Frida Hansen (1855-1931) and Hannah Ryggen (1894-1970), two of the most important Norwegian tapestry weavers of the 20th century, wove monumental tapestries with very different styles and aesthetics. They both used liberal amounts of the vibrant blue loved by countless Norwegian weavers over time, potte-blå, or “pot blue.”
Most dyes require a mordant in the dyeing process, an ingredient that creates a bond between the color and the fiber. In the case of indigo, urine works well. Although both artists warrant much longer descriptions of their lives and works, this article will focus on interesting anecdotes about their use of blue dye and urine—from camels and from men.
Frida Hansen was most active from the late 1890s through the 1920s and her tapestries reflected the Art Nouveau style of her era. Her figures, almost exclusively of women, were elegant. She was one of the first artist weavers, responsible for both the design and weaving of her tapestries (though she had help at the loom). Her images were filled with nature, evoking flowers from the gardens of her youth. In addition to her artistic talent, Hansen was also known for reinvigorating historical Norwegian tapestry weaving at the end of the 19th century, for her research into traditional plant dyes, and for her entrepreneurship as the head of a weaving studio of around 20 weavers.
Many of Frida Hansen’s tapestries include liberal amounts and numerous shades of indigo blue. In Sørover [Southward, 1903], ten maidens ride swans on blue fan-shaped waves. The indigo shades set off the sinuous maidens in complementary colors. Without the variety of blue, the massive tapestry (10’ x 11’) would be much less striking.
Frida Hansen. Sørover [Southward], 1903. Photo courtesy of Peter Pap.
Frida Hansen also developed and patented a unique form of wool transparent tapestry, with areas of open warp contrasting with fully-woven sections of pattern. Blue was a favorite color for her warp; more than half of her designs featured indigo-dyed warp. Blue was also prominent in the rugs and upholstery fabrics woven in her studio.
Indigo-dyed warp used in Frida Hansen’s transparent tapestry Nellik og Hane [Cloves and Rooster], 1901. Photo: Robbie LaFleur
Frida Hansen dyed large quantities of wool for her own tapestries and those woven in her workshop, and her students did too. Around 1916 Ragna Bachke, a student of Frida Hansen’s, ran into problems obtaining her mordant for indigo. Bachke was weaving three rugs designed by Hansen and she needed several liters of potte-blå. Frida Hansen specified that only natural dyes be used, and Bachke was importing camel urine from Morocco for her indigo mordant. (Wouldn’t it be interesting to see the bottles and labels?) However, submarine warfare interrupted shipping, and Bachke visited Frida Hansen to express her concerns. Hansen consoled her immediately, saying, “Remember, dear lady, there are strong men at Jæderen too.” (1)
Røde roser [Red Roses], 1902. Photo courtesy of the Stavanger Kunstmuseum. Photo: Dag Myrestrand. The rugs woven by Ragna Bachke likely included red and blue roses similar to this tapestry.
It is interesting that camel urine was used, that WWI interrupted its use, and that in its absence, Frida Hansen suggested that men’s urine, in particular, was still available. Hmmm…only men?
Hannah Ryggen’s career started around the time of Frida Hansen’s death in 1931. She was born in Sweden and married Hans Ryggen, a Norwegian artist. They lived on a small farm without electricity near Trondheim, Norway, yet her visually powerful tapestries commented on international issues. For example, she skewered Hitler and Nazis while Norway was occupied and continued her social critiques for decades. Her images were not always political. We are Living on a Star, woven to celebrate her marriage, is filled with symbols of love, but the tapestry became political. It was hanging in a government building and damaged during the terrorist attack of Hans Breivik on July 11, 2011. When the tapestry was repaired, it was done imperfectly, intentionally, to show the tear in the fabric of society, and the coming together in its wake.
Hannah Ryggen. Vi lever på en stjerne [We are Living on a Star], 1958. In the collection of the Norwegian Government. Photo: Christine Novotny.
Her use of bold color and design brings to mind the decorative aspects of folk art, yet the images wouldn’t be called pretty. Ryggen said that she did not consider her works as textiles, but representations of people’s lives and struggles. She mostly used wool spun by her from her own sheep and dyed it with natural materials. Ryggen also used men’s urine in dyeing her vibrant blue. Many overviews of her work note that Ryggen kept a bucket for pee and asked male guests to her farm to contribute.
Hannah Ryggen. Karsten i vevhimmel [Karsten in Weaving Heaven] 1953. The beautiful blue in this tapestry of the painter Ludvig Karsten extends to tufts of pile. In the collection of the Nationalmuseet, Stockholm. Photo: Robbie LaFleur
A contemporary artist, Veslemøy Lilleengen, whose own grandfather had contributed to Hannah Ryggen’s famous jar of pee, made it a personal quest to dispute the common belief that men’s urine makes the best blue.
She wrote, “The content of urine affects the color. What you have eaten and what you have drunk, health and age are examples of what gives different shades of blue. After working with the color method for a few years, I have been confronted time and again with a certain myth: only men can contribute urine to make pot blue. It comes from different quarters, both experts on color, experts at Hannah Ryggen and museums. It may seem that people believe men have magical urine.” (2)
To dispel this mistaken belief, Lilleengen collected urine from other women artists and used it to make a blue shade unique to each person, a sort of genetic fingerprint in a dyepot. She dyed a t-shirt in the unique dye for each artist and stamped the artist’s name on the front. The 55 shirts were assembled as an art work, Norsk Bauta [Norwegian Monument], and displayed at the 2021 Høstutstillingen, a prestigious annual contemporary art exhibition in Oslo. The indigo t-shirt project is a part of Lilleengen’s larger focus on the underrepresentation of women in art and museum collections. (3)
Veslemøy Lilleengen. Norsk Bauta, 2021. Photo courtesy of Veslemøy Lilleengen.
Both Frida Hansen and Hannah Ryggen would have enjoyed Veslemøy Lilleengen’s research to break the myth of men’s urine as best. But however those artists obtained their potte-blått, the resulting tapestries with a myriad of blue shades are a cause for celebration and admiration.
1. Letter from Christian Mohr to Anniken Thue, Oslo, October 27, 1991, Anniken Thue’s Frida Hansen archive, Stavanger Art Museum. 2. Lilleengen, Veslemøy. “Norsk Bauta.” Website: https://www.veslemoylilleengen.com/work/norsk-bauta. 3. LaFleur, Robbie. “To the Point, with Textiles.” Vesterheim, Vol. 19, No. 2 2021.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Heather Torgenrud will give a Sami band weaving webinar through Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in September.
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!
The Past/Present/Future of Folk Art Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum July 11, 2025 – January 11, 2026
This juried folk art show celebrates the past, the present, and the future of Norwegian folk art in the United States and abroad. Contemporary artists submitted pieces to honor folk art masters of the past; draw inspiration from contemporary culture bearers; explore what folk art might become in the future; or play with some combination of past, present, and future all in one piece. A good portion of the exhibit featured fiber in many techniques, 21 pieces out of 103 works.
Below are photos and artist information for all of the fiber-related entries. The stories will deepen your admiration for the beautiful crafted works. And you have several months to catch the exhibit in person.
