I followed Jon Fredrik Skauge’s series of juleroser [Christmas roses] posts throughout Advent. He highlighted roses in many beautiful handcrafted forms through his Facebook feed. You should look through them all! Jon Fredrik Skauge.
One day he highlighted the roses in woven skillbragd coverlets. I have so many friends that are crazy about the technique. Jon thought it was great to share that post in translation with my American weaver friends.
The Eighth Roses: An Eight-petaled-rose Coverlet (originally published on December 17, 2024)
In Trøndelag, the skillbragd technique gained a foothold and skillbragd coverlets were attached to sheepskin blankets until well after the Second World War. Skillbragd weavings could also be used as tablecloths and eventually on the wall.
In Orkdal, the complex coverlets with eight-petaled roses became popular. There were specialized weavers who wove these, and I know of at least three who made a living from weaving what was then called the 17-shaft coverlet. There were 13 pattern shafts and four ground-weave shafts. I have only seen cotton thread in these coverlets. And for the most part, chemical dyes were probably used in the woolen yarn, which was probably home-spun. I don’t know where this coverlet pattern came from, nor why it was particularly popular here in the valley. But the eight-petaled rose is universal and good weavers imitate the patterns they see, in the same way that knitters have done it. There is a nice expression for this in the local dialect: å stållå konst [to steal art, I believe!]
I myself was involved in the needlework registrations at the end of the 1990s and I will never forget the numbers of wall hangings that came in for registration. There could be several dozen from one farm.
At that time I was also involved in setting up this pattern in the husflidslaget [handcraft club] and wove two wall hangings with my own plant dyes. I look forward to sitting at my loom again. I have no shortage of vegetable-dyed yarns in strong colors, so maybe I’ll have to try the 17-shaft and eight-petaled rose again.Jon Fredrik Skauge
And more juleroser… I received a copy of the annual Christmas magazine, Juleroser, because I gave them permission to use a photo of Frida Hansen’s rose tapestry that I took. Could they use my photo along with a message from Crown Princess Mette Marit? That was a permission I was thrilled to give.
Merry Christmas!