In Norway, You Don’t Look for Krokbragd Weavings; They Find You
Of the many interesting stops on the Vesterheim 2017 Textile Tour, none had a particular focus on krokbragd, a popular type of Norwegian weave structure. Yet… they keep showing up. … Continue reading
Stroll Through Kristiansand Museum with Me
Our Textile Tour group visited the Kristiansand Museum and enjoyed a wonderful presentation and tour of old buildings with Tonje Tjøtte. She apologized immediately for her bunad (folk costume). “Today I … Continue reading
A Spelsau Sheep Day: Photo Essay
On a beautiful Sunday morning in Kristiansand, our Textile Tour group took the ferry to Bragdøy, a five-minute ride away. This trip was the polar opposite of our ferry ride … Continue reading
Hørvævmuseet, for Linen Lovers
I wish that so many of my linen-loving weaving friends could have been with me at Hørvævmuseet, a linen weaving museum in the heart of Denmark. The museum is staffed by … Continue reading
Getting Fancy, 1800s Danish Farmhouse Style
Jytte Harboesgaard gave a wonderful tour at Greve Museum today. She focused on white-on-white embroidered linens, and showed how they were displayed in an 1800s prosperous Danish farmhouse. They were … Continue reading
Hedebo Embroidery at the Greve Museum, Denmark
There are no days-long courses as part of the Vesterheim Textile Tour this year, only a couple of mini-courses. The first was at Greve Museum, south of Copenhagen, in beautiful … Continue reading
Pancakes at Copenhagen City Hall
On June 14, I had the great honor of attending an opening reception for an exhibit at the Copenhagen City Hall, “København 850 år,” the guest of Ulrikka Mokdad, a … Continue reading
Traditional Norwegian Weaving: American Reboot
There’s going to be a great exhibit this year at Norway House. The idea began with Claire Selkurt, who is on the exhibitions committee for Norway House, and it developed … Continue reading
“Polar Bear, Polar Bear, Does Anyone Care?”
The title of this small tapestry (9.5″ x 15.5″) is “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, Does Anyone Care?” Surely not our current president, a climate change denier who proposes a 31% … Continue reading
Get Plastic Out of the Ocean
My friend Annemor sent a link to a newscast about a funny and creative woman in Kristiansand in southern Norway, an environmental activist with heart. On Syttende Mai (Norwegian Independence Day), … Continue reading
Mother’s Day (including a nostalgic textile)
I’m on an extended visit to the family farm in Bygland in northern Minnesota, so I am able to be with my mother for Mother’s Day, a treat. Here we are, … Continue reading
Varafeldur, Part 4: One Step Forward, One Step Back
Melba wrote to me today and asked how my weaving was going; had I run out of handspun yarn yet? She has much more beautiful yarn ready. Unfortunately, I am … Continue reading
Varafeldur, Part 3
Once the warp threads are hanging from the top of the loom, and the weights are attached at the bottom, the next step is to make a chain across the … Continue reading
Varafeldur, Part 2
The warp is now hanging from my loom, and the weights are attached, after a fun day of diving in to the project with Melba Granlund and Connie LaTendresse. As … Continue reading
Finally, A Varafeldur, 2017
A weaving adventure begins this week, thanks to my friend Melba Grandlund, who thought it would be a great idea to demonstrate weaving on a warp weighted loom at the … Continue reading
Billedvev-Abstracted to the Extreme
At our meeting of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group yesterday, I was honored by a compliment. Sara Okern, a master of serene rag rugs, said that she was inspired by my … Continue reading
A Busy Loom at the Weavers Guild
Our Scandinavian Weavers Study Group is in the midst of a group project at the Weavers Guild. We put a fine linen warp for dukagång on a Glimåkra loom. Everyone … Continue reading
April First Thursday at the Casket Arts Building
This Thursday is the monthly “First Thursday” open house at the Casket Arts Building. I’m in Studio 316. This would be a good month to stop by – there will … Continue reading
Mary Zicafoose Workshop, Finishing Up
We learned Mary’s ikat weft dyeing technique and made manageable 12″ wide pieces. While the dye-resist wrapping took us a couple of hours, Mary and her assistants might wrap for … Continue reading
