Bio: Mary Lønning Skoy has been involved in the fiber community in Minnesota since the early 1970s. Taking weaving classes in Norway and at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa, as well as her membership in the Scandinavian Weavers group at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, have contributed to her special interest in Scandinavian knitting and weaving. She has contributed projects and articles to Handwoven Design Collection #4, Handwoven, SpinOff, and The Weavers Journal magazines, and A Thread Through Time, the Weavers Guild of Minnesota’s 75th Anniversary book. Her booklet, “Weaving on a Frame Loom: a First Project,” has helped countless weavers experience the joys of rigid heddle weaving. She is the recipient of Textile Center of Minnesota’s 2020 Spun Gold award “honoring fiber artists and advocates for a lifetime dedication to Textile Center and fiber arts.” Her interest in Scandinavian textiles may be in her DNA. Her Norwegian great aunt Sunniva Lønning was a fiber artist, teacher of weaving and spinning, and an activist in mid-twentieth century Norway working to preserve ancient sheep breeds, particularly the iconic spelsau sheep. Visiting the Lønning farm on the island of Stord off the western coast of Norway, she saw firsthand the decorative and functional textiles that were such an important part of her Norwegian family’s homes and daily life. Several generations of Lønnings in Norway are both makers and collectors of textiles. Mary Skoy continues this family tradition today creating textiles for wearable, decorative, and household use.

Description: My cousin Linda and I have long shared an affection for our Norwegian family roots. Our grandfather Audun Lønning emigrated to a farm in Iowa in 1919 from the Lønning family farm on the island of Stord, Norway, and we have both visited with our extended family there and in other parts of Norway. In 2019, Linda asked if I could weave a Norwegian-inspired wall hanging for a specific space in her newly remodeled house. I was honored to be asked and said “Of course, what size would you like?” When she said “24 inches by 84 inches to go down a stairwell,” I tried to look nonplussed and again said “Of course!”

Here’s a very short story of En Moderne Danskbrogd Vevprove in the Vibrant Tradition exhibition. The story of this weaving is also the story of the extraordinary generosity of the community of weavers near and far who share my interest in Scandinavian weaving and who so willingly offered their expertise (and yarn). Linda and I settled on a danksbrogd design inspired by a beautiful weaving by Ann Haushild, woven after she took a class taught by Jan Mostrom in 2003 at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. Ann had been a member of the original Scandinavian Study Group organized in 1996 to study danskbrogd. Ann invited me to her home to photograph her original weaving which I then used as a guide, expanding her 11½” x 31” wall hanging to 24” x 84” to fit Linda’s space. The members of that 1996 study group had figured out how to avoid the pick-up required to weave danskbrogd on a krokbragd threading, using five shafts instead of three. Thanks to the efforts of Robbie Lafleur, editor of The Norwegian Textile Letter, many of the notes from that group were digitized, appearing in articles in The Norwegian Textile Letter over the years. This archive became a great source of inspiration and information for me.

I had to learn how to weave danskbrogd on my loom—a sixteen shaft AVL Compu-Dobby. Jan Mostrom, an amazing weaver of all things Scandinavian, a recipient of Vesterheim’s Gold Medal in Weaving, a gifted weaving teacher, and a dear friend, patiently explained (with handouts) how to translate the 3 shaft pick-up krokbragd to a 5 shaft no pick-up treadled danskbrogd technique. Sue Fairchild, developer of the weaving software Pixeloom, explained her software’s boundweave feature to help me plan out some of the 3 shaft krokbragd motifs, and then I created a spreadsheet to design a drawdown for the 5 shaft motifs. Rauma aklegarn was my yarn of choice and Blue Heron Knitters in Decorah, Iowa, still had many colors for sale, but Rauma had stopped producing this yarn so I asked friends to “check their stash” for aklegarn. Once again, Jan Mostrom came to my rescue, offering me several colors I needed. Wendy Sundquist on Whidbey Island, Washington, sent me aklegarn from her stash, some of which she had dyed the perfect red. I knit Robbie LaFleur golf club covers in exchange for some of the blue I needed. Veronna Capone from Brookings, South Dakota, had some gold she could send me. Kay Larson from Bainbridge Island, Washington, contributed more colors, and I was ready to weave. As I wove, I learned how to manage selvedges with two and three colors, how to cover the warp completely in this weft-faced technique, how to advance the temple, and to keep track inch by woven inch on an 84” ribbon pinned to the weaving. And finally, how to finish the warp ends with a Damascus edge, steam press the hanging on thick felt to gently flatten the piece, and how to hand sew velcro onto fabric sleeves attached to the top and bottom so the piece could be hung. The story has a happy ending. Linda liked the hanging, and the Lønning family tradition of making and collecting Norwegian-inspired textiles will live on.

