”Gustavian Splendour Quilts”
– a journey in time assisted by textiles. 
By Katriina Flensburg, translation Martin Ciszuk.
Beautiful and interesting textile designs have through the ages been a source of inspiration for those who use fabric for their creative expression. Several of my own pieces were born with a starting point in some fabrics that with their designs and colours challenged my fantasy and my skills
Considering my own close relation to fabrics of Scandinavian origin I found it surprising that the Nordic cultural heritage in form of old classical textile designs, neither was noticed or used during the three decades of growing interest for quilting and patchwork in Scandinavia. This astonishment of mine combined with my research in old Swedish cotton print, so called Kattuner, lead me to cooperation with Durán Textiles. In time it resulted in the project ”Gustavianska Prakttäcken - Gustavian Splendour Quilts”, a series of quilted wall hangings/coverlets where Swedish prints from the 18th century and the Gustavian interior style (In Europe: Neo Classical or Luis XVI style) were a central point of inspiration.
The concept of”Gustavian Splendour Quilt”
The printed cottons did not become assessable to common Swedish people until the end of the 18th century. These fabrics were considered as exclusive and were carefully used as material for clothes as short gowns, dresses, waistcoats, head kerchiefs and bonnets, or in furnishing as bed hangings, coverlets and blankets. Quilting and patchwork was not a common craft in 18th century Scandinavia. The concept”Gustavian Splendour Quilt” is thereby a construction. Through this name my intention is to introduce the fabrics and the formal aesthetics of the Gustavian era into a modern context of textile and craft. The underlying thought behind the name has been the word “in case…”I.e. in case women of this time, independent of social position, would have had access to these fabrics, and in case the traditional patchwork technique, with its practices of construction and composition, would have been known in Swedish homes, wealthy or poor… This is what it could have looked like.
Realising an idea
The series of quilted wall hangings/coverlets ”Gustavian Splendour Quilt” was accomplished in connection to a class project run by Svenska Quiltakademin - the Quilt Academy of Sweden. The project was carried out in cooperation with Durán Textiles who contributed with fabrics from their collection of hand printed cottons.
During the process the history of Swedish textile printing was studied as well as the development of form and style of the Gustavian era. The interior decoration of the 18th century was used as source of inspiration for the quilting designs, adapted to period and style, which were created by the participants of the course. The author was acting as tutor and was responsible for the design/composition of the quilts. The ambition was to keep the design faithful to the simple and reductive Gustavian style. This resulted in clear classical compositions where the cotton prints with their sparse and large scaled designs were given space to show off at their best. During spring 2008 some of the quilts were shown in connection to the 18th century exposition”Bellman, Sevenbom och Prinsessan” in Stocholm city museum. In June the whole series was exhibited in the gallery”Gamla Magasinet” at Svenska Quiltakademin outside Uppsala. In the future there are plans to extend the series with quilts of the Norwegian and Finnish printed cottons.
By presenting these quilts in exhibitions, both in Sweden and internationally, I wish to spread the knowledge, besides about quilting and patchwork, also about Scandinavian textile printing and its history. My wish is thereby to contribute to that people interested in quilting would find inspiration and material for their creativity in the history and culture of the Nordic countries.
Katriina Flensburg is a textile artist, social scientist/educator and writer. She is the initiator and member of Scandinavia Art Quilt Group. Katriina was among the founders of the Swedish quilters´guild ”Rikstäcket”. She is also collaborator in the Scandinavian magazine Quiltmagasinet since 1999. In 1996 Katriina founded Svenska Quiltakademin/ quilt Academy of Sweden, which she since the autumn 2007 is running together with her colleague Monika Johansson. Katriina’s innovative pieces have been exhibited in Europe, Japan, USA and Canada. See www.katriinaflensburg.se and www.quiltakademin.se.
The following persons were responsible for the sewing and quilting of a ”Gustavian Splendour Quilt” each: Eva Germundsson, Monika Johansson, Ulla Lundström, Kristina Strömberg, Elke Vogt Nordqvist, Birgitta Ängvard and Katriina Flensburg. 
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