Years ago, if you told Marian Quanbeck Dahlberg that she would be
honored as a finalist in the Martha Stewart American Made Awards for her
linen weaving, she might have laughed. The Minnetonka resident did,
after all, begin her career in architecture and eventually settle into
success in interior design.
After her son was diagnosed with
Asperger’s, Dahlberg left her job about 10 years ago so she could spend
more time with him. With this time away from interior design, Dahlberg
found that she needed a creative outlet, so a friend took her to a
weaving workshop. Dahlberg fell in love with linen, a material that has
strong cultural ties to her Scandinavian heritage. Friends raved about
her work and encouraged her to sell it, which led to the foundation of
Väva! Veve!, her own hand-woven linens label.
Fast-forward and
Dahlberg is now showing her work at high-end art shows and is often
commissioned to weave special pieces. Each piece is crafted with deft
precision and care; one small hand towel takes more than five hours of
work on average. “It’s been quite the ride,” Dahlberg says, “but one
that I’ve been so grateful for.”
