Where it started…
I have always had an interest in historical costumes, and the Norwegian ‘bunad‘ is one I have known and admired since I was a child. My grandmother is born in Norway, and even though she left at a young age after the war, she passed Norwegian culture onto our whole family. So, when we moved to Norway in 2020, making my own Norwegian costume became a dream of mine. I started doing research and found out that there is a difference between a bunad and festdrakt. This is what the internet has to say about it: “While a bunad is a traditional Norwegian folk costume with strict regional styles and historical roots, a festdrakt is a modern, less formal interpretation, allowing for more creative freedom.”
When my mother-in-law gifted me the Sy din egen fæstdrakt book from Fæbrik for my birthday, I knew it was time to bring my dream to life. I started gathering leftover fabrics from my job at Riis Interiør. At work, there are always little bits and pieces left after finishing a project, and I saw these as an opportunity to repurpose high-quality materials in a sustainable way. I’m proud to say that aside from purchasing fabric for the blouse and the pink trim on the vest, the rest of my festdrakt is made entirely from these leftover pieces.
The blouse
Because most of the fabrics I collected from work for the rest of the outfit were Liberty furnishing fabrics, I thought it would be nice to match that with some Liberty Tana Lawn for the blouse. The print I chose is called Daisy Pop and I got it from Kathrines Quilte Stue in Oslo. The floral pattern perfectly tied together the mix of colours I had already gathered, so I was really pleased to have found it. For the lining of the yoke, I used Liberty Tana Lawn from my own stash to stay consistent with the ‘Liberty Love!’.
Traditionally, a bunad or festdrakt blouse is simpler and more understated, but as you might be able to tell by now, plain and white is just not my cup of tea. The Viki Sews Liza Blouse pattern immediately caught my eye with its pretty details, and I fell in love with the gathers that peek out from underneath the front and back yoke. It’s my favourite detail by far. This blouse ended up being the most labor-intensive piece of the outfit, but the result was worth every hour I spent on it.
The vest
I made my vest using the vest pattern from the Fæbrik book, combining a yellow and cream Liberty fabric with a Liberty Tana Lawn lining from my stash. This was really easy and fun to make. The only alteration I had to do was add 3 cm to the length. Even combining the two completely different fabrics went really well (which surprised me). One thing I would have done differently is the way the armholes are finished. I would have preferred to enclose the seams, but by the time I realised, I was already too far along with the technique described in the book. The armholes are now finished with a ribbon from my stash, and the trim on top is from Selfmade. The pink is a perfect match to the pink flowers in my blouse fabric, so maybe it was a happy accident?
The skirt and the belt
When I found the blue houndstooth wool at work it felt like a match made in heaven. The ‘heavy’ wool pairs perfectly with the heavier texture of the vest, and the exact same shade of blue is in the floral blouse fabric. It really ties the whole outfit together. Due to limited sewing time I decided to keep it simple and stitch a pleated skirt with a waistband and I added a red zipper – because that’s what I had at home! Traditionally, the skirt is attached to the vest and they close both at the front with hooks and eyes. But, it made more sense to me to make separates because it gives me more flexibility to mix and match or make changes in the future. The belt turned out really different than I had originally planned. I accidentally made it a bit too small and started rummaging through my haberdashery for a solution. That’s when I came across a buckle my Norwegian grandmother gave me about 25 years ago. It wasn’t the perfect shape for this project, and I couldn’t quite stitch it in the right place, but it felt so special to include her in this outfit.
Alterations and future plans
One of my favourite things about this project is that it’s never truly finished. I love the idea of adding or changing little things each year to make it feel more like me. Some ideas I have include adding floral embroidery to the gilet, making an apron with lots of detailing and ribbons, and I definitely need to add a bag! But before I do any of that, I need to sort out the skirt. I left it floor length so I could wear it with heels, but the weather was so warm last year that I ended up in sandals, which made the skirt feel way too long. The thick wool also made it quite warm, so I’m currently contemplating if I should just shorten this one, or if I should make a whole new skirt…
As a perfectionist, there are so many little things I could nitpick or change, but when I wore this on the 17th of May, I felt quite proud of my outfit. I absolutely loved combining these clashing fabrics together and eventually creating one cohesive outfit. I see this as the ‘start’ of my festdrakt, and it turned out even better than I had hoped. Over the next few years I will continue to chase the dream of an outfit with a story, personality, and lots of little pretty details!
My husband, my daughter, my son, and me, on the 17th of May 2024.
A traditional bunad and festdrakt side by side. My friend is wearing one of the 450 different Norwegian bunads and the floral embroidery is just stunning!
Thanks for reading, I hope to update you all with any new festdrakt additions in the future 🙂
Till next time! Barbara X