Andrea Schewe Design
  • Home
  • Costumes
    • Reader's Gallery
    • Fantasy Costumes
    • Theatrical
    • Historic >
      • Easier to make
    • International
    • Costumes for Kid's and Babies
  • Crafts
    • Home Decor >
      • Pillows
    • Fashion Accessories
    • Doll Clothes
    • For Kids and Babies
  • Blog
    • Past Blogs by subject >
      • My patterns by number
      • Sewing basics
      • Personal sewing Projects
      • Fashion History
      • Fun and funny stuff
      • Guest Bloggers
      • Crafts and Home Dec
  • Links
  • Contact

More about Swedish Traditional Dress

9/17/2014

34 Comments

 
Picture
There are perks to blogging that I never thought about. I am meeting all sorts of interesting people from all over. 

Last week a Swedish woman named Annika wrote me with information about Swedish national dress. So, I am going to share this with all of you. Her words will be in blue.

First of all, being a Swede myself, I just thought I'd help you out with how to find some pictures of Swedish regional dresses "in action", so to speak. 
Picture
She told me the two occasions that people in Sweden still dress in their tradition costume are the Midsummer Festival and to perform traditional folkdances. 
Picture
My mother is really into folkdance, so I've seen her regional dress up close. The reason the "real" regional or national dresses are expensive is because they're entirely made by hand! The cloth for my mother's dress was woven by hand by a friend of my grandmother, and the rest of the dress was embroidered and sewn together by hand by my mother and grandmother. It took months to make a finished dress! That is why all the old and proper (=hand sewn) dresses are made to be easily taken in or let out - they are supposed to last a lifetime, and then handed down to relatives.

I would love to see an up close photo of that dress!

The reason we have a blue and yellow national dress (created somewhere around the 1900's) was because the cities and some other areas of Sweden did not have their own regional dress. So for every Swede to be able to dress up in a folkdräkt, the national dress was created. The regional dresses are for the area where you are born, which can be more or less specific - for the whole province or just a small village - but the national dress is for everyone and anyone. 
Picture
Here you can see the designed "National Dress" next to one of the traditional regional dresses.

Oh, and if you're interested in making your own Swedish national dress, they sell kits from Ekelunds weavers:
Follow this link
(The page is in Swedish, unfortunately, but I know that the instructions are in Swedish/German/English).

Picture
On my visit to Sweden and my cousin showed me where our ancestors lived. I now know my family is from the Varmland region of Sweden and this is the national dress from that area.

I wonder if my great-grandfather or more likely my great-great-grandfather wore clothes like this?
Picture
And, if I were going to make my own traditional dress to wear, I guess I could make this one.  It is so pretty!

So, I asked Annika about how the Norwegians and Swedes differ in how and when they dress in their national costume. And this is what she said.

I suppose the Norweigans use their national dresses more than we do, but to be honest, I'm not really sure. It used to be more common in Sweden to wear a national or regional dress a few decades ago, in previous generations. Then you could see people wearing them to official functions, weddings, or fancy parties, but now it has gone out of fashion. It is still the dress that will work for any social gathering which requires a dress code - if you worry about what length of dress to wear, which bag that's OK, which colour that would be all right - a national dress is always an option that wouldn't raise any eyebrows more than it's quite unusual a sight these days. So, no, you don't see national or regional dresses that much in Sweden these days, except at folkdance performances and on Midsummer's Eve (which is also a big day for folkdance, so I guess it's really the dancing that ties it all together). You sometimes see the Swedish royal family wearing the national dress, but except for the dancing events, that's about it. In Norway and Finland I guess they use them more often, but I've heard that, at least in Finland, the use of the national dress is declining, just like in Sweden. But I've also heard that folkdance in Sweden has managed to attract more young people the last few years, and there also seem to be a new surge of making clothes that last and buying second hand recently, so who knows? Maybe it will be more common to see regional and national dresses in Sweden again.


My cousin thinks it is because Swedish people are not very nationalistic. Well, I just think those traditional costumes are so lovely and I'm glad some people are still making and wearing them.


So, thank you, Annika.
34 Comments
Sophia
5/26/2015 07:32:54 am

Thank you this helped a lot for my school project. Thank you for posting this it saved me hours.

Reply
Bernardo Salazar Pelaez link
3/31/2016 11:02:54 am

I am trying to find or compare the folks cloting of some of the towns in Antioquia, Colombia South America with th clots were by the folks of the Republic of Zweden - As well for me has been a new discovery that the folks horror or land stories are the same...We have the same ancestry tales and I remember my granfather who was called: "El Zueco" He told us about the inmigration of Sweden people to uor land "400 years" ago...The names with the time were turn to Spanish...But the people, the tales, the way they use to dress still a clear proof of this Coloniers. Adventures who arribe to this lands and never left. Thanks for allowed me to write this words Att. Bernardo Salazar Pelaez.

Reply
Esaias link
10/29/2017 02:05:36 pm

Same here sophia

Reply
SOMEONE
5/31/2015 09:49:14 am

Thanks, same as sophia, this saved me lots of time!

Reply
Karen Toreson
1/9/2016 09:03:31 am

Where could I buy a Swedish national dress? Thank you. You have a beautiful website

Reply
Andrea
1/20/2016 04:45:45 pm

Well, I saw them lots of places in Sweden, but don't know where to buy one here. I suggest searching on line. Good Luck.

