Bunad...

Photo by Husfliden

...is the Norwegian word for a traditional Norwegian costume. A bunad is typically of rural origin, and with different costumes for both men and women from each district, Norwegians have more than 300 different bunads to select from. Norwegians normally choose to have a bunad made (only few sew their own bunad), selecting a bunad from the district one of their parents, grandparents or even greatgrandparents comes from, but some of course select a bunad just by its appearance. The designs are typically elaborate, with embroidery, scarves, shawls and hand-made silver or gold jewellery.

In Norway, it is common to wear a bunad at various celebrations, such as: folkdances, weddings, baptisms, confirmations, but one occasion really is synonymous with bunad - May 17th - the celebration of the day Norway got its own constitution in 1814.

Every 17th of May for the past nine years, I have been gazing longingly at all the different bunads...each time being able to discern the district of origin for more and more bunads, each time longing more and more for my own bunad to wear. After this year's 17th of May celebrations I therefore finally decided I would take on the challenge of sewing my own bunad - selecting the bunad from the district my Norwegian husband comes from... The district named Nordmøre - the northern part of the province of Møre og Romsdal.

Photos by Husfliden and Unhjem Design.

Even the bunad from Nordmøre comes in different varieties.

Vest:
The vest comes in four different varieties - bright red, red, green and embroidered pink (the last two are shown in the photos above). I will be sewing the bright red vest.

Shirt:
The shirt is made either of linnen or cotton. The cuffs and the collar of the shirt are embroidered. The linnen shirt is embroidered with a geometrical pattern typical for this region. The linnen shirt is embroidered with a flower pattern using the padded stem stitch and the outline stitch. I will be sewing the linnen shirt.

Skirt:
The skirt comes in two different colours - black and navy. I will be sewing the black version of the skirt.

Belt:
The belt matches the skirt, and comes therefore also in black and navy. Since I will be sewing the black version of the skirt, I will also get a black belt.
The belt is adorned with silver jewellery - also here there are different options to choose from. I will be getting the ones shown in the bottom left corner of the bottom middle photo showing all the silver jewellery belonging to this bunad. These come from the island my husband grew up on - the island of Averøya.

Purse:
The purse, which is hung from the belt, comes in two different patterns (as shown above in the photo) and in two different colour combinations - red with black details, or black with red details.

Hat:
There are two different hats - a linnen hat with the same type of embroidery as on the linnen shirt, or a black hat embroidered with flowers (as shown in the photos above). I will be sewing the linnen hat, as this hat is supposed to be worn by married women.

Apron:
There are two different aprons to choose from - a woven apron in black, green and pink, or a white linnen apron. The white linnen apron comes in two different versions - one with a geometrical pattern, the other with a pattern containing birds and flowers. I will be sewing the latter.

I started to sew the apron just a couple of weeks ago. It takes quite a bit of time, but I enjoy watching the sewing progress. The lower half of the apron - when finished - will be looking like this:

Photo by Husfliden

I have finished sewing the upper border - also known as the "K-border", and I am about to start filling in the mesh border with the pattern of birds and flowers.

I hope to finish the apron sometime next week, so that I can start on the purse. I will keep you updated on the progress! Wish me luck!