Scandinavian Weavers Study Group

Author: Robbie LaFleur

  • RED – Connie LaTendresse

    Checkered Pillow.  18″ x 18″  Linen, poppana fabric strips.

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    IMG_4777Connie’s checkered pillow is one of a pair woven in a beautiful design from the book Scandinavian Weaving by Tina Ignell.  She ordered red and navy popanna, a bias-cut cotton fabric, from WEBS and the seine twine from Vavstuga. The weaving went incredibly fast and looked just like the photograph in the book, but when she took it off the loom, she just didn’t really like it or know what to do with it. It languished in a closet.  When the Scandinavian Weavers group began its focus on red, she took it to the fabric store and found the perfect backing to complement both colors.  Sometimes a weaving just has to wait for the right moment to be the perfect something.  The checkerboard pattern works especially well  as a pillow, as the curved edges of the pillowtop give an “op art” effect to the small squares.

  • RED – Claire Most

    Theme and Variation. 27″ x 45″ Double-binding technique. Cotton warp and cotton fabric weft.

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  • RED – Marilyn Moore

    Swedish Dishtowels.  Cottolin.  Plain weave with embroidery.  17″ x 26″

    FullSizeRenderMarilyn used red and natural cottolin for a set of six dishtowels. She wove them in plain weave, with a log cabin effect created by the two colors intersecting in the corners.  The Swedish heart was an appropriate addition, as they were given as gifts to friends on Valentines Day.

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  • RED – Melba Granlund

    Julefest.  11.25″ x 25″  Krokbragd.  Cotton warp, Rauma wool weft

    Melba chose to weave her red krokbragd for a couple of reasons.  The colors seemed appropriate to the holiday season when she began.  It represents all the colors and joyfulness of the Christmas season — the greens of Christmas trees, the reds and golds of Christmas decorations on the trees, and the pure white snow represented by snow angels against a red background in one of the motifs.  In the krokbragd technique, the threads are also treadled repeatedly as 1-2-3, which could represent the Trinity coming to life in the birth of baby Jesus.

    But the other reason, “the real reason,” was that she wanted to see if she remember what Jan Mostrom taught her in a krokbragd class five years earlier.  (Clearly, it all came back!)

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  • RED – Karin Anderson Maahs

    Anderson Berry Farm, Bay City, Wisconsin  6-1/2″ x 7″ Tapestry.  Cotton warp, wool weft.

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    “Experimentation in Red” 41″ x 21.5″ Cotton warp and felted wool fabric strip weft.  Plain weave.

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    Karin’s red wool strips for this rug were part of a trove of felted wool purchased by her friend.

     

  • RED – Keith Pierce

    Untitled.  12″ x 36″  Band weaving (various techniques) Pearle and unmercerized cotton.

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    These bands represent two traditional weaving techniques: card-weaving and backstrap weaving with hand-held rigid heddles.

    The card-woven pieces were woven on a backstrap loom with the commonly-used warp-twined-cord structure.

    The rest are either backstrap-woven using a pattern heddle (Spaltegrind in Norwegian), or on an inkle loom with manual pick-up.  They use supplementary warp patterns on a plain-weave, half-basket-weave background — commonly known as either “Baltic” or “European” structure.

    The color red dominates traditional woven bands throughout Scandinavia and Baltic regions.  Some are thicker and stronger, and would have been used as straps and belts. Other finer pieces are examples of hairbands, shirt bands, or decorative edging on clothing.

  • RED – Robbie LaFleur

    “So Lucky”  (dimensions) Plain weave, rya. Cotton warp, wool weft.

    “So Lucky” refers to the Norwegian symbol of luck and happiness.  Read more about the weaving at An Eight-Pointed Star in Rya.

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  • RED – Corwyn Knutson

    RED – Corwyn Knutson

    “Norwegian Cherry Tree”  31″ x 33″ Rya.  Linen warp and wool weft.

    Corky was on a driving trip in Norway, from Aurland to Bodø. Traveling through Hardanger on just the right spring day, he was inspired by hills that were brilliant with the bright pink flowers of cherry trees.

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  • RED – Mary Skoy

    “Christmas Runner” 10″ x 44″ linen of various weights. Double weave

    Mary’s goal since she started weaving in the early 70s has been to weave household textiles, to use and display functional and decorative pieces she weaves. Scandinavian textiles are her inspiration: contemporary functional weaving seen in shops, those seen in use in the homes of family in Norway; and historical pieces in museums.

    Mary wove this narrow red runner for Christmas holiday use. It just fits on the top of her piano. And it’s RED, her favorite color.

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  • Red – Nancy Ellison

    Red – Nancy Ellison

    Zumbrota Covered Bridge: Minnesota’s Only Remaining Historic Covered Bridge.  13″ x 22″ Tapestry.  Cotton warp, handspan wool weft.

    Our Scandinavian Weavers Group includes members who put on a lot of miles to attend meetings, driving from South Dakota, Wisconsin, and central and southern Minnesota.  Nancy Ellison runs Ellison Sheep Farm near Zumbrota, Minnesota.  The red covered bridge is a famous local landmark.

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