Scandinavian Weavers Study Group

Category: Group Projects

Group weaving projects by members of Scandinavian Weavers

  • Patty Kuebker Johnson: Shades of Red

    Patty Kuebker Johnson

    Shades of Red

    21″ x 12″

    Cotton warp and weft

    NFS

    colorcrossing.com

    Bio: Patty began her weaving journey in 1990 when she purchased a used Glimåkra loom and set up her own weaving studio. Her early projects were inspired by Mary Black’s book The Key to Weaving, and she later expanded her knowledge by attending various classes and conventions, such as those at The Weaver’s Guild of Minnesota, Vävstuga, Midwest Weavers , and Convergence®. Patty credits her progress and joy in weaving to the support and friendships of fellow weavers. Over the years, Patty has explored both simple and complex weaving structures, creating practical and decorative pieces for the home and personal attire. She finds constant inspiration in learning new techniques. Patty was a key figure in the creation of the Textile Center of Minnesota and continues to support the local fiber arts community through her involvement with the Weaver’s Guild of Minnesota, Phipps Center for the Arts, and as the owner of Color Crossing Artist Studios in Roberts, Wisconsin.

    Description: My first draw loom class was with Joanne Hall at Color Crossing, followed by a class at Vävstuga. “Shades of Red” is a study on color and changing the designs along the way. My goal was to expand my ability to design on the draw loom.

    Regarding the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group: The Scandinavian Weavers have enriched my weaving and personal life. Everyone is supportive in all ways. The members of the group help me explore various techniques I might otherwise not think about. I’m so blessed to be part of this fantastic group of weavers!

    pakj52@gmail.com

    Patty Johnson’s draw loom in her studio at Color Crossing in Roberts, Wisconsin

  • Lisa-Anne Bauch: Northern Lights

    Lisa-Anne Bauch

    Northern Lights

    19″ x 19″

    Linen warp, wool weft

    NFS

    Bio: Lisa-Anne Bauch is a Minnesota-based weaver whose work explores traditional Scandinavian techniques in contemporary color palettes. Her work has been exhibited throughout the Midwest and in Finland. She is an active member of the Scandinavian Weavers Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and maintains the group’s blog at scandinavianweaversmn.com. As a freelance writer, Lisa has written for the Norwegian Textile Letter, PieceWork magazine, and Väv magazine (coming in 2025).

    Description: I wove this piece in Rosepath technique during a Scandinavian Weavers group project. The abstract design is meant to suggest a snowy pine forest and a night sky with the Northern Lights overhead.

    About the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group: It has been wonderful to find a group of weavers who share my passion for Scandinavian weaving traditions. Along with my excellent instructors at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, they have expanded my knowledge, improved my technical skills, and cheered me on me when I get discouraged. Best of all, it’s fun!

    labauch@outlook.com

  • Nancy Ellison: Pastors in a Row

    Nancy Ellison

    Pastors in a Row (The Sheep Pasture)

    21” x 17”

    Linen warp, wool weft

    NFS

    Bio: While a home economics teacher, Nancy Ellison took her first weaving class while spending a summer in Norway in 1968. She returned to Norway in 2005 with a textile tour from Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. She has also taken classes at Vesterheim taught by weavers from Norway. She has been at Ellison Sheep Farm near Zumbrota, Minnesota since 1996 and has taught spinning, weaving, and felting and sells new, used, and antique spinning wheels and looms.

    Description: Through the years I had admired weaving I saw in old Swedish Väv magazines that included figures of people, animals, trees, etc. woven in bound rosepath. Three harness krokbragd had been a favorite weave I enjoyed doing and I thought perhaps I could design some krokbragd patterns with figures and came up with this weaving. The figures start with gray tombstones which you have to look for as they don’t show up well on the green background. Then there are pastors in black suits and white collars, fences, sheep, blond girls in skirts, farmers in overalls and hats, etc. Titled “The Sheep Pasture,” it was first entered in the folk art exhibit at Vesterheim in Decorah in 2012 where it was awarded an honorable mention ribbon. Later it was shown at other events such as with shows of the Scandinavian Weavers Group. Sometimes the title was tweaked to “Pasture by the Cemetary”, “Pastors by the Pasture”, etc. In recent years other people have published patterns of krokbragd figures, especially sheep and fences, but I did it independently years earlier.