maryskoy@hotmail.com

Bio: Mary Erickson is a fiber artist living on the Mesabi Iron Range with an interest in how landscape and culture influence our lives.  Scandinavian weaving has long been an interest and she has traveled to several Nordic countries to study traditional methods of weaving.  Her weavings are on public display at the Essentia Health Virginia Building, the Minnesota North College at the Mesabi Range Virginia Campus and also at the Eveleth Campus.  Solo exhibits of her work have been held at the First Stage Gallery, Lyric Center for the Arts in Virginia, MN and her work has been included in many group exhibits. Mary holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education from Bemidji State University and a Master of Art Degree from the University of Wisconsin, Superior.

Description: This weaving was woven several years ago in a class taught by the Norwegian weaver Åse Froysadal at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa.  On the first day of class I envisioned using pattern drafts to learn how to weave Boundweave Rosepath.  But to my surprise, Åse stressed designing at the loom.  What this means is that instead of weaving from a pre-designed pattern on paper, I was looking at how the warp threads moved to determine what shape and color to use for the design. I still remember Ase saying, “Think about it,” as we wove–which is why I call the piece, Think About It. She opened up a new way of weaving.

Regarding the Scandinavian Weavers Group: Living in Northern Minnesota, the Zoom link to the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group enables me to connect with a wonderful organization of weavers who are always looking forward to new learning, projects and goals.  I feel very lucky to be a part of this group of talented weavers and also the opportunity to display my work in this exhibit.

vember@mchsi.com

Bio: Jan Mostrom grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Before Jan started school, her grandmother taught her how to embroider. While she may have harassed her grandmother to teach her and preschool stitches are unique, this was the beginning of a lifelong love of textiles. While attending Luther College in Decorah Iowa, Jan took a January term class in weaving from Lila Nelson. After graduation, Jan used her savings to buy a used car and a loom. She has been weaving on that loom ever since. The car is long gone. Graduation was also followed by a wedding to her high school and college sweetheart Mike, and their two children and two grandchildren remain the center of her life and heart. Jan has taught Scandinavian weaving classes at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum for over 20 years and also has taught at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, Minnetonka Center for the Arts and others including the first Norwegian Textile Conference. She has contributed articles to the Norwegian Textile Letter and organized an international weaving study group. She received her gold medal in weaving from Vesterheim Folk Art School in 1999. She has traveled to Scandinavia many times with Vesterheim textile tours and independently and has studied with Scandinavian weaving instructors in the United States, Norway and Sweden. Jan, along with weaving friend Janis Aune, has taught a small group of impoverished women in Tanzania how to weave rag rugs allowing them to support themselves and their children to attend school.

Description: Indigo Nights was woven as part of an earlier exhibition of textiles inspired by the Baldishol tapestry, one of the oldest surviving tapestry from Norway, dating from about 1100. I have always been attracted to the graphic style of the Baldishol with its interesting background designs and vibrant colors. The Baldishol represents April and May of what must have been a much larger tapestry. Taking my inspiration from the spotted sky of the May section, I wove a bold wool rug with wide stripes in various shades of indigo and circles of red, gold and white. The black and white triangle borders are another element found in the Baldishol. I dyed the wool with natural dyes that may have been used in the original weaving; indigo for blue, madder root for red and birch leaves for gold. The white and black wools are natural sheep colors.

janmostrom@yahoo.com