Dala horses felt

With the Dala horses, hand-felted from pure New Zealand wool, Gry & Sif takes up one of the most popular motifs (and souvenirs) of Swedish folk art. The origin of the Dala horses lies in the historic province of Dalarna in central Sweden. As early as the 17th century, the inhabitants of the region carved wooden horses during the winter to earn a little extra income while they were not working in the fields or forests. The horses were initially made as wooden toys; they gained worldwide fame as a symbol of Sweden through the 1939 World's Fair in New York, where a three-metre high Dala horse was exhibited.

Each Dala horse is characterized by the stocky shape of a cold-blooded horse - the workhorse commonly used in forestry and agriculture - and the decoration in classic Kurbit painting with its large, exuberant flower and leaf ornaments. Gry & Sif quotes the motifs of Kurbit painting with a stylized leaf tendril, which is embroidered onto the felted horses by hand. Decorative variety is provided by two horses in contrasting natural tones, which are placed alongside the traditional red Dala horse. In a bouquet of autumn branches or in a Christmas tree, in a spring arrangement or on a festively laid table, as a decoration for a gift or as a lucky charm on the rear-view mirror, these Dala horses exude the charming flair of Scandinavian design.

During her backpacking tour through Nepal, the Dane Gry Staunstrup got to know the astonishing openness and warmth of the country’s inhabitants, and their craftsmanship bedazzled her. She was able to observe in detail how adeptly and skilfully Nepalese women felted wool into a wide variety of objects. Staunstrup felt it was time to make something good out of the untapped potential, and an idea was born: to combine Nepalese handicrafts with Danish design. And the idea was immediately followed by action.

The company Gry & Sif started producing a variety of products made of wool felt in Nepal in 2000. The designs created by Gry Staunstrup are as remarkable as they are understated and, characteristic of Danish design, at the same time fresh and merry. Nepalese women turn them into products employing traditional handicrafts. Fair Trade certified by now, Gry & Sif stands for fair wages and working conditions, environmentally conscious production and transparency. The company exclusively sources pure new wool from New Zealand sheep for the felting; each of the resulting products is handmade and unique.

This product is an example of genuine handicraft; therefore, minor deviations in size and colour may occur.