The coach yelled, “Is it a one star day?” My four-year-old granddaughter Eleanor sat on the curb after her beloved tennis class ended. He built the tension with, “Or is it a two star day?” The kids are awarded with shiny stars for their racquets. “Is it a three star day?” Yeah, the kids cheered, but the coach egged them on. “Is it four?…No, it’s a FIVE STAR day.” The crowd (of seven) went wild, as they say.
I feel like MY five stars were awarded a few days ago when the new Väv Magasin was delivered, with an article about me by Lisa-Anne Bauch. I have been reading the Swedish magazine for decades, and I feel so honored.
And it wasn’t the only article I felt connections with. The cover article was about Insjöns Väveri, a small weaving mill in Dalerna. I took an amazing rag rug course from Monica Hallen two years ago at Satergläntan, and walked from there to the weaving mill. The magazine cover is shown on top of a cloth I purchased on that perfect summer day.
Another article in the issue by Lisa Anne Bauch describes beautiful weavings from Värmland, “Ethel Halvorsson’s Gift at the American Swedish Institute.” I was part of a small group who examined the tapestries with Lisa, and remember the magic feeling as the weavings were unrolled, and we discussed their weave structures and images.
And finally, “50 Meters of ‘Hymnetrekk,'” details a monumental project to replace 60 tapestry-woven cushion covers in the Oslo, Norway, City Hall. The 1950s cushions were designed by Else Poulsson and were showing wear. The new cushions have been in place since December 2024. They were woven to exacting specifications by four tapestry weavers, including my friend Marta Kløve Juuhl, who has contributed several articles to the Norwegian Textile Letter. (See “Weaving is Life: An Exhibit of the Weaving of Marta Kløve Juuhl.”) Dorthe Herup, one of my favorite tapestry artists, managed the project team. (See “Surprises in Everyday Life.”) Read more about the project in “Reconstructing Tapestry Cushion Covers for City Hall.”
Also on that 5-star day, I saw a post about the lecture on Frida Hansen and her transparent tapestry technique that I will be giving at the Norsk Folkemuseum on September 16, the day before I am teaching a three-day workshop.
See the full lecture description here. If you are in Oslo on September 18, 2025, please come! You could also go to the Rådhuset (City Hall) and sit on the new cushions. I plan to check them out.