Susan Griebling Blue Ash, Ohio “Naturally Dyed Krokbragd Rug”
I began knitting as a child and have studied many forms of folk art, most recently weaving. I am drawn to the weaving patterns available using the Norwegian structure of krokbragd. I have used this weaving structure to weave samplers in the past.
I have a particular interest in Norwegian rug designs. I was gifted white rug wool and decided to use it to create a rug using the beautiful patterns found in the krokbragd weaving structure. In 2023, I visited Vesterheim to see the krokbragd coverlets, which inspired me in color and size.
I dyed the white wool using cochineal, indigo, and weld, resulting in two shades of each color (pink, blue, and green). I taught myself the technique from Debby Greenlaw’s book, Krokbragd. I didn’t plan the design before weaving; instead, I let inspiration guide me as I created the patterns.
Elizabeth Hunter Kennebunk, Maine “Deforestation” Rya Weaving
I started weaving on an inkle loom when I was ten. In the 1970s, I spent six months at Friuntervisnig’s Tegne og Vevstue in Oslo. I concentrated on rya technique at Hemslojden Skåne, folk art school and Landskrona, Sweden. I also studied in Iceland and Faroe Islands.
Rya rugs date from medieval times when they were used by mariners against the frigid cold at sea. They’ve been used as carriage blankets and inside homes without central heat as bedding. Their bold, graphic colors and design were a signature of the mid-century Scandinavian modern era. I am using the rya technique for social comment. Here, Deforestation is one of a three-rug series I did on climate change.
Robbie studied weaving at Valdres Husflidsskole in Fagernes, Norway, in 1977. She received a Vesterheim Gold Medal in Weaving in 2006. She received an American Scandinavian Foundation grant in 2019 to study the wool open-warp transparent tapestry technique of Norwegian artist Frida Hansen.
Frida Hansen (1855-1931) was influential in the revival of Norwegian billedvev (tapestry), and her technique had many elements in common with historical tapestries, including clear, abstracted pattern areas, and the use of Norwegian wool. She often wove birds!
My contemporary American bird is a symbol of success of federal regulations that banned the DDT that threated the eagle’s existence. The eagles seen by the first Norwegian immigrants disappeared from the skies for decades. Now they soar over the countryside and cities.
Siri Bergløff Berrefjord Hønefoss, Norway Embellished Jacket
My education and inspiration of Norwegian folk art comes from objects. I worked as a photographer for antique auction houses in Oslo, Norway. There I had the privilege of seeing and touching thousands of objects in a variety of materials.
I work intuitively. Merging the richness of peasant culture in colors and details with new materials, adding new life to traditional expressions. I want the time spent visible in my art. Nowadays time itself has become a scarce commodity. Looking at previous eras, our relationship with time becomes a paradox.
Before, people worked more, spent more time on everyday tasks. Yet they spend an incredible amount of time on decoration. What is time in such a context? For me, it is an expression of care, of sustained attention and love. When things are thoroughly processed and have had time and attention, only then can they reach their potential. I deliberately use a few expensive and exclusive materials. It is about selected, correct materials – that suit the nature of things, and then it is the time, the duration, that gives my work its exclusivity.
Mike Ellingsen Decorah, Iowa “Nordic Flower Basket” Wall Hanging
I have been a hobby quilter for over 40 years. While I do teach, lecture, and design patterns, I do not sell my quilts or do quilting for hire. While quilting is itself a folk art, moving to Decorah in 2019 brought me closer to Vesterheim – allowing me to see the possibilities in interpreting classic Nordic folk art forms (basketry, weaving, textiles) into the more American folk art of quilting.
This 3D wall hanging is based on a basket from the Vesterheim collection. I worked to replicate that woven basket for the base but added a more contemporary handle. When creating the flowers, I started with those that were traditionally grown in Norway (crocus, daffodil, pansy, tulip), and then added those that are less common but could be grown in that climate (poppy, rose, tiger lily). The background quilting is a continuous loop that is reminiscent of contemporary rosemaling.
Julia LeKander Batavia, Illinois “Weaving with Stitches and Paint”
Scandinavian folk art has been at the center of my artistic practice since childhood. I remember spending summers at Swedish camp weaving on floor looms and taking classes with my mother to learn rosemaling. I’ve applied skills learned in these classes to my own art, in both traditional contexts and contemporary interpretations.
This work explores the intersection of paint, needlework, and weaving, creating the illusion of weaving with paint and cross-stitch, neither of which are woven but are both embedded into a woven substrate. Paint strokes made with a dual-loaded paintbrush, the same technique used in rosemaling, are painted directly onto the cotton textile. Vertical lines of cross-stitch are then added, alternately stopping at the edges of the paint and stitching through the paint to create the woven illusion. The cross-stitch “warp” includes multiple shades of floss to create a gradient like the painted “weft,” furthering the trompe l’oeil effect. Inspiration for this piece includes needlepoint patterns designed during the mid-1900s for the Norwegian needlepoint company Gunnar Pedersen, as well as Sigmund Årseth’s unique, modern interpretations of traditional rosemaling.
Carol Charette Newberry, South Carolina “Håpets Reise” (Voyage of Hope) Weaving
My parents were of Norwegian ancestry, and I have learned all kinds of weaving techniques including Norwegian krokbragd or boundweave. I am fascinated by exploring colors and combinations.
Most ship sails 200 years ago were of flax and linen and handsewn. It is fascinating how much work went into sailmaking. I took interest in the voyage that the Norwegians took across the Atlantic Ocean in 1825. I imagined the huge waves and white caps. This tiny ship being a home for 14 weeks, the people wondering and hoping to make it to America. The people who made the journey were heroic.
Carolyn Pieper Benforado Madison, Wisconsin “Small Tribute, Big Idea: the Stoughton Bunad”
I am a textile artist and clothing designer. I began making folk costumes for elementary school students and now assist with making them for a local Norwegian dance group.
The tradition of wearing a bunad (Norwegian national costume) flourished in my hometown of Stoughton, Wisconsin. I wanted to honor Marion Keebaugh, who designed a bunad for Stoughton. Rosemaling by Ethel Kvalheim was used for the breastplate. This bunad celebrates the ongoing heritage brought from Norway and blends it with the American hometown.
Stephenie Anderson Fosston, Minnesota “PÅL-INBÆR’s Laptop Bag”
I have been knitting ever since my grandmothers taught me to knit more than 50 years ago. More recently I have been deep diving into Norwegian knitting as well as many other Scandinavian handcrafts.
The knitting in this bag was highly influenced by PÅL-INBÆR’s mitten. This mitten can be seen in “Selbu Mittens” book. The rose in the mitten is still named after her. Her mitten also had a version of the line dance in the cuff; I used it as a base for the knitting. The dog/horse in her cuff I incorporated into the sides. The sides also have a more traditional version of the Selbu Rose. True to the bags of her time, I put my initials and the year on the bag (sides). This bag will carry her mitten design and my current laptop into the future.