    Regarding the Scandinavian Weavers Group: I joined the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and the Scandinavian Weavers Group over 30 years ago while my Aunt Marie Nodland was still living, as she had been a long time member who had joined in the early years of the guild. I feel like a link in the chain carrying on the tradition of Scandinavian weaving and am always happy to share information with others and enjoy the exchange of ideas at meetings. I haven’t driven to meetings since before the pandemic but appreciate being able to attend the meetings virtually on Zoom.

    ellisonsheep@gmail.com

    Nancy’s woven pastors spread internationally! Read about how the charming pattern was taken up by weavers in England in “Woven Pastors in a Row – American and British.”

  • Shari Werdal Nelson: Journey

    Shari Werdal Nelson

    Journey

    15.25″ x 43″

    Warp: 16/2 line linen, unbleached; tabby weft: 16/1 line linen, unbleached; Pattern Weft – Rauma Pridvevgarn, 2-ply wool

    NFS

    Bio: Shari Nelson learned to weave in the early 2000s but has done most of her weaving after retirement in 2020. She learned on a 4 shaft Norwood workshop loom during a class taught by Cathie Mayr at Nordic Living in Nisswa, MN. Shari has tried other techniques such as rigid heddle, tablet, card and tapestry weaving but her passion is for the more complicated floor loom projects. She continues to learn and develop drafts/color plans including those inspired by Scandinavian weaves past and present. Her looms are also used to produce utilitarian items and small wearables. Recently, she acquired a Glimakra 10 shaft countermarch loom that will open up a world of possibilities.

    Description: I learned to weave this Telemarksteppe draft as part of the Scandinavian Weavers Group joint project on a pre-warped loom in April of 2023. As a relatively new weaver, this was the perfect opportunity for me to experiment with a countermarch loom and linen warp and ground weft with wool pattern yarn. The color inspiration is from a rug in my Scandinavian-decorated home in Baxter, MN. To use authentic Scandinavian materials, I chose Rauma Prydvevgarn yarn for the pattern yarn. Three colors of blue were used along with red, olive and gold as accents. I learned how to plan the color sequences and treadling by using a weaving software for the first time. The first couple of days were used understanding how the draft transferred to the woven cloth and adjustments were made as I wove. The “finger loop” edge trim was fun to do and easier than I imagined. It hangs in my dining room and is a constant reminder to me that anything can be accomplished if you have the desire to learn. Why name this piece Journey? This piece is a culmination of several exploration journeys to Norway, weaving software exploration to devise color, draft and treadling plans, collaboration with weaving friends and the desire to step out and just try it.

    Regarding the Scandinavian Weavers Group: This Telemarksteppe project would not have happened for me if it wasn’t for the help and advice from members of the Scandinavian Weavers Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. The linen being pre-warped and threaded was of utmost importance. Members answered so many questions for me about the draft and materials needed so I could be prepared. Lisa Torvik voluntarily came down on my first assigned weaving day to show me how to operate the Glimakra Loom since I had never used one before. Every night I went away tired but more confident. I live in Baxter, MN so it required me to stay at my son’s house to be able to do this project over four days. The staff was patient and encouraging and the space was a joy to weave in with ample space and light.

    shari.nelson528@gmail.com

  • Holly Hildebrandt: Cloudberries

    Holly Hildebrandt

    Cloudberries

    24″ x 15″
    Linen
    NFS


    @hollyhilda_mn

    Bio: Holly Hildebrandt lives in the Minnesota St. Croix River Valley. She is a commercial interior designer by day and has a fascination with weaving and the fiber arts. She taught herself how to weave on a frame loom in 2018, and was gifted a floor loom in 2019. This led to many classes, lectures, joining the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group, participating in makers’ markets, and an inevitable lifelong passion for weaving. Holly is inspired by natural surroundings, uncovering family heritage, and studying global design history. With her craft, she hopes to excite an appreciation for functional art, connection to the past, and an intentional way of living in the world today.

