​​Ethnic Textile Art

Naversom is a needlework technique originating in the Halsingland district of Sweden, where samples have been found from the 17th to 18th century. The word Naversom translates as "Birch-Bark Embroidery", taking its name from the birch bark frame originally used to support the embroidery as it was being stitched. 

 

In Sweden, young shepherdesses would stretch rough linen over a pliable birch bark frames that could be easily rolled up when the animals moved from place to place.  Naversom was stitched from the reverse of the fabric, so that the face of the stitching was kept free of soil during the time the project was being worked.  However with this approach, the final appearance was not seen until all stitching was finished and the embroidery was removed from the frame.  As with many other cultures, specific patterns would be named for common items found in daily life.  These patterns would be recalled from memory and passed on (with minor changes) through multiple generations.

 

The stitching of a bier (burial) band was one of the first duties assumed by a young girl in preparation for marriage.  It was left to her to prepare the long band that would be used to lower the coffin into the grave.  Naversom was often the technique used to embellish the band.  At the time of the burial, the bier band would be buried with the individual.  This practice is one of the reasons that this technique, in its longer length, is rarely seen. 

 

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Augusta Gripenberg, a needlework shop owner in Hudiksvail, Sweden worked to revive interest in Naversom.  In addition to creating new designs, she arranged for an inventory of the existing samples of drawn thread work, including examples of Naversom.  

 

In the 1970's, a number of books on Naversom were published in Sweden.  These books showed Naversom being used for the creation of curtains, lampshades and purses.  It was at this time that an English translation of Lisa Melen’s  “Drawn Threadwork” became available. During the 1990’s, American embroiders were introduced to Naversom through a needlework subscription program titled “Hands On.”  In 1995, an article appeared in Piecework magazine that focused on a talented embroiderer, Maia Gilmore, one of a few American women experienced in this technique. Unfortunately, after this brief period of time, Naversom once again disappeared from the contemporary embroiderers vocabulary. 

 

Traditionally, fine linen fabric and linen thread in multiple weights were used.  The majority of the work was done on white or natural linen, but some earlier examples have been found that used light colored threads for the designs.

 

More modern uses of this technique include the decoration of functional items such as borders on tablecloths, alter cloths, lampshades, and wall hangings.  The open, airy appearance of Naversom closely resembles that of Hardanger, but the stitching technique is distinctly different.  It has been described as the most difficult of the Swedish techniques to learn, which explains why it is seldom seen and rarely taught.