Many thanks to Norway House in Minneapolis for hosting our retrospective exhibit “Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest” and to the more than 1,000 guests who visited.
Many thanks to the Vibrant Tradition committee for all their hard work. From left: Peg Hansen, Robbie LaFleur, Beth Detlie, and Mary Skoy. Photo by Lisa-Anne Bauch.
We were sad to see the colorful weavings come down from the walls but heartened by the many kinds comments written in the guest book. We were especially touched when guests reminisced about the weavers from the Scandinavian tradition in their own families:
“My maternal Swedish grandmother wove rag rugs.”
“My grandmother studied Scandinavian and specifically Norwegian weaving and it’s very cool to see her techniques here!”
“My mother was a spinner and weaver…She would have loved Vibrant Traditions. Going through your exhibit was like spending the day with my mother…”
“My father was a Weavers Guild member for many years. He is smiling.”
Remember, you can always visit this page on our blog to see photos of each weaving in the exhibit, along with artists’ statements.
If you haven’t visited Norway House yet, plan to stop by. We especially recommend their weekly Hygge Happy Hour! (Thursdays from 4:00 to 8:00 PM.) Follow along on social media to learn more about the many programs , classes, and exhibits.
Great news! The Scandinavian Weavers exhibit “Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest” has been extended at Norway House through Saturday, April 19.
So many visitors have enjoyed our latest exhibit, featuring 49 contemporary and traditional weavings in the Scandinavian tradition, and we are thrilled to be invited to stay a little longer.
Norway House is located at 913 E Franklin Ave in Minneapolis and features ample parking. While you’re there, stop by the Kaffebar for refreshments and be sure to visit ALSO Ingebretsen’s Gavebutikk, offering Norwegian-themed handcrafts, books, clothing, cookware, children’s items, jewelry, and more.
The exhibit is free for members of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and Norway House; all others $5. See the Norway House website for the building hours of operation:
Norway House hosts continual programming for all ages, including language and craft classes, family activities, music, performances, and Hygge Happy Hours. On February 22 and March 22, volunteers from the Scandinavian Weavers presented Family Fiber Fun Days. The March event began with a group from a local retirement center, Becketwood. Residents were eager to try their hand at Peg Hansen’s handmade warp-weighted loom.
Photo by Beth Detlie
In all, more than 60 visitors sampled a variety of weaving activities. It turns out even tiny fingers can work an inkle loom!
Photo by Peg Hansen
The Family Fiber Day demonstrators (Beth Detlie, Nancy Ebner, Melba Granlund, Holly Hildebrandt, and Peg Hansen) gave away at least 10 frame looms with shuttles so visitors could finish weaving at home.
Photo by Peg Hansen
The Family Fiber Day demonstrators (Beth Detlie, Nancy Ebner, Melba Granlund, Holly Hildebrandt, and Peg Hansen) gave away at least 10 frame looms with shuttles so visitors could finish weaving at home.
Everyone visiting the new exhibition at Norway House, “Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest,” is struck by the intensity of color and texture on the walls lined with weavings. Carstens Smith, Education Coordinator at Norway House, stood in the center of the gallery and said seriously, “You really have to come in person. You can’t capture it fully on film or video.” So you should come!
Another reason the exhibit is so striking is the amazing work of the team that installed the show. Three days were scheduled to fit the 49 submitted pieces into the gallery. Three veterans of many exhibition installations — Beth McLaughlin, Phyllis Waggoner, and Susan Larson-Fleming — took the lead, laid out the weavings, and hung them beautifully by the end of the first day! Beth Detlie and Peg Hansen provided crucial support; they prepped the tangled hanging devices and made runs to the hardware store for supplies.
On Wednesday Melba Granlund came in to set up her warp-weighted loom, the centerpiece amid the visual feast of textiles.
The installation team did a magnificent job of arranging weavings that worked together, and enhanced each other in terms of color, size and texture. They used every inch of space to advantage. The result is exuberant.
In this narrow area between two windows, Nancy Ellison’s shaggy rya is a stark contrast to Patty Johnson’s complex piece woven on a drawloom.