    Description: I learned to weave this technique along with other members of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group in early 2024 on a group warp. The lovely geometric pattern took on so many different identities with different weavers’ color selections. Mine took a bold and organic turn with its bright poppy red and creamy natural linen colors. I love the way this traditional technique took on such a modern flair by introducing the softness of the linen to the geometry of the little squares and highly contrasted scarlet weft. A technique I plan to explore more in the future, definitely.

    hollyrhildebrandt@gmail.com

  • Holly Hildebrandt: Belt of Venus

    Holly Hildebrandt

    Belt of Venus

    25″ x 54″
    Cotton
    NFS


    Insta: @hollyhilda_mn

    Bio: Holly grew up on the North Shore of MN and now lives in the St. Croix River Valley where she continues to be inspired by forests and great bodies of water. She taught herself how to weave on a frame loom in 2018, and was then gifted a floor loom in 2019. This led to many classes, lectures, joining the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group, participating in makers’ markets, and an inevitable lifelong passion for weaving. Holly is inspired by natural surroundings, uncovering family heritage, and as an Interior Designer, enjoys studying global design history. With her craft, she hopes to excite an appreciation for functional art, connection to the past, and an intentional way of living in the world today.

    Description: My first rag rug. It was woven in conjunction with the Karin Larsson “Let the Hand Be Seen” exhibit at the American Swedish Institute in 2024. The color scheme is comprised of cloth my mother had leftover from when I was a little girl: the curtains from my bedroom, a blanket from my sister’s bed, extra fabric from a doll pillow. I supplemented the color scheme with some purchased cloth and some kindly shared with me. The rosepath pattern in white I feel creates somewhat of a gate that you can look through to the gradient from peach to periwinkle, much like the Belt of Venus that is so visible at sunrise and sunset. The organic striations at the center are very much to me a lake that reflects a gradient sky onto the water. This year I have done a lot of visiting the North Shore, where I am from, and have been totally captured by the Belt of Venus over Lake Superior. Serene, restful, cheerful. 

    hollyrhildebrandt@gmail.com

  • Jane Connett: Crow

    Jane Connett

    Crow

    14.5”x 9 1/4”
    Linen warp, linen and black wool weft
    NFS

    Bio: Jane has been weaving since 1994. She specializes in small loom weavings and loves to do intricate patterns. Crows are her favorite bird, so weaving this transparency was a labor of love.

    Description: This piece is inspired by my fascination with crows. Crows are so smart, and call out to me. They are one of the most intelligent animals, often outperforming dogs and cats!

    janetheweaver1@gmail.com

  • Edi Thorstensson: Pillow with Swedish Art Weaves

    Edi Thorstensson

    Pillow with Swedish Art Weaves


    18″ x 18″
    Warp 20/3 linen, weft wool tapestry yarn
    NFS

    Bio: Edi Thorstensson has been weaving since 1963, when she enrolled in a summer class in beginning weaving at the Chicago Art Institute. The class was taught by Lurene Stone and occasionally visited by Elsa Regensteiner, who was head of the Weaving Department at the Art Institute and a noted author and textile designer. Being a student in the Art Institute School at the time placed Thorstensson in a social context very different from the Chicago suburb, La Grange, in which she had grown up and the college, St.Olaf, where she had just completed her first year. Her classmates were public school art teachers, aspiring textile designers, artist activists, students of all ages, with diverse economic backgrounds, racial identities, and life experiences and goals. The Civil Rights movement was gaining momentum, and it influenced students’ relationships to each other both inside and outside the classroom. For Thorstensson, the summer weeks of 1963 at the Chicago Art Institute, was an introduction to weaving much more than cloth. Thorstensson has continued her textile studies at Mora Folkhögskola and Skånska Hemslöjd in Sweden, in Tromsø and other settings in Norway, and, in the US, Sievers School of Fiber Arts, the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, North House Folk School, and Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum. She has taught weaving classes at Gustavus Adolphus College and the Arts Center of St. Peter. She is a retired librarian and college archivist who lives in St. Peter, Minnesota.

