Danish Art Weaving A/S the place where threads meet
The story of Danish Art Weaving A/S (Vævegaarden) which for more than 50 years successfully has developed and woven high quality furniture textiles is the tale about initiative and excitement for the traditional hand-woven textiles.
Two people meet and an idea becomes a reality
The story of Danish Art Weaving began more than 50 years ago when two enterprising people met and saw the possibilities of the traditional homespun textiles. It was the doctors wife in Sulsted, Marie Kristensen, and the Danish-American Peter Kjeldsen, who in 1949 joined forces and established Vævegaarden, the present Danish Art Weaving A/S. Since the 1920s Marie Kristensen had eagerly collected and saved the patterns of Danish olmerdug, old peasant fabric. She met in the early 40s Peter Kjeldsen who was back in Denmark, but due to World War 2 was not able to return to America. Peter Kjeldsen who was born in this region got so excited by the handsome woolen fabrics and thus suggested that together as soon the war was over they should start a weaving mill based on this cultural heritage.
No sooner said than done. It was no easy start, however, as it was practically impossible to get wool for Vævegaarden, which was established on the location it has today. Most weaving mills had to use napped rags, socks, paper etc. Peter Kjeldsen, a smart tradesman with connections, was able to get coffee. Coffee was rationed and hard to get during the war, and he traded it for pure, new wool. In other words, it was in its very first years that Vævegaarden got its good reputation as a supplier of high quality fabrics.
