Signs of spring

I have just finished Heddas Garden, but since I don't want to spoil the surprise I will not publish the final picture until after Sunday - the big day. She will be confirmed on Sunday, which most kids at 15 chose to do here in Norway.

I also promised her mother I would be using my bunad - the national costume. I have not worn it for at least 10 years, so I had to dig it out and look it over. And I started looking at the craftmanship of the whole thing. My aunt embroidered it for me, and she is just an incredible artist with the needle.
This is the shawl, silk on silk. Look at the details! I could not do it. She is so neat in her sewing.

My bunad is from Østfold, from where my family can be traced back a few hundred years or so. It is a simple one compared to many in Norway, but it has its specialities, among others a Mourning Rose which makes it suitable to be worn for funerals. I wore mine for the first time at the funeral for my grandfather.

This is the silver we use. I wish I had the specific history of these things, why they were chosen and were the originals comes from. All bunads in Norway are reconstructed from pieces found in each different county.

The airing of the bunads are a typical signs of spring in Norway. This month is filled with confirmations, weddings and May 17th, the day of our constitutions. When I got confirmed about 30 years ago, only one of the girls in my class had a bunad. Today almost all of them have one. And most of them wear them on May 17th. I love the fact that the bunad has become a thing that most people wants to have and use.

So even if I haven't used mine for 10 years (it is incredibly heavy and warm, all made of wool and linen and not very flattering:)) I do appreciate the work my aunt did on this one for me so many years ago. It is a piece of art and a piece of heritage. And you always have something to wear for big days:) I will try to get you a picture of the whole thing this Sunday.