By Katherine Larson

Vevd Fargeglede: Sengetepper I Vest-Agder [Woven Delight: The Coverlets of Vest-Agder]. By Nanne Støhlmacher. Skald Forlag, 2024. 

Square-weave coverlet, Øyslebø, Vest-Agder.

The whole pattern looked like a cubist flower meadow strewn diagonally, sprinkled with small scintillating stars in a jumble of colors, cheerful and smiling… all talking over one other, yet playfully and without fuss. (Review of a coverlet exhibition in Kristiansand, 1925)

So begins the chapter on square-weave in the long awaited book, Vevd Fargeglede: Sengetepene i Vest-Agder [Woven Delight: The Coverlets of Vest-Agder]. With vibrant textiles pictured on nearly every page, author Nanne Støhlmacher presents the distinctive bed covers that were once prevalent in her district of Norway, from coverlets of serviceable yet decorative plain weave, to those woven in the unusual danskbrogd [Danish-weave] technique, an anomaly even in Vest-Agder. 

Typical plain-weave patterns

Danskbrogd [Danish weave], front

Danskbrogd, back

Many of the coverlet types from this southern district were also typical in other areas Norway – krokbragd and square weave, overshot and rya. But there were significant differences in the preferences of Vest-Agder weavers. Of particular note are the color nuance and pattern choice characteristic of the area’s square-weave coverlets. Unusual as well are the weft-faced techniques that often served as the groundweave in both rya and monk’s belt coverlets.

Square-weave coverlet, Vigmostad

Monk’s belt with weft-faced ground weave

The book’s introduction by Bjørn Sverre Hol Haugen, curator at the  Norwegian Folk Museum, provides the context for Vest-Agder’s coverlet tradition. Hol Haugen notes the social differences to be found between Vest-Agder’s narrow band of well-to-do and outward-looking coastal towns and the relatively conservative interior farming communities, with accompanying contrasts in what was typical for a bed and its accoutrements. He touches on the creation of bedding as an accustomed part of the yearly cycle on Vest-Agder’s mostly self-sufficient farms, and he introduces the work of pioneer textile research Anna Grostøl. Grostøl, a teacher who grew up in the coastal town of Lista, documented many Vest-Agder traditions that were fast disappearing by the early and mid-20^th century.  Her substantial collection of notes, photographs and samples, now held by the Norwegian Folk Museum, provides a rich resource on which Støhlmacher draws throughout the book.

Rya coverlet with a ground weave of krokbragd

As the pile wears away, the underlying krokbragd patterns become more visible.

In her thorough treatment of the coverlet tradition, Støhlmacher begins with a chapter on  the materials, tools and dyes needed to make the coverlets, describing the enormous amount of work required before weaving could begin. She then devotes a chapter to each coverlet type, with sections on technique, materials, pattern and color. Støhlmacher’s grounding in textiles, from her own training in textile techniques at the Statens lærerskole i forming [Norwegian Teacher’s College in Handcraft] to her several years as a board member of Norges Husflidslag [the Norwegian Handcraft Association], is evident in her treatment of the subject and combines nicely with her enthusiasm for the textile traditions of her district. Building on the foundation provided by Anna Grostøl, she has seemingly left no stone unturned, perusing estate documents for indications of past coverlet usage and visiting remote farms on the chance that coverlets might be tucked away and forgotten in trunks or storehouses. 

Above, detailed images of krokbragd, square-weave and skillbragd coverlets.

The text of this book is in Norwegian, with English summaries at the end of each chapter, but the visual impact of the book may compensate non-Norwegian readers for the inevitable loss of some historical detail.  Each coverlet type is represented by a mix of full and detailed images that convey pattern and color, and the ornately carved or painted beds on which some of the coverlets appear allows one to appreciate the context in which these textiles were used. 

Goose-eye coverlet, Sirdal.

Beyond her textile knowledge, Støhlmacher’s interest in the cultural history that the coverlets represent is unmistakable. Visually striking among the many coverlets are the photos of both farm life and the women at the heart of this textile tradition. Most of these images are in black and white, pictures taken nearly a hundred years ago by Anna Grostøl while recording the recollections of her interviewees. The weather-beaten faces of these older women speak to a time and a way of life that is now gone, bringing to mind the countless women behind the textile traditions that are portrayed in this book.

Kari Hodne, b. 1871, with scythe, bucket and rake in Åseral, 1943.

Gurine Kimestad, b. 1850, told Anna Grostøl she learned to spin before she was 8 years old.

On a personal note, it has been my pleasure to consult with Nanne Støhlmacher for over 10 years on this project, watching it grow from a sparsely outlined idea to a fully realized and impressive presentation of Vest-Agder’s coverlet tradition.  Perhaps my own family’s roots in the district explain why I find these coverlets particularly appealing, with their patterns “all talking over one other, yet playfully and without fuss.”

Siri Haagensdotter Fuglestveit (b. 1822), Øyslebø, 1904.

Siri wove her initials into this coverlet in 1851 (for larger view of coverlet, see first figure).

May 2024

Katherine Larson is an Affiliate Assistant Professor, Department of Scandinavian Studies, University of Washington. She is the author of The Woven Coverlets of Norway. 

All photos are from Vevd Fargeglede: Sengetepper i Vest-Agder, by Nanne Støhlmacher, with permission from Skald Forlag.  The book is available at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum bookstore after mid-June.