Nancy’s seat cover was woven in rya, or pile technique, and she used unspun locks of wool in the natural colors of her Icelandic sheep for the knotted pile. The piece is thick and rough in texture. It is a stark contrast to Patty Johnson’s refined weaving below it, with smooth linen yarn and woven on a complex loom where pulleys pull up threads to create the floral pattern.
Variety is a hallmark of “Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest.” Come to Norway House to see all the techniques and materials and colors used by members of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group. Let us know your favorites!
Vibrant Traditions: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest
Norway House and the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota present an exhibit of 49 contemporary and traditional weavings in the Scandinavian tradition
Norway House 913 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 January 31 – April 6, 2025
Free for members of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and Norway House; all others $5. See the Norway House website for the building hours of operation.
49″ x 26″ Seine Twine warp with Quilting cottons wefts NFS
Bio: Judy Larson began weaving when her mother got her great-grandmother’s loom out of the grainery 22 years ago. She was given a used loom, and began her learning journey, always ready to take on a challenge. Primarily a rug weaver, she enjoys using fabrics in creative ways and exploring Scandinavian weaving traditions. Retired from teaching elementary school, she now teaches weaving and enjoys sharing her passion with weavers of all ages. Judy Larson now has a weaving studio at Color Crossing in Roberts, Wisconsin where she weaves on an 8-foot Cranbrook loom and a 10-foot Glimakra loom. She incorporates several different techniques such as shaft switching, taquete, and rosepath into her weavings. She is the leader of the Rag Rug group at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, and is active in the Scanweavers and New and Occasional Weavers study groups. Weaving encourages her to play with color, texture, design, pattern, and materials. There is enough challenge and new learning to keep her busy for years, creating pieces that are uniquely hers, while still being functional. Combining design, color, and durability always leads to wonderful surprises, even when carefully planned out, which keeps weaving both amazing and satisfying.
Description: Experimenting with Rölakan techniques, I connected many small pieces of leftover quilting fabrics into dark, medium, and light wefts. The wedge design enhanced the color interactions, and made the design very intriguing as the weaving progressed.
About the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group: If you have a question about weaving, the Scanweavers group has someone who knows the answer, or someone who knows where to research that answer. The collective knowledge of these weavers is a treasure trove!
In Sweden, the days between Christmas and New Year are known as mellandagarna, or “in-between days.” With the bustle of holiday preparations over, it’s the perfect time to get together with friends. In our case, we enjoyed a cozy “UFO” gathering. (“UFO” stands for “Unfinished Object.”) Everyone brought projects that needed finishing, including weaving, knitting, embroidery, and felting, along with leftover holiday treats.
It’s much easier to put those last few stitches in when you’re chatting and laughing with friends! Here Beth works on finishing her Repp weave wall hanging while Robbie converts her tapestry into a pillow.
Photo by Nancy Ebner
“This was the second tapestry I ever wove,” explains Robbie, “at Valdres Husflidsskole in Norway. The design is two abstracted blossoms. It was never great as a wall piece, so I am now attaching hand-made wool fringe and it will become a pillow.”
Photo by Robbie LaFleur
Mary finished an adorable pair of booties for a newborn family member!
Photo by Mary Skoy
Kits to make these fuzzy booties are available from Joe’s Toes in the UK.
Photo by Mary Skoy
During the Scandinavian Weavers upcoming exhibit “Vibrant Tradition” at Norway House in Minneapolis, we will host Family Weaving Days with weaving activities for all ages. (Follow this blog for dates and times.) Here, Holly practices one of the activities, weaving simple coasters on a frame loom.
Photo by Nancy Ebner
The finished result! Holly says, “I think it looks like trees on the shore of a frozen lake with some snowmobile tracks running across.”
Photo by Holly Hildebrandt
The gathering was also an opportunity to share tips and techniques. New member Amy learned how to twist coordinating cordage to adorn her twill weave pillow.
Photo by Amy Grimm
Phyllis finished a knitted scarf while Kelly felted colorful designs on wool dryer balls. (Wool for felting in the foreground.)