Reply
Emma
1/12/2016 10:00:17 am

Thank you very much for posting this! It was very useful for a school project!

Reply
bob
2/7/2016 07:07:29 am

i agree

Reply
kirone
12/1/2016 09:45:22 am

wowowo

fuweripgvbawule link
2/19/2016 10:40:17 am

Reply
bob
2/7/2016 07:06:30 am

thanks this helped with my school with my school project

Reply
Andrea
12/20/2017 11:23:18 am

You are welcome

Reply
sweg
3/23/2016 11:07:58 pm

yamaaaahaaa

Reply
Darlene Peterson-Buchanan
4/12/2016 10:31:42 am

I have just read that the Swedish national dress the blue and yellow one was designed by Marta Jorgensen in about 1905. But I had always heard that because Queen Silvia was of German ancestry a costume was designed for her to wear as well and that was the reason that it was designed. Do you have any information? Thank you

Reply
Andrea
4/14/2016 04:39:05 am

Sorry,

I think you know more than I do about that subject.

Andrea

Reply
jess
5/14/2016 01:45:15 pm

what is the traditional Swedish clothes made of ?What materials ?and why

Reply
BBBBBBBubles link
6/1/2016 12:30:06 am

I don't know. But do you know where I can find the dress at a store. I need to bye it now.

Reply
fffffffffuge Cake link
6/6/2016 03:35:41 pm

I need it to. Were can I get the dress

CHEZ QUEEN SLAY
5/30/2016 01:21:05 pm

this helped thanks

Reply
ffffffffffugge Cake
5/31/2016 03:18:26 pm

Thanks for posting.
Were can I get the Blue and Yellow dress. I need it as soon as posable.

Reply
ffffffffffugecake link
5/31/2016 03:20:56 pm

I love the Blue and Yellow dress, where can I get it. I need it asap. Please tell me.


And btw this is such a good website you saved me hours of work.

Reply
Karen
6/23/2016 06:19:24 pm

As I recall...as a youth and again as a young adult, I was part of Swedish folk dancing groups in Portland, Oregon. My costume was not official but my mother made it to look appropriate for Varmland Sweden. The white cotton blouse had puffy sleeves. The skirt was dark wool and the laced vest was red, probably supposed to be wool also but I think mine was cotton. A vertically narrow striped apron was made from cotton. When I was younger, she made one from a Swedish linen tablecloth. White tights were worn with black shoes with buckles. A black embroidered cap, brightly flowered shoulder scarf/shawl and handmade black wool, embroidered pocket/purse were borrowed. Folk dancing was fun and I wish I lived in a community where I could participate again. Good memories.

Reply
Mary Ann Sereth
9/20/2016 11:36:26 am

I have a Norwegian and Finnish costumes I use to play in a Folk band. As you say they were all handmade. I need to purchase a regional costume (actually just the striped material and a pattern to make one for Sweden. Do you have any ides. There are some Swedish folk dancers in Portland because I met one of the fiddle players for the group. Keep looking.

Reply
kirone link
12/1/2016 09:44:19 am

wow thessees close arre supa wierd

Reply
Vaidehi
1/1/2017 03:57:58 pm

OMG, this helped me so much! I had to do my project for school at the last second and this really helped!!! Thanks!

Reply
fffffffffffffugecake
3/17/2017 02:29:08 am

Where can i get the dress

Reply
Andrea
3/18/2017 06:30:15 am

So sorry ... don't know!

But, it you type this into your search engine you will get some possibilities. Expensive though.

"traditional swedish costume for sale"

Reply
Cheryl
5/26/2017 08:47:44 am

Hello! My 4-H club is studying Sweden and we are learning dances and songs and making "regional" costumes. I am trying to find out what the purse that the women wear is called and get a decent picture of it. I know it is something that we could "make" as a project on a kid level of course. If you can help me out I would appreciate it.

Thanks.I love your blog and especially the pictures.

Cheryl

Reply
Andrea
5/26/2017 09:44:27 am

I don't know, but I will see if I can find out.

Andrea

Reply
Judy Mitchell link
6/7/2017 08:17:32 am

The bag is called a"kjolsack" or skirt bag. Here are a couple of good books showing the different regional fashions, you should be able to get them through interlibrary loan:
Centergran, Ulla and Kicki Kirval. Folkdrakter forr och ny: Tradition och somnad. Stockholm: LTS Forlag. 1986

Berg, Inga Arno and Gunnell Hazelius Berg. Folk Costumes of Sweden. Sweden: ICA Bokforlag. 1985.

cheryl Yenter
6/7/2017 04:03:52 pm

Thanks Judy. The books will be helpful. I am well on my way to creating a prototype with your help. Cheryl

Reply
Shravani Joshi
6/9/2017 03:46:33 am

Very nice website

Reply
Jenna link
4/17/2018 04:02:01 am

Hi Andrea, just dropping by to tell you that I loved your post and now I`m starting to love Sweden culture, thanks to you!

Reply
student
10/23/2018 04:38:27 pm

Thank you for the information you gave all of us! It was super helpful to know how the swedes dress for our knowledge and school projects and assessments.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    From Andrea 

    I am a commercial pattern maker who is now "sewing over 50"!
    I love to sew and hope to encourage others to come back to sewing.
    The water is fine!!

    Archives

    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013

    Archives by Subject

    To search for blog posts in specific categories, use the drop down menu above by hovering over the word "Blog"

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

    Andrea Schewe participates in Amazon's associates program.