The last piece I wove on my Toika, before selling it in advance of moving my studio home, was a rag rug in pretty colors
Zooming to England with Sue Lawty
I woke up early last weekend to take a workshop with Sue Lawty, a brilliant artist from England, sponsored by Selvedge Magazine. The afternoon British
Immigrant Pastor and 13-Lined Ground Squirrel
I always warp my small copper pipe loom for a tapestry when I travel. We were in Maine in September, at a family home of
The Vesterheim Webinar is up on YouTube (for now)
Last week I presented a webinar for Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum, “From Kindness to Cutting Satire: Lila Nelson’s Tapestries Embraced the World and Its Politics.”
Lila Nelson: Guessing at her Design Process
I thoroughly enjoyed presenting a webinar this week for Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, “From Kindness to Cutting Satire: Lila Nelson’s Tapestries Embraced the World and Its
Oh Lila–You Wove so many Cat Tapestries!
I have been preparing for my Zoom webinar with Vesterheim Folk Art School. It’s tomorrow, September 22. The cut-off for signing up is early Tuesday
Are these Tapestry Eaglets?
I am preparing for an upcoming Zoom lecture for Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum on September 22, 2020, “From Kindness to Cutting Satire: Lila Nelson’s Tapestries
Rags Rugs are so Wonderful
The new issue of the Norwegian Textile Letter is out, and features a translation of a wonderful cultural history article about rag rugs in Norway:
No, It’s not a Frida Hansen Piece
My friend Anne Whidden forwarded me a post about a transparency that was attributed, possibly, to Frida Hansen. It’s for sale by F J Hakimian in
Tapestry Humor and Food!
The New Yorker‘s weekly humor page, “Shouts and Murmurs,” recently featured tapestry humor (!) in “Small Talk in 1348” by Teddy Wayne. You should really
Studio and Loom Changes Afoot
In June I decided that I am no longer going to have my studio in the Casket Arts Building. It was a grand five-year experiment.
Midcentury Billedvev Mystery–Solved
Line Dufour posted a query on Facebook–“Can anyone help us learn more about this tapestry weaving? We believe it was handed down generation to generation
Liberty and Justice 4 All
My graffiti tapestry is complete (earlier posts about the process are here and here). For me, it is a reminder of the feeling in the
The Fall Issue of Selvedge Magazine has a Nordic Theme
I have an article in Selvedge Magazine. Selvedge Magazine, people! I’ve been a subscriber and admirer for years. In April the editor, Polly Leonard, wrote
Weavers Guild Artists in the Baldishol Exhibit
Our Scandinavian Weavers Study Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota brainstormed about a possible exhibit two years ago. How about using the famous Norwegian Baldishol
The Virtual Baldishol Show Opening
The new exhibit at Norway House, The Baldishol: A Medieval Tapestry Inspires Contemporary Textiles, has been in the planning since the fall of 2018. And
The Baldishol Exhibit is being Installed!
Today is the first day of installation for the exhibit at Norway House, The Baldishol: A Medieval Tapestry Inspires Contemporary Textiles. Our Scandinavian Weavers Study
The Protest Poster Tapestry Continues
As I reached the words part of this piece (“Liberty and Justice 4 All”), I realized that my collaged cartoon was not clear enough behind
A Trip to Decorah: Beautiful Despite the Cursed Coronavirus Disruption
For my first trip beyond the boundaries of Minneapolis and St. Paul, I drove to Decorah to pick up a replica of the medieval Baldishol
People Always Ask about this Loom
I enjoy weaving on my upright table-top Glimåkra tapestry loom. It is a style that is no longer made. But if you find one used,
What’s on the Loom: The Graffiti Plan
I wrote recently on the impetus for my graffiti-inspired tapestry. For the sake of documentation, here are some details. In my study of the work
What’s on the Loom
This post is a revision of the announcement I sent recently for the new issue of the Norwegian Textile Letter, plus a loom update. The
Woolly, not Woody, Woodpecker
I had a bit of warp left over when the “Baldishol Duck” was finished, so I wove a small woodpecker on a tree limb. He
Frida Hansen’s Beautiful Black Roses
During this whole pandemic isolation, I have been enormously grateful that I was able to travel to Norway last year (May 2019) with a fellowship
The Baldishol Duck
I finished my piece for the upcoming show at Norway House, The Baldishol: A Medieval Tapestry Inspires Contemporary Textiles. I made a short video showing
“Red is the Finest Color I Have”
I posted an article to the Norwegian Textile Letter today, in the middle of the publishing cycle, an extra article for the February issue. It’s
Medieval Mash-Up with Margaret: Finished
I wove “Medieval Mash-Up with Margaret” to bring to the Norwegian tapestry workshop I planned to give in Denver in late March. (Insert sad face)
Dipping into “Gammel Norsk Vævkunst”: Volume 2
For my small unicorn billedvev I was looking for some flowers to add to the background–a perfect reason to examine some of the old pieces in a volume
Baldishol Duck Background
The water and columns of my tapestry are underway. Next–the duck! The wooly water is woven with a beautiful skein of variegated indigo-dyed yarn I
A Billedvev Unicorn
My seven-year-old granddaughter Cora, far away in Vermont, is a great fan of unicorns. Coralie is also a textile fan. She thinks I can accomplish
Minnesota Duck Stamp–Medieval Style?
