November 12, 2019

The Kirsten Project | Fana Sweaters of Norway

November 12, 2019/ Jessica Quirk

Up next, another Norwegian influence (hint: all of Kirsten’s winter look is distinctively Norwegian!!): her woolen cardigan. This style of knit is called Fana and was very popular in the 1930s and, no surprise, the 1980s, when Kirsten’s collection was created. From a 1983 article by Ruth Robinson in the New York Times,

“The Fana, a two-color design named for its place of origin in the Bergen district, has enjoyed a surge of popularity over the last two years. Distinguished by a broad band of rose motifs across the shoulder, a striped body and checkerboard square border at the bottom and cuffs, the Fana shows up in many colors, including gray, red, navy and brown, combined with white.”

I love that Kirsten’s sweater incorporates all of these elements without any compromise. Kirsten is wearing a Fana sweater! I was lucky enough to find a Pleasant Company girls’ Fana cardigan on eBay for myself but if I’m being honest, I would like to knit another one with modern shaping someday. For now, enjoy some of this Fana inspiration through the decades!

November 11, 2019

The Kirsten Project | Setesdalbunad

November 11, 2019/ Jessica Quirk

It’s time for another round of research for my next installment of The Kirsten Project: Winter Edition. I’ve always loved Kirsten’s winter look from afar and never had it for myself or my doll, but out of all of her outfits, I think this one has the most pieces that could transition to everyday modern wear, which helped me chose to take it on next.

In the Pleasant Company catalog, this winter ensemble is described as Scandinavian, but with just a little digging we find that it’s very Norwegian! It was only recently that I discovered I have Norweigan ancestry, thanks to the DNA test I took last year. I’m still combing through each family line to discover which distant grandparent gave me Scandinavian blood, but it makes me glad to know I have some!

Today I’ll be focusing on what I believe was the inspiration for Kirsten’s skirt and blouse - the bunad, or folk dress, from the region of Setesdal.

As you can see in these images, the top black skirt is decorated at the hem with two red stripes and one green - very similar to Kirsten. While she only has one red stripe on her skirt, I’ve opted to take my inspiration from the Setesdalbunad, one of the oldest types of bunad in Norway. Each region has a bunad specific to their area, and some research I’ve seen says there are over 200 variations!

In reviewing the Setesdalbunad, I’ve learned that the black overskirt would always be worn with a black trimmed white petticoat underneath. I’m compromising by wearing my white quilted petticoat, which does not show because I’d like to combine both historical examples and the cover artwork.

The stakk, or skirt, is made from wool gathered into a decorative waistband and attached to shoulder straps, most likely to support the weight of the thick skirt. I’m wearing a corset for my project, which does a lot to support the heaviness of of my gathered skirt.

Almost all of these images are from the Digitalt Museum - the most amazing resource for a foreigner like me! There’s a lot of back and forth with Google translate, but I’ve found everything I need for my interpretation of Kirsten’s winter skirt!!

August 26, 2019

The Kirsten Project | Kjolsäck (Loose Pocket)

August 26, 2019/ Jessica Quirk

Like Kirsten’s apron, her spoon bag or loose pocket, called a kjolsäck, is a link to her Swedish origins. These are only a very small sampling of pockets from the Digitalt Museum, so if you’re interested, I really encourage you to see the amazing array of kjolsäck. Another source of the history of the kjolsäck can be found here (and in Swedish!)

Although I can’t locate any original pocket that is clearly used as the inspiration for Kirsten’s pocket, I do see many elements that are used from existing kjolsäck such as symmetrical designs, embroidered dates and initials, hearts, and red binding. Most examples are black and red, but there are some extant pockets in a red, white and blue color scheme. We can only imagine this piece was designed to pull together the doll’s costume in her colors and simplified to meet the demands of mass production.

For my pocket I used the same design as the doll’s, but added a little more detailed embellishment. I wanted my version to look like what may have inspired the miniature kjolsäck worn by Kirsten. I had a lot of fun making it and can’t wait to reveal the final piece with my complete costume!

August 26, 2019

The Kirsten Project | The Art of Carl Larsson

August 26, 2019/ Jessica Quirk

Thanks to a tip from the Kirsten series illustrator, Renée Graef, I have been spending a lot of time looking at the work of Swedish artist Carl Larsson. I’ll be sharing more of his pieces as they apply to different portions of my project, but I picked out these specific works because of their pastoral quality. I can only guess which pieces the team at Pleasant Company used while they developed Kirsten, but they certainly inform what farm life like may have been like for Swedish immigrants in the 19th century.