Folkfest Towel. Dala horse, red wooden house and midsummer pole on one towel.
The Folkfest towel is a Swedish tea towel made of organic cotton, combining three symbols of Swedish folk culture in one design. Not a souvenir item, not a printed fan towel, not a purely decorative piece.
The Folkfest towel is a kitchen towel from the Ekelund weaving mill, designed by Swedish designer Betty Svensson, depicting a Dala horse, a red wooden house and a decorated Midsummer pole in strong colours. Compared to the usual Swedish motifs in stores, the difference is quickly apparent. Where elk, flag and furniture store blue dominate, Folkfest uses three symbols that carry weight in Sweden itself and were not invented for tourists.
Three symbols that mean something in Sweden
The Dala horse originates from Dalarna, where lumberjacks in the 17th century carved toys for their children from scrap wood. The red painting with Kurbits floral patterns was added later. To this day, every genuine Dalahäst is carved and painted by hand in Nusnäs.
The red wooden house owes its colour to copper mining in Falun. The by-product of ore smelting resulted in a paint that preserved wood and, incidentally, gave the appearance of brick, which was considered elegant in the 17th century. Falun red was thus originally an imitation.
Finally, the Midsummer pole is decorated with birch branches and wildflowers and erected for the summer solstice. For many Swedes, Midsummer is a more important holiday than Christmas.
In terms of colour, the motif works with red, blue, green and yellow on a light background. Those expecting a subtle, tonally coordinated towel will find Folkfest too colourful. It is a motif that seeks space, not a subtle one.
A kitchen towel with a need for explanation
Measuring 35 by 50 centimetres, Folkfest is a standard size for tea towels. It polishes glasses lint-free, dries cutlery and can be hung over the oven bar without sagging.
More interesting is the side effect: such a towel invites conversation. Anyone who has guests in the kitchen will be asked about the three motifs, and thus the towel has a second function in addition to drying. For people with a connection to Sweden, be it through holidays, a holiday home or family, this is precisely the reason to buy it.
Three specific uses beyond drying: As a base for the bread basket at a Scandinavian breakfast with crispbread and cheese. As a wrapping cloth for freshly baked Kanelbullar, so that they stay soft while cooling. As a napkin substitute at a crayfish party in August, where everything gets sticky anyway.
If you want to continue the Swedish theme, you will find it with the Blomsterhäst towel with Dala horse or with the table runners with summery blossoms.
From experience: Strongly coloured cotton towels should be washed separately for the first two times. Not because the colours bleed, but because excess dye residues from the dyeing process are rinsed out. From the third wash cycle, the towel is colourfast.
A weaving mill older than modern Sweden
Ekelund has been weaving since 1692. For comparison: Sweden was then a great power controlling large parts of the Baltic Sea region, and industrialization was more than a hundred years in the future. The company survived wars, crises and the decline of the European textile industry and remains family-owned to this day.
This continuity shapes the product range. Motifs rarely disappear completely; they return in new colour schemes. At the same time, the weaving mill collaborates with contemporary Swedish designers, among them Betty Svensson, whose designs translate folk art motifs into a clear, planar design language.
Production takes place on Jacquard looms. Their principle allows each warp thread to be lifted individually, making motifs possible without repetitive patterns. For Folkfest, this means: Dala horse, house and Midsummer pole can be of different sizes and freely arranged, instead of repeating at regular intervals.
The yarn is certified organic cotton according to GOTS. The standard covers cultivation, dyeing, finishing and social standards. With a motif with four strong colours, a corresponding number of dyes undergo testing.
For kitchens with a connection to the North
Folkfest works best where the connection is genuine. In a kitchen with light wood, white fronts and a few Scandinavian pieces, it fits in. In a Mediterranean-style kitchen, it looks out of place.
As a gift, it is one of the safer choices for people who regularly travel to Sweden. Together with crispbread, cranberries or a jar of mustard, it makes for a gift with a clear theme instead of an arbitrary assortment.
The towel is not suitable for those who generally avoid motif textiles. Folkfest is explicitly narrative and wants to be seen; it does not subtly disappear into the background.
A kitchen towel that tells more than most souvenirs from the same country.
