From one Norwegian to another

The story behind Bunad Creations.

The short version

I am Gina Nylund. I came to the United States from Norway in 1980 with my husband to attend the University of Wyoming. We stayed. Decades later, that decision led me — somewhat unexpectedly — to a second career as a Bunadtilvirker, helping Norwegian-Americans across the country complete the bunads waiting in their family histories.

Since 2019, I have taught over 35 classes and helped more than 65 women make their own bunads. I have worked across more than 30 different regional bunads, and I continue to travel to Norway to train and to source directly from the makers I have come to know there.

How this began

I did not set out to do this for a living. It began the way most good things in this tradition begin — with a teacher.

I took many classes with Sue of Bunad Butikken in Minnesota, learning the work piece by piece. After years of study with her, she offered me the chance to begin my own adventure. I took it.

I went back to Norway. Eight times, over the years, to complete the training required to become a certified Bunadtilvirker — the formal Norwegian designation for a bunadmaker. I finished my own Lundeby bunad in 2016, and have since completed two cotton bunads of my own. Every class I teach now grows out of that work.

What this business is — and what it isn't

There is no shortage of places to order bunad components from Norway. What there is a shortage of, in America, is someone who has done the training, who can sit beside you while you sew, who knows which Hardanger embroidery belongs to which valley, who can fit a bodice properly, and who can answer the question "my grandmother was from a place I cannot pronounce — where do I even start?"

That is what I do. I sell the materials, the silver, the wool, the shoes, the components — sourced from partners in Norway whom I have met in person and continue to learn from. And I teach. Several times a year, women come to my home for three to four days at a time, and we work on their bunads together. Some leave with a finished garment. All leave knowing what they are doing.

Velkommen

I would love to help you with your bunad — whether that means selling you a single piece of silver, fitting you for a complete garment, or seeing you across the table at a class.

Tusen takk,
Gina A. Nylund
Certified Bunadtilvirker · Greenacres, Washington

Why this matters

Most Norwegian-Americans I meet know two things: that their family came from Norway, and that there is supposed to be a bunad in there somewhere. Often that is the entire story they have been handed. The rest got lost in the move, or in the years.

Helping someone find the bunad of their grandmother's region, source the right silver, choose the right wool, and — if they are willing — sew it themselves, is one of the most meaningful things I have done in my life. Being Norwegian has been a gift. Helping others reconnect with that has become my work.

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