Looking back to move forward
An important part of how I design quilt patterns is looking back – into the history and the craft that came before us. I like knowing where things come from, and I like building new designs on top of old ideas, techniques and traditions.
The Norwegian Chain quilt pattern started in exactly that way. Not with a big idea, but with a very small detail.
What is a bunad?
A bunad is the Norwegian national costume, built on old regional clothing traditions. Today, there are several hundred different bunads from different parts of Norway. They're all heavily hand made – usually from natural fibers like wool, linen and sometimes silk.
Some bunads are very well documented and are based on garment traditions that have been in continuous use for a long time — many of the bunads from Telemark are good examples of this. Others are more loosely reconstructed, based on fragments of old clothing that have been found, and then carefully interpreted and built into a full costume.
Old bunads from Telemark. By Axel Lindahl - Galleri NOR (Wikimedia commons)
The Sunnmøre bunad belongs to this second group. In this case, an apron was found at an old farm, and the embroidery on that apron became the starting point for the rest of the bunad.
How bunads are used today
Today, bunads are worn on big and important occasions. Most of all on May 17th, Norway’s Constitution Day, but also for weddings, confirmations, baptisms, and other celebrations like graduations. It's still most common for women to wear a bunad, but the last 10-20 years, more and more men have started wearing bunads, too. A bunad is tailor-made. Many girls often get theirs for their confirmation around age 15, as a woman's bunad is relatively easy to adjust size-wise at a later point (though you'll from time to time hear people say they're not wearing their bunad because it has "shrunk in the closet"....) For this reason, men's bunads are usually not made until they're fully grown – at least in their early 20's. This is because they're practically impossible to alter to a larger size.
My bunad, and a very special scarf
My own bunad is from Sunnmøre, on the northwestern coast of Norway, an area known for its dramatic mountains and beautiful fjords.
Me in my Sunnmørsbunad
The embroidery on my bunad was stitched by my grandmother, which makes it extra special to me.
The matching headscarf, traditionally worn by married women (though there's a more colourful version for unmarried women) is made of crisp white linen and decorated with the tiniest little black cross-stitches — a technique often called blackwork. There are several different motifs, but they all have some common elements.
The headscarf (skaut) for the bunad from Sunnmøre.
From a few stitches to a whole quilt
That tiny detail is what became Norwegian Chain.
I started by trying to stay very close to the original feeling: black and white, calm and structured. But as I worked with the blocks, I discovered that the same structure could carry a completely different mood just by changing the colors.
That’s how the pattern ended up becoming two versions — one calm and classic, and one more playful and colorful. See them both here!
I hope you’ll enjoy my quilty take on the bunad tradition. And who knows — maybe there are more quilt patterns waiting to be found among all those bunads?
