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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.