Laura Berlage Hayward, Wisconsin “Zoomorphic Seahorse” Textile
I am a folk-art instructor for Vesterheim, focusing on a variety of fiber art mediums, but my first love is tapestry weaving. I first learned embroidery from my mother as a pre-teen and have more recently been branching into wool embroidery with both English and Scandinavian influences.
This was a fun, experimental piece I made while starting to dream up future classes. I was interested in taking a traditional design but interpreting it in stitches both ancient – like stem stitch – and new like using ultra punch needle. The piece is full of texture and different height stitches, intertwined like our stories and histories.
Juli Seydell Johnson Iowa City, Iowa “Treasure from a Trunk” Quilt
As an adult, I connected through Vesterheim with my Norwegian heritage while also learning folk art. I experiment across mediums, often using something I learned in a class to make something completely different once home. I like that I am sharing snippets of Norwegian history through the art that I create.
I took pictures of a trunk from Rogaland in Vesterheim’s collection. I used the design as a basis for an appliqued quilt. The quilt applique is made from recycled denim jeans and flannel work shirts. I use hardworking farm materials from the past to honor that past in a new, contemporary beautiful design, just the hard work of our Norwegian ancestors on Midwest farms led to our lives today.
Jan Mostrom Chanhassen, Minnesota “Remembrance” Weaving
I have been weaving since college, when I took a January Term class at Luther College that was taught by Lila Nelson. That was the beginning of my love for weaving and for Vesterheim. I have taken and taught many classes at Vesterheim and enjoy Vesterheim Textile Study Tours.
I wanted to create a piece using several Norwegian weaving techniques in combination, resulting in something new yet based in historical textiles. I combined rutevev (square weave), krokbragd (boundweave), inlay, tapestry, and rya (pile weave) techniques and used colors not usually combined in older pieces. Building on traditions and using them in new ways keeps the old techniques living and growing.
I’ve always loved working with fiber, but it wasn’t until adulthood that I began weaving. Moving to Decorah brought Norwegian weaving into my life. I fell in love with the designs, colors, and the unique ability of folk art to bring beauty to everyday objects.
Nature always was and always will be bound up with weaving. Our Viking ancestors used what they found in nature to weave and what they saw in nature for design and color inspiration. The items woven were practical but also beautiful to bring the beauty of nature into their lives and homes. Centuries have passed, the need for making practical items is less, but our need for expressing our love for the beauty of nature is the same. So now we weave with our hands what we feel with our heart and see with our eyes. Yarns, dyes, and patterns come from around the world. The nature around us, however, will still be daring us to take new items and try to create something as beautiful as it is. And we, mere mortals, will still feel the need to try.
Rebecca Utecht Ogilvie, Minnesota “Frankie’s Legacy” Hide with Skinnfell Printing
My folk-art journey began in 1998 when I started making psanky (Ukrainian eggs). I first heard about skinnfell from a Swedish felting student in 2016. I was drawn to skinnfell because, like pysanky, it uses symbolism to promote goodwill to the receiver. I was fortunate to study with Britt Solheim at Vesterheim in 2019, and I continue to study this beautiful folk art.
This large Gotland cross sheepskin is from a lamb born into my flock right after my mother passed away. I named him Frankie in honor of her (Frances). His long lustrous locks were used in my fiber art for years. When he passed away, I had his hide tanned. I was happy the finished skin was smooth enough to print. The skin is large, and it is washable. I hand-stitched patches on the small holes and after much contemplation, used traditional skinnfell colors (grey and red) to print it. I made sure to incorporate the five traditionally required elements of skinnfell in my choice of motifs: plants, animals, sun, water, and love/protection.
Shan Rayray Puyallup, Washington “Mixing the Past with the Present with Hardangersøm”
My “aunt” (great-great-grandmother’s sister-in-law) visited when I was a young girl in 1977. She spoke no English, but taught hardangersøm to me in the traditional way. I continued the art as I grew. I began teaching in 2019 and for Vesterheim in 2021. Teaching at Vesterheim has allowed me to share and grow my art, from teaching basic stitches to recreating older pieces and gaining inspiration from them.
This piece represents the past combined with the present as it is using colored fabric with colored threads and mixing common past stitching techniques with techniques more widely used today. The kloster blocks, dove’s eyes, picots, and eyelets are stitched in traditional white thread and are the traditional stitches of Hardanger embroidery along with woven bars and cable stitching which I stitched in the more modern light grey thread. I then added in stitches commonly used today including adjoining Algerian eyelets (in both white and grey threads) and adjoining wrapped bars finishing with a lacy edge (in light grey thread). The lacy edge is basically the older technique of woven (or wrapped) bars, but I used it as a finishing edge instead of a filling stitch.
Shan Rayray Puyallup, Washington “Honoring the Past with Hardangersøm”
My “aunt” (great-great-grandmother’s sister-in-law) visited when I was a young girl in 1977. She spoke no English, but taught hardangersøm to me in the traditional way. I continued the art as I grew. I began teaching in 2019 and for Vesterheim in 2021. Teaching at Vesterheim has allowed me to share and grow my art, from teaching basic stitches to recreating older pieces and gaining inspiration from them.
This is a replica of a piece in the collection of the Scandinavian Cultural Center at Pacific Lutheran University. It is worked on 25-count linen fabric with DMC Pearl Cotton thread. The stitches are traditional including kloster blocks, woven bars, dove’s eye, spokes, and buttonhole edge. This piece represents the past as I wanted to honor the older ways of Hardanger embroidery by using white stitch thread on white fabric or in this case, ecru thread on ecru fabric and stitches commonly used in years past.
Renee Thoreson Rochester, Minnesota “Christmas is Here!” Doily
I began stitching at age three learning basic techniques. I moved on to the proverbial potholders and samplers. When I was given a 100-year-old hardangersøm band, I was intrigued and kept it on my dresser. I taught myself (as a “lefty”, this wasn’t easy) and have been hooked ever since!
Long ago, this embroidery style flourished in the Hardanger Fjord. Immigrants brought it to American, and the craft nearly became extinct until its revival in the 1960s. Originally, Hardanger embroidery was done in white or cream on linen fabric. In my piece, I continue the tradition, use modern style, and look to the future.
I belong to a Facebook group whose members include designers and stitchers. Roz Watnemo (one of the founders of Nordic Needle in Fargo, North Dakota) offered her the original pattern which I purchased and stitched. What appealed to me was the non-traditional shape and the bright colors. I deviated from the original pattern by adding my own stitch patterns and beads.
I am a Sámi doudjar (handcrafter/artist) with great interest in the traditional crafts of Sápmi, the traditional Sámi homelands. I use old techniques and methods in my work. I am the owner of the Sámi trademark “Sámi Made and Sámi Duodji.” I have been working with this since the 1990s. I am committed to passing on knowledge that is almost gone in the coastal areas of Sápmi.
The headpiece for costal Sámi women has been gone from use since the 1920s. It has been reconstructed for the present and will be visible and used in the future as a sign of our culture.
