By Lisa-Anne Bauch and Robbie LaFleur
For more than 30 years, members of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota have studied the traditional weaving techniques first brought to Minnesota by Scandinavian immigrants. The Study Group brings together weavers who have an ethnic connection to the nordic countries, or an affinity for the deep range of Scandinavian weaving techniques and patterns. “I don’t even speak Norwegian,” a member of the study group might say, or “I don’t even have any Scandinavian heritage.” Yet joining the group gives them fluency in the language of the Scandinavian loom – words like Telemarksteppe, krokbragd, skillbragd, Vestfold, and danskebrogd. These are all Nordic techniques and patterns with centuries-long histories, still woven in the 21st century.
Our group celebrated more than thirty years of study with an exuberant exhibit of more than 50 works from January 31-April 6, 2025, at Norway House in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest was part of the year-long Norway House celebration of the 200th anniversary of Norwegian immigration to America. The exhibit was accompanied by a variety of programs including weaving demonstrations, classes, and guided tours.
The Scandinavian Weavers are one of several interest groups at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. Guild interest groups form around specific weaving techniques, equipment, and materials to provide opportunities for in-depth study, mentorship, and creative challenge. In addition to the Scandinavian Weavers, current interest groups include the Dobby Weavers, SAORI Weavers, Rag Rug Weavers, Portable Loom Weavers, the Banditos (Band Weavers), NOW (New and Occasional Weavers), and the spinning group Whorling Spinsters, among others.
The current Scandinavian Weavers Study Group is one of the oldest groups at the Guild, and grew out of an earlier group of Minnesota weavers, De Norske Vevere, sometime around 1980. In recent years the reach of the group has grown considerably. The advent of video conferencing now allows members from outside Minnesota to participate in monthly meetings, learning opportunities, and exhibits. The group’s blog reports news of group activities to readers across the globe. Recently, the group was surprised to find ourselves mentioned by the Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, herself a weaver, in an interview in the folk art magazine Norsk Husflid. With permission from the magazine, we made a poster to include in our exhibit. (View the poster.)
In addition to individual experimentation, the Scandinavian Weavers also choose an annual topic for in-depth technical study. As part of group study, members wind on a long warp on a loom at the Weavers Guild so that interested members can try their hand in a supportive atmosphere. When challenges arise, as they always do, group problem-solving begins. The process also provides the joy of seeing the same technique worked in a variety of color combinations, weft materials, and personal interpretations. Vibrant Tradition featured weavings from several group projects, including traditional coverlet techniques from the Telemark region of Norway as well as a Swedish pattern charmingly called Kukkoladräll.
The Vibrant Tradition celebrated the Scandinavian Weavers’ longstanding programs, including education, mentorship, group projects, exhibits, and collaborations with other organizations. Several group members studied weaving in Norway and other Scandinavian countries through weaving schools and private study, while others have taken classes with visiting teachers at American institutions such as the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, Vesterheim Folk School, the American Swedish Institute, and Vävstuga.
Experienced weavers in the group now find themselves in the position of teachers and mentors for younger weavers eager to learn. Lisa Torvik studied weaving at a traditional handcraft school in Norway and appreciated the privilege of learning weaving in an organized, successive way, from the basics to advanced techniques. “We alternated between theory and hands-on weaving experience,” she explains, so both types of learning reinforced each other. Newer weaver Holly Hildebrandt enjoys the opportunity to learn from Lisa and other seasoned weavers, writing, “I am so inspired by this group—the things they create and teach, their travels, and overall enthusiasm for a life filled with this craft. It’s clear how weaving and an interest in Scandinavian tradition has shaped each of their lives and their adventures.”
Over the years, some group members have become experts at specific techniques. Robbie LaFleur focuses her study and teaching on traditional Norwegian tapestry and is currently writing a book on the open-warp tapestry technique of famed Norwegian Art Nouveau weaver Frida Hansen. Judy Larson has become an expert in Swedish rag rug techniques and generously shares her expertise with both the Scandinavian Weavers and Rag Rug Weavers.
The centerpiece of the exhibit was Melba Granlund’s large-scale warp-weighted loom. When Melba joined the Scandinavian Weavers in 2009, she was eager to try many different looms to find one that “would be my friend.” She settled on the historical warp-weighted loom and now teaches classes at the Weavers Guild and the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis as well as North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota. There, she teaches a weeklong course where students first build a small warp-weighted loom and then weave on it.
The Scandinavian Weavers group has organized many exhibits over the years. A recent example is Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving, held at Red Wing Arts in Red Wing, Minnesota. The exhibit included several heirloom weavings as well as contemporary weavings based in traditional techniques and family stories. Other recent exhibits included Weaving the North (read more: Part One, Part Two) held at North Suburban Arts Center in Fridley, Minnesota, which examined northern weather, landscapes, and cultures, and Everything Under the (Midnight) Sun: Scandinavian Weavings at the Textile Center in Minneapolis. Additional past exhibits were curated around themes as varied as the color red, a famous medieval tapestry, and Scandinavian symbols, myths, and fairytales. Weavings from these exhibits formed parts of Vibrant Tradition, as well as weavings newly created for this exhibit.
Other exhibit highlights included pieces by Jan Mostrom woven with hand-dyed yarn. Nancy Ellison contributed a rya done with beautiful locks from her flock of heritage Scandinavian sheep breeds. In addition, Nancy’s krokbragd weaving, “Pastors in a Row,” shows the figurative possibilities of the technique: between bands of traditional geometric designs are farmers, farmwives, sheep, and black-suited pastors presiding over a row of gravestones.
Traditional folk arts such as weaving are handed down through the generations but never remain static. They evolve and grow to meet changing circumstances while remaining rooted in specific cultures. The result is a continuous conversation between past, present, and future — and in our case, the wide-ranging exhibit, Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest. Even if you missed seeing the exhibit in person, you can read biographies of the contributing weavers and descriptions of each piece, and see photos of the weavings on the Scandinavian Weavers blog, scandinavianweaversmn.com.
Read more about the exhibit in these two articles:
“Vibrant Traditions on display at Norway House: A colorful tapestry of Nordic color.” Carstens Smith, The Norwegian American, January 25, 2025.
“Norway House’s Vibrant Traditions — a tapestry of time and place.” Sommer Wagen. The Minnesota Daily, February 5, 2025.
Editors note: This article appeared originally before the exhibit opened in Issue 221, Spring 2025, of Shuttle, Spindle, & Dyepot from the Handweavers Guild of America, Inc.
Lisa-Anne Bauch and Robbie LaFleur live in Minnesota and coordinate the activities of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. They enjoy weaving rooted in the traditional looms, techniques, and materials of Scandinavia, as well as their respective immigrant groups in North America. Follow them online: robbielafleur.com (website), robbie_lafleur (Insta), and bauch_lisa (Insta).
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