“Birthday Blizzard” is Sharon Marquardt’s self-portrait in wool, inspired by the calendar aspect of the original Baldishol Tapestry. It is part of the upcoming exhibit at Norway House, The Baldishol: A Medieval Tapestry Inspires Contemporary Textiles. The Baldishol Tapestry, woven in the 12th century, portrays figures for the months of April and May–but what was happening in January? If you live in central Minnesota, as Sharon does, the answer is snow. In January 2020 a blizzard dropped door-blocking snowdrifts, and the banks were so deep and compacted that she had to purchase a snowblower to plow her sidewalk to the road. 

 

 

She called this weaving a “creative exercise,” which is an understatement. It’s really an amazing combination of techniques that come together into a charming portrait. 

 

The rya pile is knotted onto a twill threading. Sharon was using the technique she learned from Norwegian weaving instructor Marta Kløve Juuhl. In this type of Voss rya, the pile shows on one side, but the knots are completely hidden on the reverse side of the twill-woven base. (Read more about this weave structure in this article from the Norwegian Textile Letter, “Voss Ryer: Traditional Bedcover and Contemporary Art,” by Marta Kløve Juuhl, May 2006.) Here Sharon is sampling the background on her loom, woven at 20 ends per inch. 

 

In the tapestry, the 16/3 bleached linen warp is exposed in the background weave structure. With the weft of Rauma prydvev yarn, it gives an effect of drizzle in the sky. 

Sharon wrote about more of her experimentation: 

Other creative techniques I tried included combining rya with inlay. The two pair together well, but here, the basket weave tended to bury the inlay, which I applied with a tapestry needle in between knotting rows. I like the way it emphasized the bark. I further embellished some areas with embroidery stitches.

Also, notice how the diamonds in the pattern on the right-hand tree trunk make marvelous bark. 

Finally, look at the luxurious deep pile border, based on the Icelandic varafeldur, a traditional pile coverlet woven with pile from unspun locks. (See: “Varafeldur: An Icelandic Rya Reconstruction,” by Marta Kløve Juuhl, Norwegian Textile Letter, November 2013.) Sharon used locks from a Lincoln sheep, bought from Joana Friesz in New Salem, North Dakota. 

The exhibit at Norway House opens on June 26. Follow along on the web page for the exhibit, “The Baldishol: A Medieval Tapestry Inspires Contemporary Tapestry, to learn of virtual events surrounding the exhibit.