Photo by Nancy Ebner
The Scandinavian Weavers have many exciting projects lined up for 2025, including the “Vibrant Tradition” exhibit at Norway House (January 31–April 6) and weaving demonstrations at Gammelgården (May 3). On the loom, we will tackle skillbragd as well as draw loom techniques. Stay tuned for all the details.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all blog followers and hope you will continue to find both information and inspiration in the coming year!
Detail of a rag rug woven by Karin Larsson from “Karin Larsson: Let the Hand be Seen” at the American Swedish Institute.
Norway House and the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota present an exhibit of 49 contemporary and traditional weavings in the Scandinavian tradition
Vibrant Traditions: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest
Norway House 913 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 January 31 – April 6, 2025
Free for members of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and Norway House; all others $5. See the Norway House website for the building hours of operation.
This exhibit of traditional and contemporary weavings in Scandinavian techniques will take place in the Mondale Galleri at Norway House. The Scandinavian Weavers Study Group is celebrating almost three decades of collaboration and friendship that has included exhibitions, study group topics, and sharing of expertise. This resulted in a strong community with a shared interest in traditional Scandinavian weaving techniques and commitment to keeping our craft alive — and vibrant. The exhibit will be accompanied by weaving demonstrations and special events. Check this blog in the coming months for details.
Exhibit Celebration: Friday, February 7, 2025 , 5-8pm. ($5 for members of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and Norway House; all others, $10.
Images: Top: “Wedding Tapestry,” Kevin Olsen. Botom: “Hordaland Teppe,” Lisa Torvik.
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 Handwovenwebsite 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!
Today’s blog entry is written and photographed by Scandinavian Weavers member Holly Hildebrandt.
I got home late last night after the most incredible five days in Grand Marais, taking Melba Granlund’s class at North House Folk School! We built our own warp weighted loom the first two days, then wove on it the next three. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time and it was wonderful spending time with Melba.
Melba and Holly
David Susag was our woodworking instructor. He also has a major affinity for Scandinavian tradition and is most known for springpole woodwork.
Students with woodworking instructor David Susag
Between the lake, smoked fish, mountain of wool yarn, and smell of pine as we chiseled, it was so magical. I am sad that it’s over but so grateful for the memories we created. Big thanks to Melba for sharing her wealth of knowledge with our little group!
Warp strings weighted with rocksClose-up of Holly’s weavingLake Superior shore in Grand Marais, MinnesotaSunset over the Big Lake
Both Scandinavian Weavers and Rag Rug Weavers have been busy this summer volunteering at the American Swedish Institute during the run of “Karin Larsson: Let the Hand Be Seen.” (See previous blog posts for details.) It’s been an amazing opportunity to demonstrate weaving to museum guests, who have been an enthusiastic and curious audience.
Many older guests have shared fond memories of cutting up old clothing and textiles into strips, then sorting them into piles by color, winding them into balls, and delivering them to the local “Rug Lady,” who wove the strips into rugs. Some guests are lucky enough to own rag rugs passed down from family members. so sturdy and well-woven they are still in use today.
Nancy Gossell weaves on the Glimakra loom as ASI guests look on.
This past Monday, Nancy Gossell, Judy Larson, and yours truly arrived at the ASI mansion in the wee hours of the morning to appear on a local news channel’s live broadcast. We were helping promote ASI’s “Cocktails in the Castle,” a night of celebration and craft (both the weaving and cocktail kind). Our interview appears about halfway through the video clip.
The exhibit will be on view at ASI through October 27. Scan Weavers will be on hand to weave on the following Thursday evenings: September 26, October 10, and October 24. Admission is free on Thursdays after 3:00 PM, so stop by if you can.
For a lovely recap of the Karin Larsson exhibit, check out this article on the Modern Daily Knitting blog:
If you’re not able to make it to Minneapolis to see this marvelous exhibit, you’ll have another opportunity in 2025 when it moves to the Swedish American in the historic Andersonville neighborhood in Chicago.
Scandinavian Weavers Study Group 