textile Guild, providing a basis for the Flesberg Study Group. The group of 27 weavers studied the Flesberg patterns independently for more than a year, and is pleased to present a selection of their results, both traditional and contemporary, in the Exhibit of the Flesberg Study Group.

It was a varied and colorful exhibit, and one that added new textile fans. Kate Martinson, a professor of Textiles at Luther College who mounted the exhibit, was impressed. “Our students were intrigued by the complexity of the patterns and the color work. For me that was a great thing, as colleagues were not kind to or supportive of fibers.”

The titles of three pieces referenced the pattern names from the Norwegian booklet, which were taken from the Flesberg-area farms where the historical coverlets were researched.  

Norma Smayda
“‘Ørstein’ Norwegian blanket chest cover”
19” x 33”.  Warp: 12/6 natural cotton. Weft: Rauma åklegarn, Klippens åsborya. Sett: 6.3 epi (25/10 cm)

Norma Smayda. Saunderstown, RI

Norma Smayda
“Ørstein, Håvardsrud, Væråsmogen”
19” x 23”. Warp: 12/6 natural cotton. Weft: Rauma åklegarn, Klippens åsborya. Sett: 6.3 epi (25/10 cm)

Norma Smayda. Saunderstown, RI

Robbie LaFleur
“Norwegian Sunshine II” 
28” x 37″. Warp: linen. Weft: jute yarn and silk fabric strips. Sett: 6 epi

Robbie LaFleur, Minneapolis, MN

Katharine Dickerson 
“Futon Cover for a Yurt”
75” x 115”. Warp: linen. Weft: wool. Sett: 8 epi

Jan Mostrom
“Flesberg Rag Rug”
27 “x 45”. Warp: 12/6 brown seine twine warp. Weft: 1⁄2” homespun cotton fabric strips. Sett: 5 epi.

Notes:  I used a temple when weaving and added weight to my beater.  I beat on an open shed and then again on a closed shed.  After taking the rug off the loom, I used a sweater shaver to remove frayed threads.

Jan Mostrom, Chanhassan, MN

Syvilla Tweed Bolson
“Flesbergplegg Variations”
23” x 48”. Warp: Swedish cotton seine. Weft: Norwegian spelsau wool. Sett: 6 epi

Syvilla Bolson, Decorah, Iowa

Wendy Sundquist
“Small purse”
6” x 9.5”. Warp: 12/6 black cotton. Weft:  wool yarn. Sett: 6 epi 

Notes:  I have always been fascinated with small purses.  These purses seem to have originated in the days when garments had no pockets and an external pocket or bag was required to hold small personal items.  This piece is constructed with a Flesberg panel attached to a ‘vadmal’ inner bag.  It is lined with a duponi silk fabric.  The strap is card woven, not unlike some of the early straps on ‘pocket bags’.  It is finished with a sterling silver clasp.

Wendy Sundquist, Langley, Washington

Jan Kroyer
“Adaptation of Flesberg # 28, Wingestad #3”
15” x 27”. Warp: cotton. Weft: wool (Åklegarn). Sett: 6 epi 

Jan Kroyer, Stoughton, WI

Barbara Stam
“Nordic Nights”
19″ x 20.5″. Warp: 70/3 linen (navy). Weft: 50/50 silk and wool (navy, beige, light blue). Sett: 12 epi. 

Notes:  My studies and experiments in the Flesberg technique were aimed towards a functional garment.  It was a challenge to find a fine but strong warp and an appropriate sett that would show the Flesberg designs but not be excessively heavy.  I also discovered that color choice made a huge difference in the visibility of the designs.  This vest uses portions of drafts # 16 (border I), #20 (border I), #25, #27 (border II) and #28 (border II).

Barbara Stam, Fallston, MD

Nancy Ellison 
8” x 12”. Warp: 12/6 black cotton.  Weft: wool in natural sheep colors. Sett: 6 epi. 

Notes:  After raising natural colored sheep for 27 years, I have a fascination of using various shades of sheep colors and enjoy them more than dyed colors.  My Shetland and Icelandic sheep have similarities to Norwegian breeds.  Some of the yarn I spun by hand, some had been spun by a mill.  One of the yarns I spun from Villsau wool I got in Norway while on a Vesterheim textile tour.  I spun the yarn on one of the antique Norwegian spinning wheels in my collection.  I used drafts from the numbers one and seven study group patterns.