Carol Colburn and Kala Exworthy Duluth, Minnesota, and Minneapolis, Minnesota “Busserull til Blomsterhagen” (Busserull for the Flower Garden)
Carol was introduced to the world of Norwegian textiles and clothing as a Vesterheim intern in 1974 while a graduate student in Art History and Textiles and Clothing at the University of Minnesota. Finding inspiration in everyday rural clothing of Norway, she is interested in studying historic garments and making contemporary garments of handwoven fabrics.
Kala learned to weave at Skiringssal Folkehøyskole in Sandefjord, Norway in 1980. She finished her BFA in Fiber Art at Northern Michigan University. Now, she creates handwoven fabrics for garments and interiors. She enjoys teaching anywhere she can share weaving, dyeing and sewing.
The busserull is a loose overshirt for fishing, forestry, and farming. The pattern of squares and rectangles uses woven fabric economically, making a shirt which allows a full range of movement. A common fabric choice for over 150 years has been striped cotton or linen in twill or plain weave – in colors of blue or red with white stripes. Our “Busserull til Blomsterhagen” reflects these well-loved rural garments, and is a contemporary interpretation crafted for outdoor work in the summer flower garden.
Kala’s handwoven fabric has stripes similar to the familiar busserull fabric, highlighted here with bright blue and green. Combining twill and plain weave gives this fabric variation in texture and a fluid drape, the shirt moving beautifully when animated while gardening. Carol’s enthusiasm for gardening guides her patterning, pocket design, and sturdy sewing by hand and machine. It is a shirt meant to last a lifetime.
Sallie Haugen DeReus Leighton, Iowa “1825 Story in Stitches” Tapestry
I was awarded a Vesterheim Gold Medal in Rosemaling in 1994. My B.A. is in Applied Art from Iowa State University, 1961. I have taken many rosemaling classes with both American and Norwegian instructors.
The linen used for the tapestry is a 60-year-old roller towel inherited from my in-laws and used here on my family farm. The wool yarn is from Norway. The two leather tabs for hanging are from a deer that my father shot more than 50 years ago.
The tapestry is in three 3 frames and is to be read from right to left as this was the direction east to west that the immigrants traveled. Each frame is divided by a post. The beginning post on the right margin signifies winter, 2nd post spring, 3rd post summer, and 4th post fall. Please note the humor in each frame.
Frame One: Norway, land of the midnight sun and fjords. A government supported minister is peeking out from the doorway of the stave church as he watches the Quakers leave. The script is a revision of a poetic piece by Oliver Wendel Homes: “Where we love is home. Home that our feet may leave but not our hearts. The chain may lengthen but it never parts.”
Frame Two: The crowded ship to America. 54 souls plus one hanging over the back of the ship, seasick. That would have been me!
Frame Three: Corn and wheat representing the first crops. A church and school bell depict the immigrants’ ties to religion and education. One apple tree humorously represents the beginning of their religion and the second is for the teacher. The clock is the personification of time to indicate the future continues to evolve as does the story of Norwegians in America.
Priscilla Lynch Saugatuck, Michigan “Leaves and Blossoms” Transparent Weaving
All my grandparents immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s, so my childhood was filled with Norwegian traditions, food, and craft. When I started weaving in the 1970s, it was natural for me to study and emulate Norwegian weaving techniques and design. I have two large tapestries in the Vesterheim collection.
I was inspired by a Japanese stencil design to create this weaving using Norwegian weaver, Frida Hansen’s transparency technique. I grew up in Japan, so it was a way of uniting my Japanese and Norwegian worlds, illustrating, I hope, the connectivity of our global textile traditions.
All my grandparents immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s, so my childhood was filled with Norwegian traditions, food, and craft. When I started weaving in the 1970s, it was natural for me to study and emulate Norwegian weaving techniques and design. I have two large tapestries in the Vesterheim collection.
Frida Hansen was part of the Art Nouveau movement. I have re-interpreted a typical design from that period using a Norwegian technique and wool as my medium. Our artistic past continues to inform my present and future work”
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!
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.
Lisa-Anne Bauch. “Northern Lights.” She wove this piece in Rosepath technique during a Scandinavian Weavers group project.
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.
Judy Larson. “Rölakan Ripples.” The wedge design of the rug made with fabric strips was inspired by a historical rag rug owned by the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis.
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.
Jan Mostrom. “Summer Flowers.” the flowers in dukagång technique which creates columns and the rest of the patterns are woven in inlay technique similar to Vestfoldsmett creating a checked effect.
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.
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).
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Tusen takk
Maidens riding swans are forever moving through blue fan-shaped waves in Frida Hansen’s monumental tapestry, Sørover [Southward], 1903. Perhaps that is appropriate for such a well-traveled work of art?
Frida Hansen. Sørover (Southward), 1903. Photo: Peter Pap
Southward was barely cut from the loom of Frida Hansen before spending decades on exhibit in many American states.
1903. Berthea Aske Bergh, a New York Norwegian-American socialite, weaving teacher, and pupil of Frida Hansen, bought Southward from Frida Hansen and brought it to the U.S.
1903-1931. Southward was exhibited in more than 25 U.S. venues, including New York City and Brooklyn, New York; Rochester, New York; Washington D.C.; St. Louis, Missouri; Baltimore, Maryland; Toledo, Ohio; Burlington, Vermont; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Read more: “Southward on Display.”)
In particular, tens of thousands of Norwegian-Americans visited the Norse-American Centennial celebration held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on June 6–9, 1925. Thousands of the visitors must have seen Southward hanging in the Exhibition hall.
Southward hung prominently at the Norse-American Centennial. Photo: Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum
1961 — Southward is sold at the estate auction of Norman Bergh, son of Berthea Aske Bergh, but there is no record of who bought it or how much was paid. (Read more: “More Provenance Puzzle Pieces are in Place.”)
19?? (1970s?) — David McInnis, a rug dealer from Keene, New Hampshire, acquired Southward and stored it carefully.
2021 — After the death of David McInnis, Rug Dealer Peter Pap rediscovered the tapestry, many decades after it was last publicized, folded in a bin. (Read more: “Frida Hansen’s Sørover.”)
2022-2023 — After cleaning, Southward was once again exhibited in two venues. It was part of Scandinavian Design and the United States, 1890-1980at LACMA, the Los Angeles Museum of Art (Oct. 9, 2022-Feb. 5, 2023), and the Milwaukee Museum of Art (March 24-July 23, 2023).
Imagine all the times Southward has been rolled, unrolled, and moved. Here is a photo of the tapestry in Peter Pap‘s studio in Dublin, New Hampshire, being rolled for shipping to Stavanger.
Think of all the types of vehicles that were used to transport the tapestry to various venues. It came by boat from Norway in 1903. It was most likely moved by horse-drawn carriage during the first decade of the 1900s, and then by gasoline-powered trucks and cars. It was sent between the Toledo Museum of Art and the Brooklynn Museum of Art in 1931 with American Railway. It will not be sent back to Norway by boat.
Through the diligent work of Berthea Aske Bergh, the owner of Southward, the tapestry itself was a vehicle in the United States for promoting Norwegian tapestry and Frida Hansen’s talent. Bergh received the St. Olav’s Medal from Norway’s King Haakon the Seventh for her promotion of Norwegian art. I think she would be happy that the tapestry she bought from Frida Hansen’s loom is still admired by new generations.
