A Creative Day

This past Wednesday I had the good fortune to attend a local jewellery making class over on the neighbouring island of Ladholmen. To be more specific, it was the art of tenntrådsbroderi, whereby one makes braids or plaits of silver or pewter wire, and in my case, fixes them to reindeer leather to create a cool bracelet.

I had seen these bracelets for sale in Stockholm over the years, in the little shops in Gamla Stan selling handmade goods or in the market at Hötorget, and had always been curious as to the history of this art form. In a nutshell, pewter thread embroidery has been around since the 11th century but the Laplanders widely used it in decoration of their clothing and household items.

Our teacher, Margit, is a very talented artist and seamstress who also makes and sells children's clothes, and under her tutelage we all learned this clever craft. Some of the attendees have been to her summer class every year and I plan on making it a yearly tradition for me also! It was loads of fun, and gratifying to have something nice to sport on my wrist at the end of the day.