Nancy Ellison, Zumbrota, MN

 

Sharon Marquardt: Using Traditional Voss Rye Technique–to Depict Show Shoveling?

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By Robbie LaFleur

The Baldishol tapestry, woven around 1180.

In 2005 Sharon Marquardt attended a lecture by Marta Kløve Juuhl; it is reprinted in this issue, “Voss Ryer – Traditional Bedcover and Contemporary Art.” Sharon was intrigued by the technique. Fourteen years later she incorporated Voss rye into her remarkable entry in the exhibit at Norway House in Minneapolis, “The Baldishol: A Medieval Tapestry Inspires Contemporary Fiber Art.”  

Sharon Marquardt, “Birthday Blizzard”

Sharon described how the Baldishol inspired her image.

When the exhibit was announced, entrants were encouraged to be creative. I employed the arch, name of the month, and figure from the Baldishol to use in my tapestry… A January blizzard in west-central Minnesota had blocked my doorway, so I had to shovel out. It’s also the month of my birthday; therefore the title “Birthday Blizzard.”

The image itself was clever, but the method she used to make it was amazing. Sharon Marquardt’s ongoing study of Norwegian weaving techniques laid the foundation for her weaving. Marta Kløve Juuhl was a important instructor and mentor in her weaving education. 

Sharon Marquardt, Sampler of West Coast åkle techniques woven on a warp weighted loom.

In 2005 Sharon took a course on Western Norway åkle techniques on the warp weighted loom from Marta at Vesterheim Folk Art School. This is the (impeccable) sampler Sharon wove. 

This class built on her skills learned in a workshop In 1999, when she studied Sámi grene weaving from instructors from the Manndalen Husflidslag in northern Norway. Classes were held at Vågan Folkehøgskole in Kabelvåg in the Lofoten Islands. Sharon’s grandmother came from the island of Andøya.

In 2006 Sharon joined a rya study group organized through The Norwegian Textile Letter. It was led by Judy Ness, a weaver and weaving instructor at the University of Oregon, with Marta Kløve Juuhl as a consultant. Sharon was interested in the Voss rye Marta described the previous year and reached out to Marta via email for tips. In 2007 when Marta was again teaching at Vesterheim, Sharon consulted with her in person. “I had woven what I thought was a Voss rya for a loom bench cover,” Sharon said, “but Marta tactfully informed me I had woven it completely wrong. She graciously gave me some tips and a copy of her instructions for a Voss coverlet.”

Marta Kløve Juuhl brought this Voss rye to the Conference on Norwegian Weaving in 2005.

icelandic varafeldur knot

In 2018 Sharon continued study with Marta when she took her class at Vesterheim, “Weaving Techniques for a Vararfell.” In this Icelandic pile weave, unspun locks are knotted into the woven base with a special knot. (More on the technique here.)

By the time Sharon created “Birthday Blizzard,” she used her broad skill set in a unique combination to depict an image inspired by the medieval Baldishol Tapestry. In particular, she used expertise she gained from Marta in two Norwegian techniques–Voss rye and the Icelandic varafell pile weave.  

She used a Voss rye threading with rye knots for the snow and inner borders. Calling on her tapestry experience, she used inlay threads in various colors on her basketweave background to form the shapes. The weave structure enhanced texture in her forms. Look at the bark-like effect of the basketweave on the tree trunk. This detail includes her dog and snow-covered mailbox, too. 

Sharon used 16/3 bleached linen at a sett of 20 ends per inch. The weft was Rauma prydvevgarn. She used several strands of Swedish faro singles or Norwegian brodergarn for the inlay. Some details were added with embroidery.

The deep, fuzzy outer frame is woven in Icelandic varafell technique. The locks were from sheep owned by Joana Friesz from New Salem, North Dakota. 

Sharon’s work shows a broad leap of creativity and vision to adapt the Voss rye technique for a tapestry-like image. How wonderfully the background weave structure worked for her sweater!

Perhaps if someone asked her how long the weaving took, she could answer “Fourteen years”–the time since she first heard the Voss rye lecture. 

When Marta Kløve Juuhl saw a photo of her student’s new work, she was clearly impressed. “Sharon’s piece is amazing,” Marta wrote. “She has transformed the rya technique into a piece of art, also including varafell technique on the edges!”

The Annual Exhibition of Folk Art in the Norwegian Tradition–Not this Year!

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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.