“The Honorable Erling E. Bent, Consul General of Norway presenting Mrs. Berthea Aske Bergh with the St. Olav’s Medal. Sent from King Haakon the Seventh of Norway for her many years work for Norway Arts and Industries at a party held for Mrs. Bergh in the Norwegian (Seamen’s?) Hotel, December 10, 1948. Brooklyn, NY”
Thousands of Americans have had the opportunity to admire Southward. After 122 years in America, it seems high time to bring it back to Norway for a blockbuster exhibit.
Mae Colburn’s Norwegian-American grandmother, Audrey Huset, was an avid rag rug weaver, and collected wool skirts as material for sturdy, colorful rugs. But would Audrey have ever guessed that her collection would become a serious research passion of her granddaughter? And that Mae’s inherited collection of 632 wool skirts now in her weaving studio would receive notable press on the website of Vogue magazine?
From Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum: “Join us for the first presentations in Vesterheim’s series of cross-cultural webinars exploring bandweaving from multiple cultural perspectives. Join weaver and Sámi culture bearer Laurel Sanders to discover the art of Sámi bandweaving, a traditional craft that weaves together history, culture, and intricate design. In the webinar Laurel will be sharing some history and background information about Sami band weaving. She will also give a brief overview of the back strap rigid heddle weaving method with a depiction of the tools, materials, and steps involved and share about the uses and patterns of this beautiful tradition.”
This webinar is the second in Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum’s series of cross-cultural webinars exploring bandweaving from multiple cultural perspectives. The webinars foster perspective about the way Norwegian and Scandinavian handcrafts are part of a global community.
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles (and the publisher’s upcoming research in Norway) with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk
The Weavers Guild of Minnesota is the largest weaving guild in the United States. Among its many ongoing activities are interest groups, which allow members to study weaving and spinning topics in-depth with others who share their particular passions.
Longstanding groups include the Rag Rug Weavers, the Banditos (band weavers), the Whorling Spinsters (spinners) and the NOW group (new and occasional weavers). Of these, the Scandinavian Weavers are the largest group, having met continuously for more than thirty years.
Each year, the Scandinavian Weavers weave group projects on a Glimakra loom located in the Weavers Guild in Minneapolis. Group projects give weavers the opportunity to try a technique they might not be comfortable doing on their own, or might not have the equipment to weave at home. The projects allow for collective problem-solving and for experienced weavers to act as mentors, passing along their technical knowledge. Finally, it is always inspiring to see how different weavers interpret the same technique, with a wide variety of color and design choices. “I wish I had woven mine like that!” is a common refrain. Over the past few years, the Scandinavian Weavers have tackled Skillbragd, Telemarksteppe, Dukagång, Monksbelt, and the delightfully named Swedish technique Kukkoladräll.
In late 2019, we were inspired by the beautiful book Från Januariblues till Decemberröd: 18 Kuddar I Rosengång [From January Blues to December Reds: 18 Pillows in Rosepath] by Anna Östlund, an expert in Swedish Rosengång (Rosepath) technique. The book includes designs for pillows, one for every month of the year. Plans were eagerly discussed at our annual holiday gathering.
Group members warped the loom in January 2020 and weaving began. We were planning to be done weaving by the end of April, because the loom was needed for a class. Eighteen members of the Scandinavian Weavers signed up to weave a pillow. Judy Larson was first on the loom and wove her pillow in rosepath on opposites.
Judy Larson’s rosepath pillow, the first one off the loom. Photo: Robbie LaFleur
Scandinavian Weavers coordinator Robbie LaFleur had corresponded with Anna Östlund for permission to use her draft, which she graciously gave. Anna shared photos of her latest pillows, including a black and white version with a fleece back she had woven as a gift for her mother.
Rosepath pillow made by author Anna Östlund for her mother. Photo: Anna Östlund
At the time, Anna was planning to welcome a group of students from the United States to her home in Borlangë in the spring, curate a summer exhibit in rosepath at the Borlangë library, and then return to Vävstuga in Massachusetts to teach a course there. “But with the Corona virus spreading world wide we’ll see what happens,” she wrote.
We all remember what happened: The world changed, never to be the same again.
As it turns out, weaving was the thread that kept us connected during this terrible time. We all learned how to use Zoom so that our monthly meetings could continue. Weavers shared photos of their weaving projects at home and encouraged each other on our message board. Rosepath was the trail we followed back to community, and our warp waited patiently on the loom for us to return. In June of 2021, the Weavers Guild re-opened and the project resumed.
We had made some modifications to Anna’s draft because we did not have a metric reed. Instead, we used a 12-dent reed and warped 498 ends of 20/2 cottolin. Since we didn’t have the yardage to weave the pillow backs, members wove their own at home or used fabric. For weft, members used a variety of wool they had on hand, in either singles or doubles, and the project provided a great opportunity for “stash-busting”– using up the yarn they had at home, rather than purchasing new yarn.
The result? A rainbow of rosepath! Nancy Ebner chose lively spring colors and added adornments including tassels. My weft colors of white, green, and blue suggested the Northern Lights over a snowy forest. Veronna Capone chose elegant cream and grey, Judy Larson wove stately blue, grey, and black and Lisa Torvik blended delicate shades of blue.
Brenda Gauvin-Chadwick called her pillow “Joy Exploding,” inspired by the beauty of Scandinavia in the winter. “The pillow was woven with Fåro yarn that I purchased in Sweden many years ago,” Brenda explains. “I carried it all over Scandinavia for weeks in my suitcase. I bought it after skiing the Swedish Vasaloppet. Two weeks later in Norway I skied the Birkebeiner race. The colors represent the forests, the beautiful sunshine and my heart exploding with joy as I skied along the breathtaking terrain.”
Brenda Gauvin-Chadwick, “Joy Exploding.” Learn more about Brenda and her piece here.
The project was an opportunity to explore the technical possibilities of rosepath. Judy Larson wove her pillow in rosepath on opposites. Others worked the same draft on their looms at home, including Nancy Ellison, who used locks of fleece from her flock of Icelandic sheep. Linda Sorrano experimented with five different types of weft yarn—Rauma Ryegarn and Prydvevgarn, Swedish Fåro, and line and tow linen—and provided helpful analysis of each.
The rosepath project became part of a Scandinavian Weavers exhibit at the Weavers Guild called “Resterydding”—the closest Norwegian equivalent to the American slang term “stash-busting.” The term was suggested by Kari-Anne Pederson at the Norsk Folkemusum. “Rester means leftovers,” she explained. “Rydde means to tidy. Resterydding would mean getting rid of leftovers.”
The exhibit had two rules; Members had to weave a Scandinavian technique using yarn from their stash. Sharon Marquardt wove a delightful wall hanging in goose-eye twill. “I wove this in memory of my great aunt Irene, who lived in Minneapolis,” Sharon wrote. “She was a longtime member of the Weavers Guild. I inherited her loom and materials.” For the wall hanging, Sharon used Irene’s Maysville cotton warp and “her colorful pudgy handspun wool. Aunt Irene loved color, as I do. I threw in my stash of poppana strips.”