Ikat Dyeing Workshop, Day Two
On day two of Mary Zicafoose’s workshop, the students headed to their looms to weave in the dyed weft. It was tricky! Would our wefts correctly match the width of … Continue reading
Ikat Dyeing with Mary Zicafoose, Day One
In a weekend workshop with Mary Zicafoose, nine lucky weavers tried their hands creating small pieces with her signature weft-faced ikat form of tapestry. Here’s my step-by-step during this amazing opportunity. To … Continue reading
A New Weaving, and Red Bits for the Birds
I finished the second danskbrogd piece on my loom; the first was monochromatic, and I felt the need to move to COLOR. “Purple is good,” my painter studio neighbor suggested. … Continue reading
Tapestry Food Quiz
A few weeks ago I spent a magical day looking at many tapestries from the storeroom of the Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum. I’m planning which ones I will use in … Continue reading
My Weaving BFF from the 1800s
While weaving this monochromatic danskbrogd hanging, I thought about privilege and luck – my own, specifically. My inspiration piece is a coverlet made in Norway in the 1800s; I loved … Continue reading
You’ll Know Where My Studio Is Now
A while back I experimented with using fabric strips for rya, on a chicken wire backing. It resulted in a fun group project done at the American Swedish Institute and … Continue reading
Billedvev Class Prep
I am teaching a three-day workshop on Norwegian billedvev (tapestry, or literally, “picture weaving”) at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum on September 14-17. Details here. One piece of my year-long preparation … Continue reading
A Bright Danskbrogd Hanging with a Sad Intention
In memorial to Jacob Wetterling. When I took my recent danskbrogd piece off the loom, I was was not completely happy, from a design vantage point. I finished it and … Continue reading
Danskbrogd Instruction
A weaving friend, responding to a Facebook photo of my current piece on the loom, asked where she could learn how to weave danskbrogd. Happily, there are resources in two … Continue reading
Small Tapestry, A Big Crowd
I’ve been spending time making samples for my upcoming workshop on Norwegian tapestry (billedvev), testing different setts and yarns to plan for the best combination for the class project. Last week, … Continue reading
How Long Did That Take to Weave?
I often get the question, “How long did it take you to weave one of these?” It doesn’t help that the studio visitors are looking over a whole wall of … Continue reading
X Marks the Spot
Perhaps this pillow marks the comfortable spot on the couch that beckons on a gray day. This year I developed a class on Scandinavian fringe techniques; I particularly love the … Continue reading
My Blanket in Pakistan
Last year I submitted a blanket as part of an installation to be mounted at the American Embassy in Pakistan by the talented artist Marie Watt. Today I received a note … Continue reading
Warp-Weighted Loom Weights
I mentioned previously that I obtained a whole bag of trampoline weights that my neighbor was discarding. They weighed nine ounces, so I used cement to make them close to 500 … Continue reading
No Protection
A new weaving. Guns, targets, and Xs I wish could symbolize a decrease in guns available, a decrease in the gun culture. The world feels more precarious now, with an election … Continue reading
Kavelfrans
I’ve seen photos of beautiful gloves with kavelfrans sewn in an X pattern, so I thought I would try something similar; in this case, the piece will likely be on … Continue reading
Anna Freud’s Weaving
I attended a conference at the Freud Museum in London, “Freud Today/Freud Tomorrow,” at the Anna Freud Center, a few doors down from the lovely Freud Museum. The museum is … Continue reading
The Most Charming Weaving Instructions Ever
The new issue of the Norwegian Textile Letter is up! It includes two tapestry articles: a history of Norwegian tapestry by Unn Sønju, and an article by Unn about her influences … Continue reading
A Norwegian (Male) Damask Weaver
My friend Annemor Sundbø is a constant source of interesting films. Recently she posted a TV interview from 1970 with a male damask weaver from Steinsland on Sotra, an island west … Continue reading