    Description: Following a Vesterheim Textile Study Tour to Denmark and Norway in the summer of 2017, a number of tour participants and I traveled from Copenhagen to Landskrona, Sweden, to study Swedish art weaves with Gunvor Johansson at Skånska Hemslöjd’s headquarters. This was made possible by Scandinavian Weaver Melba Granlund, who arranged for a class for our group that would be taught in English. My piece is entirely inspired by Gunvor’s examples and her encouragement. It was woven on a pre-warped loom with a 50/10 reed, dressed with 20/3 linen warp. Weft was Swedish wool yarns, including Klippans Fårö, and Norwegian Rauma prydvevgarn one- and two-ply. I chose to mount my piece on commercial black wool fabric and embellish it with a cotton inkle-woven band and minimal hand stitching. I used a manufactured pillow case and filler to complete the piece.

    Regarding the Scandinavian Weavers Group: The study group has been a wonderful enhancement and continuation of the Norwegian Textile focus group and publications. It is always good to connect!

    ejthor44@gmail.com

  • Beth Detlie: Telemark Heritage

    Beth Detlie

    Telemark Heritage

    12″ x 48″

    Linen warp, wool weft

    NFS

    Bio: Beth started to weave in 2020 after retiring. She has taken classes through the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and currently weaves on a Rigid Heddle loom and a floor loom at home. Her interest is in exploring Norwegian weaving. This has led to taking a course at Vävstuga in Massachusetts and weaving at a studio in Norway.

    Description: I wove this piece as part of the Scandinavian Weavers’ Telemarksteppe group warp at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. The design inspiration came from a veggteppe my husband and I received as a wedding gift from a relative in Norway in 1978. The wool was purchased in Norway and is similar to the material used in the original weaving.

    bdetlie7@gmail.com

  • “Viking Twill” Towel-Weaving Fundraiser

    “Viking Twill” Towel-Weaving Fundraiser

    Weavers from left: Lisa Torvik, Nancy Ebner, Lisa-Anne Bauch, Brenda Gauvin-Chadwick, Beth Detlie, and Robbie LaFleur

    Last summer, the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and the American Swedish Institute collaborated on a weaving workshop with faculty from the acclaimed Sätergläntan Institute for Craft and Handwork in Sweden. (See previous blog posts for details. ) The Guild’s Education Manager Betsy Konop asked the Scandinavian Weavers Group if we would be interested in weaving towels with leftover yarn from the workshop to sell in the Guild shop to support our educational programs.

    We chose the “Viking Twill” draft by Gunnel Oresjo, first published in the 2009 September/October issue of Handwoven. The editorial team at Handwoven gave us their kind permission to use the draft for fundraising purposes. (Search the Handwoven website for the draft.)

    The warp was wound with bright primary colors, similar to what would have been available from natural dyes in Scandinavia in Viking times. The original draft is for a simple 2/2 broken twill, but Weavers Guild instructor Donna Hanson generously created many more variations in PixeLoom for us to try. (Donna’s towel-weaving classes are perennial favorites at the Guild.)

    Viking Twill warp on the loom

    The warp uses Bockens 16/2 cotton, and each weaver brought in weft yarn from their stash, including cotton, linen, and blends. It was inspiring to see how many variations were created using the different colors, patterns, and textures.

    Close-up of twill towels

    Some of the towels have a crowning touch—Swedish-style handing bands using the same Bockens yarn. These were woven by the Weavers Guild band-weaving interest group, affectionately known as the Banditos.

    Close-up of tablet-woven and Kumihimo bands.

    Fifteen weavers wove towels, and Beth Detlie heroically kept all of us scheduled and organized. Mary Skoy generously washed and hemmed all the towels.

    Weavers Guild Education Director Betsy Konop and Scan Weaver (and heroic hemmer) Mary Skoy

    The towels are currently available for sale in the Weavers Guild shop. Meanwhile, a second warp has already been wound and will soon be on the loom.

    The second Viking Twill warp

    Many thanks to our first batch of weavers! Judy Larson, Nancy Ebner, Robbie LaFleur, Auden O’Connell, Jan Johnson, Mary Skoy, Beth Detlie, Lisa Torvik, Brenda Gavin Chadwick, Karen Holmes, Lisa-Anne Bauch, Peg Hanson, along with guild staff Betsy Konop (Education Manager) and Jasmyn Hinton (Retail & Administrative Associate.) Special thanks to Hopsy for helping to warp the loom!

    Hopsy, official Guild Dog!