In one of Hälsingland’s most well-preserved farmhouses, we found the original of this plaid half-linen curtain from around the 1920s. The curtain is a typical exponent of the early 20th century industrial interest in Swedish design and Swedish folk tradition. The pattern, the colors and the fine yarn quality are all of the best rural tradition, but not the technique – that it is not handwoven, but woven by machine – is the new thing that the Swedish Crafts Association and other interest organizations worked for at the beginning of the century. With the help of machines, they wanted to simplify and spread the genuine Swedish folk culture to wider circles.

The original curtain hangs as a half-curtain (‘café curtain’) in a stencilled hall. It is equally likely to have existed simultaneously as long curtains in other homes, both in the country and in the city, as ‘allmoge’ was generally a popular style in all social settings in the early 20th century.

The facts
Half-linen. Width 85 cm. Cotton in warp, linen in weft. Checked in blue, rust red, black and white. Machine woven in Sweden for Gysinge. Shrinks about 5-7% in the first wash.

Washing instructions
Hand wash at about 40-50 degrees.

Sold only in whole meters.

Curtains of this type are universal. They were present in all social environments from the 19th to the early 20th century. They were available both as curtain robes on boards and as long curtains. Mounted as a cape, you get two capes out of the width of the curtain.

History: In the late 1920s, Karlsgården in Järvsö, one of Sweden’s most well-preserved old farms, was inaugurated. For the new role as a museum farm, Karls was provided with newly woven curtains in traditional style from Hemslöjden. The newly composed pattern was named “Karlsgårdsgardinen”. By chance, however, one of the neighbors of the farm took one of the old curtains that was still hanging. Much simpler and much more archaic in pattern. As if by chance, the same neighbor rewove the pattern in the 1960s, but the curtain and its important original story fell into oblivion for a while. Now Gysinge has rediscovered the old curtains, woven new samples, test washed, ironed and mangled. And we feel that we have one of Sweden’s most beautiful, refined, simple and genuine curtains to offer our customers. The curtain is available in plaid with a simple “checkerboard” (original) and as a “stick striped” with equal width stripes over the entire surface. Less is more, you could say about both patterns.

Swedish machine woven half linen fabric of solid quality, suitable as a cover fabric for upholstered furniture and for so-called half curtains. Now in even better and more rustic quality. The fabric is now woven in an old loom with a shuttle and thus has smooth, fine city edges, which do not need to be hemmed or cut away. Available in two traditional color schemes, red and white after a model from Röö parish in Uppland and blue and white after an original fabric at Skokloster Castle. Both models are from the 18th century, but the fabric as a variety is found throughout the country during both the 18th and 19th centuries.