A marvelous exhibit is planned for Norway House in Minneapolis this summer, The Baldishol: A Medieval Norwegian Tapestry Inspires Contemporary Textiles. Will it open as
Dipping Into “Gammel Norsk Vævkunst”
Each time I prepare for my Norwegian Billedvev (tapestry) workshop, I check out these ten volumes from the Textile Center of Minnesota Library: Gammel Norsk Vævkunst:
Jennifer E. Moss, “Marked: Rusted Wovens”
By chance, while visiting Savannah this week, I was able to attend an exhibit opening, “Marked: Rusted Wovens” by Jennifer E. Moss, which will be
“What is Norwegian Weaving?”–A New Booklet from Vesterheim
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum recently published the third in a series of beautifully-illustrated pamphlets on major types of folk art in their collection: rosemaling, woodcarving, and
Hannah Ryggen and her Geese
January in Minnesota is a really great time to delve into an engrossing tapestry project. I traveled to Arizona for a short time, to visit
More Megado Monksbelt Fun
As I came to the end of my Megado monksbelt piece, Kala Exworthy was about to start, using the same 36″ pattern that was programmed
Thank God for the Unweave Button
Oh, I was so pleased yesterday when I sent out an Instagram photo of the three-quarters-done monksbelt runner I was weaving on the Megado computerized
NYC 2020–At the Jane Kahan Gallery
Each year I visit the Jane Kahan Gallery at 73rd and Madison Ave in New York. According to their website, they are “the largest dealer
What I Decided NOT to Weave in NYC this Year
During my week in NYC this year, I decided to haul around my billedvev and weave in the ends. You can see progress during a
Medieval Mash-Up #6: The Comb Symbol
The tapestry below, from the collection of the Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo (full record here), was woven in 1739. There are so many details to study.
Medieval Mash-Up #5: Skinny Leg
When I finish a weaving, there are always aspects of the work that I like, and those that remain annoying. On this one, I’m not
I Never Noticed the Billedvev Baby
As I teach workshops and give lectures about Norwegian billedvev, I look at many medieval pieces over and over. I keep seeing new things–motifs, horse
Medieval Mash-Up #4: Hello
The face is done–phew!–and the hair is OK. Some of you may remember that I made a small sample for this tapestry, some years ago.
Textile Center of Minnesota Member Show 2020
The annual member show at the Textile Center of Minnesota is always amazing, and this year it is particularly large, 120 entries. The opening is
Billedvev Talk in Sunny Arizona
I have given variations of a lecture, “From Virgins to Spaceships: A Visual Voyage through Norwegian Tapestry,” several times. It’s about time my mother heard it,
Medieval Mash-up #3: The Border Blunder
I dove into the new year with a major round of ripping, but here I am on January 4. My tapestry is a mash-up of
Medieval Mash-up #2: May Your Stars Align in 2020
The Medieval mash-up tapestry is progressing nicely during the holidays, despite a bit of three-steps-forward, one-step-back ripping out. I was so excited when I finished
Medieval Mash-up: #1 — The Hagen Loom
I’ve been planning to weave a blue horse tapestry for years. As I developed the cartoon, I took elements from a number of medieval Norwegian
Hiawatha and the Holidays
Norwegian-American tapestry weaver and embroiderer Pauline Fjelde paid an amazing tribute to her adopted country when she spent more than ten years weaving the monumental
Frida Hansen’s Student, Jullik Gulbrandsen
Because I’ve written about Frida Hansen, people want to tell me more; it’s such a privilege. I received an interesting email from Therese Solbakken in
