How Long Does That Take to Weave?

Each Wednesday and Sunday until September 10 (12-3 pm), volunteers from the Weavers Guild of Minnesota Scandinavian Weavers Study Group are demonstrating weaving in the Galleri at Norway House, part of the exhibit “Traditional Norwegian Weaving: American Reboot.”  Slowly, the narrow runner in rutevev (square weave) is taking shape. It’s hard to know how long it takes to weave the runner, however, because part of the weaving time is devoted to talking to visitors. We explain the weaving being done or discuss other pieces in the show.  That’s the purpose of being there–so please come and distract the weaver!

This Sunday, August 13, Judy Larson will demonstrate weaving and Robbie LaFleur will give a gallery talk at 2 pm.  Please join us.

The runner is a variant of a large rutevev in the exhibit, one that was also woven by people demonstrating weaving.  In that case, it was the Oneota Weavers Guild in Iowa who wove on a large loom at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.  In the past couple of decades, the guild members have woven four large rutevev coverlets.

Again, it would be hard to calculate how long it took to weave the piece.

Jan Mostrom wove a large rutevev.  It’s not in the exhibit; this photo is from her home.  The size is roughly 36″ by 55″. Big.

Jan said that it took her about one hour to complete one row of squares. But, keep in mind that she is experienced and fast.  We counted the rows and estimated time for weaving the top and bottom bands and came up with an estimate of 120 hours for the whole piece.  Of course that doesn’t include the time to warp the loom, get the materials,  graph out the pattern, or finish the edges after it came off the loom.  It couldn’t have been less that 150 hours.

The weaving time for many of the complex weavings in the American Reboot exhibit was considerable.  Come and enjoy the beautiful results.