In her email to Robbie, Anna Östlund wrote that she had seen the Scandinavian Weavers blog and that “it seems like you are a talented group of weavers having lots of fun.” Little did she, or we, know just how much fun we would have—and how following that “rose-path” would lead us through the pandemic. To follow along with our latest adventures, including group projects, please visit us at https://scandinavianweaversmn.com/
Lisa-Anne Bauch is a Minnesota-based folk artist whose work is rooted in the traditional weaving techniques and materials of Sweden, Norway, and Finland, as well as their respective immigrant communities. Her writing has appeared in PieceWork, Norwegian Textile Letter, Väv, and Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot.
For detailed notes on several pillows, visit Robbie LaFleur’s blog here.
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles (and the publisher’s upcoming research in Norway) with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk
Even though most of my DNA is connected to Sweden, thirteen percent of my heritage is Norwegian. So, when Robbie LaFleur approached me to write something about my linen flax work in Minnesota for this Norwegian Textile Letter, I was curious to learn more about Norway’s ties to the history of linen flax, a fiber that so many Norwegians revere for weaving.
Linen flax has been a passion of mine for close to twenty years since I first explored flax as a spinning fiber. Since then, I have been involved in the growing and processing of flax into linen fiber and teaching about flax and flax spinning. In 2022, I received an American Swedish Institute (ASI) Teaching Tools Grant and used the funds to purchase and create flax processing tools for my workshops, presentations, and demonstrations at various venues, including the American Swedish Institute. My interest in the topic continued to expand as I translated Swedish texts on the history of Swedish flax growing and processing into English for my workshops.
I discovered a path that led me to such an incredible adventure! And when you embark on a journey that is so closely tied to biology and chemistry—especially in the retting process, which involves careful rotting of the stalks—the path becomes longer and more fascinating. (I believe most artists and fiber enthusiasts are closet scientists at heart!)
When I teach, I love to thoroughly explore my subject, which I certainly did after receiving the ASI Teaching Tools Grant. Since the grant focused on Swedish heritage, I researched the rich history of growing and processing linen flax in Sweden to share that knowledge with my students. My DNA is primarily Swedish, with many known relatives still living there. I think that the fact my ancestors lived in areas closely tied to linen flax—the Hälsingland province, where the provincial flower is flax due to its long history of flax cultivation, and Västergötland, a province with a significant textile mill legacy that includes linen—has put linen flax deep into my very being!
Experiencing linen flax from seed to fiber
Though I had grown small amounts of linen flax and once assisted with the harvesting and processing of a larger crop, I was eager to experience the complete process of creating a significant linen flax crop from seed to fiber. So, in 2023, I proposed to grow linen flax at Gale Woods Farm—a Three Rivers Park District educational farm on the western edge of the Twin Cities, where I had previously taught spinning and knitting with the farm’s wool. In 2024, that flax crop became a reality and an exciting adventure, which I documented on my blog at https://sagahill.blogspot.com.
The project became a 100-foot by 4-foot plot of linen flax that we also harvested and retted at the farm. It appears that this adventure will continue into 2025 with a new crop at Gale Woods Farm!
Now, on to Norway and its history with linen flax
Due to the discovery of flax seeds in archaeological digs, it is known that flax has been cultivated in Norway since around 300 AD/CE, primarily in the coastal regions where the climate and land are most suitable for growing flax. Norway’s soil is mostly acidic, and plant fibers disintegrate quickly in that soil, so finding earlier roots of flax in Norway (sorry for the pun) is mainly based on assumptions from archeological evidence of tools used in flax processing.
However, it can be assumed that Norway has never developed a significant flax industry due to its mountainous terrain. Flax thrives best in large, flat fields with ample sunlight for long hours, which is not a typical landscape in Norway. Consequently, most flax used in industry, as well as some used for household purposes, is imported into Norway from countries better suited for growing the fiber, such as Sweden, France, and Belgium—generally regions around the Baltic.
Nevertheless, linen flax has a history as a crop in Norway. In farming regions during the 1800s, Norwegian women were encouraged to grow flax for their families, and this practice even became a tradition in some areas. During World War II, the Norwegian government promoted domestic flax cultivation because importing linen was not feasible. This was also the case in Sweden. However, after the war, imported linen yarn became more affordable, making local flax crops unnecessary.
Despite the change in interest in the domestic growing of flax, some Norwegian farmers continued the tradition. A 1975 documentary titled “Lin: fra frø til tråd” explores the cultivation and processing of linen in Hedemark, Norway, where flax production has persisted. It illustrates each step of linen flax production, from seed to fabric. Here is a link to the documentary (note that there is no sound): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsPoacDwSDE&t=4s
Image capture from the documentary film
Linen flax today in Norway – supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Norway endorses the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, which serve as “a roadmap for national and international efforts to eradicate extreme poverty while protecting planetary boundaries and promoting prosperity, peace, and justice.” Goal 12 is stated as “ensuring sustainable consumption and production for environmental purposes,” and this is a factor in the recent efforts to encourage the growing of sustainable fibers, such as flax, in Norway.
For those interested in exploring the topic of linen flax as it relates to the UN sustainability goals for the Nordic countries, there is a one-hour webinar in English, “Flax in a Sustainable Perspective | 1 SQM FLAX,” available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcAyFc-uGaU. The webinar, held by the Nordic Handicraft Association, focused on the sustainability of flax in the Nordic countries that were collaborating on the 1 Square Meter of Flax project.
One KVM Lin (Norge) – One Square Meter of Flax (Norway)
The One Square Meter of Flax initiative began in Sweden in 2020 through Hemslöjden, the Swedish Handicraft Association. This Swedish initiative is now collaborating with other Nordic countries to cultivate one square meter of flax. The Norwegian Folk Art and Crafts Association (Norges Husflidslag) joined the project in 2021. (I love that part of Norges Husflidslag’s mission is to enable people to earn a living through traditional crafts!)
The Association produced a YouTube video (in English) for the 2023 Nordic Craft Week (September 2–9, 2023), an event organized by the Nordic Folk Art and Craft Federation that, in 2023, focused on flax and linen. In the video (viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JwCex5wABs), the presenter discusses the early history of flax production in Norway and recent developments regarding linen flax, particularly since 2021, when Norway began its involvement in the One Square Meter of Flax project. In this initiative, Norwegian volunteers received a seed packet containing 15 grams of seeds, enough to plant a square meter of linen flax in their own small plots. The project also provided education on how to grow and process flax. Participants grew flax across the entire country, from the southern coast of Norway to a Sami village in the Arctic region of Norway. It has become an extremely popular program and has expanded to schools, where students are now growing linen flax in their school gardens. (Teachers, think about cultivating linen flax for your own school science and art projects!)
The One Square Meter of Flax group in Norway has an active Facebook group for Norwegian flax growers, boasting 2,500 members as of March 2025. It is a private group featuring content in Norwegian, but they invite anyone to join. https://facebook.com/groups/1kvmlin
Fibershed movement in Norway
Fibershed Norway (Nordenfjeldske Fibershed) is a grassroots national organization that evolved from the original Fibershed movement, which started in California in 2010 and has since spread nearly worldwide. Fibershed Norway aims to encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing among its extensive membership network, which includes farmers, the textile industry, designers, crafters, research organizations, universities, and consumers.
