Showcases one of Norway's most beautiful and enduring folk arts.

"To explain the coverlet's importance as the pinnacle of the Norwegian weaver's art, Katherine Larson looks at the role textiles played in the lives of women prior to the twentieth century. She takes readers through the yearly cycle in rural Norway and relates it to the many steps of cloth production in a pre-industrial era. Larson describes traditional methods of preparing, spinning, dyeing, and weaving wool and flax, and the tools with which these tasks were performed. She devotes chapters to the different types of coverlets and their origins: tapestry, square weave, krokbragd, double weave, rya, and overshot. Numerous illustrations show patterns from ages past faithfully preserved in the coverlets of Norway. In addition, the book includes a wealth of bibliographic sources and a glossary of weaving terminology."--BOOK JACKET.

This is the most comprehensive study of such varied factors as art historical traditions and influences, the social and economic background that encouraged each of these arts, Norwegian symbolism, traditional costume, and emigration to the United States and its influence on the arts. An informative and practical discussion of Norwegian folk art collections is also included.

Understand the culture and traditions behind the charm, to enjoy meaningful making Meets the needs of two content-hungry audiences: fiber artists and Nordic craft enthusiasts Adopt some of Nordic life's cultural norms, like gökotta (to have a picnic at dawn to hear the first bird’s song)

Discussion of the craftsmanship involved in making coverlets. More than 50 coverlet designs are reproduced, 16 in color.

For the first time in English, a complete book about Norwegian pick-up bandweaving--from its fascinating history to beautiful bands you can make yourself, with more than 100 pattern charts from bands in museum collections. Part 1 tells the story of how these bands were used in the rural communities of 18th and 19th century Norway, as stocking bands, swaddling bands, sending bands, and more. Part 2 looks closely at twenty bands brought to America by Norwegian immigrants, and what they tell us about traditional patterns, colors, and materials. Part 3 has clear and concise instructions for weaving pick-up on simple, traditional band heddles, and these instructions can also be adapted to other kinds of looms. Meticulously researched, easy-to-read, and profusely illustrated, this book is destined to become a classic in the field. It will interest not only weavers but anyone who appreciates textile arts, folk costumes, and Norwegian culture.