Nordic Folklife
Sustaining Scandinavian Folk Arts in the Upper Midwest

Weave-along Showcase

Welcome to the Nordic Folklife Weave-along Showcase! We’re excited to share images of the beautiful weavings people have created after taking part in our weave-along program in the Spring of 2021.

On May 13th, 2021 the Nordic Folklife Project partnered with the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, and the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, to present Iowa-based weaver Laura Demuth as she led participants in a 90-minute demonstration, weave-along activity, and presentation on Norwegian coverlet traditions featuring images from the Vesterheim collection. The weave-along featured handheld Hello! Looms created by UW Assistant Professor of Design Studies, Marianne Fairbanks, which were sent out to registered participants ahead of the session. The weft-faced weaving methods that Laura Demuth demonstrated on the Hello! Loom allowed participants to replicate the style and several design motifs found in Norwegian coverlets on a much smaller scale.

Over 130 participants tuned into the live presentation and many more have been weaving along with the recorded event, now available online through the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures’ YouTube channel.

Below are some images shared with our project after the session, followed by resources for further exploration. If you participated in the weave-along and you’d like to share a photo of your weaving for this showcase, please email us at folklife@letsci.wisc.edu with your name, a photo of your weaving, and any other information you’d like us to share about your weaving.

The Nordic Folklife project would like to express our thanks to Laura Demuth for sharing her time and talents with us, to all our programming partners, to everyone who tuned in live to weave with us on May 13th, and to those who are weaving along to the recorded event on YouTube! Happy weaving, everyone!

Weavings by Laura Demuth
Weaving by Noreen Crone-Findlay
Weaving by Lorna Pollock
Weaving by Jessica Wilson
Weaving by Kari Tauring
Weaving by Sibyl McNulty
Weaving by Traudi Bestler
Weaving by Anna Rue
Weaving by Anuradha Bhatia
Weaving by Kristin Propson
Weaving by Susan King
Weaving by Carol Desrochers
Weaving by Natalie Duncombe
Vocabulary Terms From The Zoom & Loom:
Warp – The yarn that runs vertically in a weaving; the first threads that you fixed to the Hello! Loom before you began weaving the yarn with the weaving needle
Weft – The yarn that you string on the needle and passed back-and-forth horizontally through the warp threads
Selvage (selvedge in British English) – The edge of a weaving that doesn’t require the weaving in of a loose end; the turn created at the end of a woven row
Tabby Weave or Plain Weave – The weaving pattern that alternates between going over and under each of the warp threads
Weft-Faced Weaving – A weaving style that is tightly packed, leaving only the weft yarn visible and hiding the warp; this was the style of weaving Laura Demuth demonstrated on the Hello! Loom
Links and Resources For Further Exploration:
Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures (CSUMC), collaborator on this weaving workshop and presentation: https://csumc.wisc.edu/
CSUMC YouTube Channel, which has additional virtual program recordings:
Sustaining Scandinavian Folk Arts in the Upper Midwest / Nordic Folklife: https://folklife.wisc.edu/
Traveling Traditions Virtual Exhibit, which includes some features on fiber artists: https://folklife.wisc.edu/projects/traveling-traditions-nordic-folk-arts-in-the-upper-midwest/
Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study, collaborator on this weaving workshop and presentation: https://scandinavianstudy.org/
Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum, presentation and programming partner for this workshop and presentation: https://vesterheim.org/
Vesterheim Gold Medalist page for Laura Demuth: https://collections.vesterheim.org/gold_medalist/demuth-laura/
Hello! Loom, the handheld weaving tool featured in this weaving workshop: https://helloloom.com/
Hello! Loom YouTube Channel, which contains some instructional videos:
Weaving Lab, a project by Marianne Fairbanks, creator of Hello! Loom:
Woven Together: Hello! Loom at Copenhagen Contemporary, a virtual exhibition featuring weavings created on Hello! Looms:
Textile Center of Minnesota, includes online exhibits, educational opportunities, and more: https://textilecentermn.org/
Folk Schools and Folk Art Courses in the Upper Midwest Offering Weaving Courses:
North House Folk School, Grand Marais, MN: https://northhouse.org/
Vesterheim Folk School Classes, Decorah, IA: https://vesterheim.org/folk-art-school/
The Clearing Folk School, Ellison Bay, WI: https://theclearing.org/wp/
Weaving Books Laura Demuth Recommends in Connection to this Workshop and Presentation:
The Woven Coverlets of Norway, by Katherine Larson (2001): https://www.amazon.com/Woven-Coverlets-Norway-Katherine-Larson/dp/0295981318
The Warp-Weighted Loom, by Hildur Hakonardottir, Elizabeth Johnston, and Marta Kløve Juul (2016) (order here through Vesterheim): https://store.vesterheim.org/collections/books/products/the-warp-weighted-loom-kljasteinavefstadurinn-oppstadveven