They see their movement as a soil-to-soil vision, a catalyst for political change, and a people’s movement rooted in sustainability goals. As Nordenfjeldske Fibershed states, “We are a people’s movement for local textiles that utilize the small-scale advantages of the historic textile craft.”
Six percent of Fibershed’s work focuses on bast fibers, and One Square Meter of Flax supported by Fibershed Norway has contributed to the growing movement. The organization recognizes the need to promote the cultivation of plant-based fibers in agriculture and advocates for the establishment of small-scale flax and linen plots to develop an industry centered on local flax production.1 The project has had a major impact on the transition of flax from a historical activity to a modern industrial use. (Currently, there are no Fibershed affiliates in Sweden or Iceland.)
Flax in Norway and Sweden today
Norway’s center of flax information is Norges Linforening, the Norwegian Flax Association, which is located in Oslo. It focuses on all aspects of Linum Usitatissimum (the scientific name for the flax family of plants), including seed, oil, and fiber/linen flax. You can learn more about their efforts to promote linen flax here (the site is available only in Norwegian): https://norges-linforening.no
Sweden has a museum dedicated to informing the public about linen flax. The Bohuslin Linmuseum is located in the Bohuslän province, along the shared coastline of the southeastern portion of Norway.
Although Sweden has two large textile factories that exclusively weave linen (Klässbols Linneväveri in the Värmland province and Växbo Lin in the Hälsingland province), I am not aware of any textile weaving factories in Norway that concentrate solely on linen production. If anyone knows of such a factory, please let me know!
Notable linen flax groups to connect with online
Berta’s Flax is an international membership organization based in Austria that has gathered flax enthusiasts online to share their experiences growing, processing, spinning, and weaving flax. This is not the only online group, but it is the only one I know of that has become organized as an international flax guild with memberships. https://www.bertas-flachs.at/en/
Another group to explore online is Flax to Linen, a Facebook group where a growing community of flax growers, processors, and linen enthusiasts share their expertise about the fiber.
Challenges for the future
Interest in linen flax has historically been on a roller coaster ride, moving up and down with the whims of the times. We are currently on a strong upswing in finding ways to develop flax as a tool for addressing environmental issues. However, the resurgence of interest in flax fiber brings some challenges.
Climate change is affecting where linen flax may grow in the future. Regions along the southern Baltic coast that were prime for growing linen flax are experiencing hotter, drier summers and becoming less favorable for the crop.
Flax seeds have recently become less available because the sudden increasing interest in cultivating linen flax has reduced the supply of seeds. Additionally, patent registrations on European flax seeds, considered the best for long-line flax, restrict growers from selling the seed grown from the crops that came from registered seeds. This also means that those wishing to develop seeds better suited to a changing climate encounter challenges in legally producing new varieties that were started from patented seeds.
Furthermore, machinery for processing the stalks is challenging and costly to produce. Without this machinery, it’s illogical to expand growing fields, as the stalks cannot be processed efficiently. This creates a chicken-and-egg dilemma—without the flax seeds or stalks, there’s no need for the machinery, but without the machinery, processing flax into a sustainable industry is impractical.
Addressing the challenges through a Nordic sensibility
Nordic countries are at the forefront of addressing the challenges. Climate change in northern European flax-growing regions could render the cultivation and processing of linen flax in the Nordic areas both economically and ecologically advantageous. Norway’s support for small-scale crops as a transitional strategy is a sensible approach moving forward. The future looks bright with such reasoned thinking!
Linen is sustainable, practical, comfortable, and beautiful. Growing linen flax benefits the environment and promotes economic growth. It is something so real and of the earth. Grow it! Work with it! Wear it!
1. For centuries, certainly since the Viking era, hemp was a commonly used bast fiber for rope, textiles, and garments in the Nordic regions. In 1964, Norway passed certain laws on drugs that made it illegal to grow hemp. Sweden banned hemp for the same reasons from 1970 to 2003, and now the industrial growing of hemp is again a fiber industry in Sweden, but only for plants containing a THC content of less than 0.3 percent. However, Norway still bans the growing of hemp.
March 2025
BIO: Wendy holds a B.A. in Fine Arts. Her Swedish heritage greatly influences her life’s work, which she enjoys sharing with others. This passion is evident in her successful efforts to introduce the work of Swedish knitting designers to the United States, including Elsabeth Lavold, Inger Fredholm, and the Bohus Stickning organization at the American Swedish Institute. She also writes about and promotes Swedish fiber art traditions through her patterns, books, and teaching. Through her creative and retail business, Saga Hill Studio, Wendy creates knitting patterns, dyes fibers and yarns, and has developed a custom colorway of dyes for protein fibers. She is the author, pattern designer, and photographer of “Yarn Works: How to Spin, Dye, and Knit Your Own Yarn” and has patterns featured in other published books. Wendy has showcased her work in two major outdoor exhibitions, one of which, Earthly Coat, highlighted the importance of using natural fibers for apparel. Since acquiring a Swedish countermarch loom, Wendy is reviving her passion for weaving under the Saga Hill Studio label. Recently, she has been engaged in “citizen scientist” work by researching all aspects of linen flax production, including offering public talks and workshops on flax processing, spinning, and linen knitting. Wendy strives to maintain connections with others in the flax industry through her self-directed research and corresponding contacts. During the workweek, she runs a publishing business, Elder Eye Press, where she assists new and current authors in publishing their own books.
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles (and the publisher’s upcoming research in Norway) with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk
Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving was an exhibition at Red Wing Arts gallery in the historical Red Wing, Minnesota, train depot in November 2023. The exhibition by the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, illustrated the enduring legacy of Nordic craft from its earliest days as functional household items to its excellence in contemporary design.
Participating in this exhibition led me to more carefully analyze the wedding blanket I inherited from my great-grandfather, and then to weave a contemporary interpretation of the blanket for my great-niece’s third birthday present.
The old blanket was woven as a gift for the 1880 wedding of Per Mikkjelson Lønning and Synneva Fransdtr. Kanelønning, my grandfather Audun’s parents.
This 1899 family photo shows my great-grandparents Per and Synneva Lønning with 9 of their 12 children on the Lønning farm on the island of Stord, Hordaland, Norway. My grandfather, Audun Per Lønning in the light jacket at the far left, was the youngest of the boys, so came to America to settle and farm in north central Iowa in 1911.
The twill weave blanket measures 52”x 64” and is woven with handspun wool yarn and is slightly felted. The outer selvedge is brown thread with a wider sett than the rest of the piece. The other selvedge is joined in the center by hand-sewing. Spinning friends tell me that the ripples in the fabric hint at overtwist while spinning.
The rippled surface indicates overtwisted weft yarnThe carefully cross-stitched initials of Per Mikkjelson Lønning, when he was married in 1880.
