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.

What is unusual about this curtain is the discrete color element in the form of thin, large squares surrounding groups of “mosquito scale windows” in the pattern. It makes the curtain very modern, yet very traditional. Mosquito screen curtains are usually plain white. Another unusual feature is that it is as narrow, only 65 centimeters, as a modern panel curtain, which also makes it still feel very current in width. So-called panel curtains can be hung completely smooth, so that the pattern appears, but without the curtains obscuring the view. All in all, “Thea” is a suitable curtain for both the small windows in the cottage and the large ones in the city. The narrow width also means that the curtain can easily be pinned to a curtain board, preferably draped, as the neat selvedges do not even need to be hemmed.

Thea Olsson (1902-1993) was the only daughter of the Gästgivarns mining estate in Wall, which is one of the best-preserved mining estates in the Torsåker region of Gästrikland. When she died, she left behind a lot of valuable movable property, which was auctioned off because she had no family, but a large number of “useless” items remained on the farm, including this curtain, which she probably wove herself.

Thea Olsson and her mother Ida were known to be good at needlework. This curtain pattern is a non-period pattern, which probably left the loom sometime between 1920 and 1940.

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: Karlsgården in Järvsö, one of Sweden’s most well-preserved old farms, was opened in the late 1920s. 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 stripe” with equal width stripes over the entire surface. Less is more, you could say about both patterns.