Nordic Craft Week
Nordic Craft Week is an annual campaign on Facebook celebrating Nordic handicraft. For a week each autumn the Nordic countries come together to showcase both their unique local craft techniques and their shared cultural heritage. It was first held in 2018, initiated by the Nordic Folk Art and Craft Federation. Follow Nordic Craft Week on Facebook.
Magnhild Peggy Jones Gilje drafted a pattern for a band to share at Nordic Craft Week 2024. Here are the instructions in English. NCW 2024 – Pattern – Braces from Tovdal in Åmli
The Nordic Craft Week site lists the crafts chosen in earlier years. In 2019, the theme was mittens and there are links to patterns from several Nordic countries.
Rag Rug Article Online
Viveke Hansen wrote a beautiful online article for the IK Foundation, Swedish Rag Rugs – A History of Recycling Fabric from the 18th Century to Present-day. (January 20, 2024) The article is rich with historical photos of Swedish interiors with rag rugs.
An Online Article Features Bolsters and Pillows
Vivike Hansen writes on the iTextilis site (March 2025) about “Bolsters and Pillows – Swedish Weaving Traditions and Historical Reproductions.” “Durable handwoven striped woollen qualities used for warm feather/down bolsters and pillows were popular in many Swedish farming communities for centuries. These textiles – named “bolstervar” – were sometimes stuffed with straw, reeds, horsehair, grass or other easily acquired materials instead.”
Read an Article about a Talented Iowa Weaver
The Winter 2024-25 issue of Inspire(d) Driftless Magazine from Decorah, Iowa, featured “Laura Demuth: A Beautifully Woven Life,” by Laura Barlament. You will be inspired by Demuth’s life story, and by the gorgeous photos.
Watch a Film about Band Weaving
Swedish weaver Sonja Berlin has been studying and weaving bands since the mid-1970s. Her work was featured in an exhibit, Trådar och tankar (Threads and Thoughts) at Sörmlands Museum in Nyköping, Sweden, from February 25-May 18, 2025. The exhibit has ended, but we are lucky that there is a marvelous film available online, with English subtitles, about her innovative work with band weaving.
Watch a Webinar about Sámi Bandweaving
A new webinar from Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum is the first in a series of cross-cultural explorations of band weaving traditions. Sámi Bandweaving features Weaver and Sámi culture bearer Laurel Sanders.
Take a Course in Person or Learn Online
The Midwest has a wealth of Scandinavian textile learning opportunities. Check out the fiber classes at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum courses, and the textile offerings among the American Swedish Institute’s Nordic Handcraft classes. Several courses are virtual, so Norwegian Textile Letter readers from anywhere can benefit.
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!