Ingebjørg Monsen, a Norwegian weaving instructor and textile historian, sent me information about similar blankets from that era:
“The red thread is a traditional way of hemming the blanket. The colored thread is for decoration purposes, but it also makes a cover up for the hem stitches in a very nice way. The hand spun yarn in the piece is from dropspindel. This very fine blanket I expect to have been in use in bed. Could also have been used as a tjeld (curtain) to protect from draught. The more common width of the farm loom is represented in the half width of the blanket.”
My friend Heather Torgenrud, author of Norwegian Pick-Up Bandweaving and Pick-Up Bandweaving Designs, did some research on the Norwegian Digital museum site, digitaltmuseum.no, and wrote: “I did a quick search for a hvit ullteppe or pledd in kypert (twill) and found only one that looked similar, though one could dig deeper and maybe find more. That one is from Vest-Telemark, believed to be handspun wool, woven in twill, somewhat felted, machine hemmed on the short edges, red stripes. It is classified as a tjeld, which I believe in this context would mean a blanket to hang in front of the bed like a curtain, as in this quote from Sigrid Undset’s trilogy Kristin Lavransdatter, “tepper var hængt omkring [brudesengen] som et tjeld [blankets were hung around the bridal bed as a curtain].”” (https://digitaltmuseum.no/021028527431/tjeld)
The blanket is a family treasure.
The fine handspun (spun on a drop spindle?) has on close inspection a slight sheen with flecks of darker fleece carded with the white fleece. It has a richness, depth, and soul in its long history.
It is the embroidered initials of my great-grandfather, Per Lønning—the faded “PL” in the corner of the old blanket—that led me to weave a blanket inspired by this one for my three-year-old great-niece for display in the “Domestic to Decorative” show.
The warp for Sami’s blanket was Montana-produced alpaca yarn and assorted wool in several shades of white, inspired by the nature of the handspun in the old blanket. I wove this blanket in two pieces in a twill structure imitating the classic diagonal line characteristic of the twill weave in the old blanket, and then hand-sewed the pieces together, as in the old blanket. The weft was silk and mohair. Sami’s initials are embroidered in her favorite color.
Here are the two blankets carefully displayed in the gallery of Red Wing Art. About 150 years separate the weaving of these two blankets.
Mary Skoy has been involved in the fiber community in Minnesota since the early 70s as a weaver, spinner, dyer, knitter, and frame loom weaving advocate. Mary traces her interest in Norwegian textiles to her Norwegian great-aunt Sunniva Lønning, a fiber artist, teacher, and activist in mid-twentieth century Norway who worked to preserve ancient sheep breeds, particularly the iconic spelsau sheep. Sunniva’s father Mikkjel is the imposing young man in the back in the family picture above.
Read more: The exhibit, From Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving at Red Wing Art in 2024, was described in posts on the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group blog.
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles (and the publisher’s upcoming research in Norway) with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk
When I first began curating Nordic Echoes: Tradition in Contemporary Art, little did I know it would become a multi-year voyage of discovery that would transform my understanding of Nordic cultural heritage in America.
Back in 2017, the American-Scandinavian Foundation took a bold step. We believed that supporting Nordic traditions as they continue to thrive in the U.S.—particularly throughout the Upper Midwest—was crucial to understanding the rich cultural exchange between the Nordic countries and America. This belief led us to launch a new grant program specifically supporting American artists practicing art forms rooted in Nordic traditions.
Lisa Wiitala Thimbleberry Leaf Wool yarn 9 x 8 7/9 x 2 1/8 inches
Lisa Wiitala Thimbleberry Blossom wool yarn 8 x 7 3/4 x 2 inchesLisa Wiitala Thimbleberry Blossom (reverse) wool yarn 8 x 7 3/4 x 2 inchesLisa Wiitala Thimbleberry Berry wool yarn 7 1/4 x 8 x 1 3/4 inches
What we discovered was eye-opening. Scandinavian traditions aren’t just surviving in the U.S.—they’re flourishing in fascinating ways. Some artists maintain strict adherence to forms that arrived with the first waves of Nordic immigrants. Others have adapted their practices to reflect the American landscape and environment. And perhaps most exciting, many are taking these traditional art forms in bold new directions, demonstrating just how dynamic and adaptable these cultural traditions can be.
Mike Loeffler. Contemporary Goose, 2024. Quaking aspen, 4 1/2 x 13 1/2 x 6 1/2 inchesPeter “Pekka” Olson. Karajan Käki (Cuckoo of Karelia). Northern White Cedar, 5 x 9 3/4 x 8 3/8 inchesElizabeth Belz. Small Mosquito. Metal, 2 3/8 x 8 5/8 x 7 4/5 inches
While nurturing these skills and ensuring their transmission to younger generations was a primary goal, we quickly noticed something concerning: many of these incredibly talented artists remained virtually unknown outside their immediate communities. Both in the U.S. and in the Nordic countries themselves, there’s growing concern that these traditions might not appeal to younger generations, raising questions about their future vitality.
Despite our support for public programs showcasing Nordic American traditional arts across the six Upper Midwestern states in our funding area, it didn’t feel sufficient. These artists and their work deserved more visibility. What began as a modest proposal for a traveling exhibition in the Upper Midwest quickly expanded into something much more ambitious—an exhibition that would debut in New York before journeying westward through North and South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula!
Curating this exhibition presented unique challenges. These artists typically work in isolation, and the characteristic Upper Midwestern/Nordic trait of modesty meant many weren’t eager to step into the spotlight. We partnered with folklorists familiar with both Nordic traditions and the Upper Midwest, while organizations like the American Swedish Institute, Vesterheim, and North House Folk School provided invaluable connections.
Beth Kraus, Guinea Pig Carrier. Birchbark with found carved wood, 21 x 9 x 4 inches
Ultimately, we chose to focus on artists who are pushing boundaries and taking traditions in exciting new directions. The result is a diverse showcase featuring 24 remarkable artists and 55 works that tell the evolving story of Nordic cultural heritage in America.
Join me as this exhibition begins its journey, celebrating not just the preservation of tradition, but its vibrant evolution in contemporary American art. Nordic Echoes: Tradition in Contemporary Art opens to the public at Scandinavia House in New York City on April 5, 2025. In September, it will begin its Upper Midwestern tour at the South Dakota Museum of Art, Brookings, South Dakota; American-Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Vesterheim, Decorah, Iowa; Plains Art Museum, Fargo, North Dakota; Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin; and De Vos Art Museum, Marquette, Michigan. Nordic Echoes will travel through 2027.
Bio: As Director of Educational Exchange & Special Projects at the American-Scandinavian Foundation in New York City, Sally Yerkovich oversees all of ASF’s grant-making programs. A cultural anthropologist with extensive experience in museums, she also teaches in the Museum Anthropology Master’s Program at Columbia University.
The American-Scandinavian Foundation is a publicly-supported not-for-profit organization committed to promoting educational, cultural and professional exchange between the United States and the Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. ASF offers fellowships, cultural grants, internships/training, publications, exhibitions and other public programs reinforcing the strong relationships between the two regions, honoring their shared values, and appreciating their differences.
Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles (and the publisher’s upcoming research in Norway) with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk
