Norwegian seamstress races against time to repair hundreds of traditional costumes before national day

A Norwegian seamstress is working around the clock to repair a flood of traditional bunad costumes ahead of Norway’s Constitution Day on May 17, with sore fingers, a stiff neck, and aching shoulders from the last-minute rush, reports Dagbladet.

Anne-Berit Wenger Flo, based in Lørenskog near Oslo, told the newspaper that May is always chaotic, but this year’s early Easter made the workload even heavier. “I usually stop taking in bunads around March 1, but the phone hasn’t stopped ringing,” she said. “Just today, I’ve had about 20 messages from people saying, ‘I can’t get into my bunad—can I come now?’”

Flo repairs hundreds of bunads each year, with April, May, and June being the busiest months. Despite the physical toll—”my body is completely wrecked,” she admitted—she considers herself privileged to work with Norway’s traditional dress. “Bunads are history, culture, and belonging. People are proud of them, and we all need a place to belong,” she said.

Common problems and last-minute fixes

Most repairs involve adjusting the fit—taking bunads in or letting them out—after a year of wear or weight changes. But some jobs are messier. “Sometimes I get bunads covered in so many food stains that I lose my appetite,” Flo said. Others arrive with artificial turf or stones embedded in the hems.

While no bunad is too difficult to repair, she noted that older styles, particularly the heavy Telemark bunads and most men’s costumes, are the most labor-intensive. For those who leave repairs until the last minute, her answer is firm: “No, sorry. It’s not possible.”

Her advice to bunad owners? Start checking fits in February or March—ideally even January, though she acknowledges post-Christmas timing is tough. “This year was extra chaotic because Easter came so early,” she said. “I had so many bunads hanging here that you couldn’t even get through the door.”

DIY solutions for desperate cases

For those who’ve left it too late, Flo suggests safety pins as a temporary fix. “They can hold up a skirt or secure a loose button or hook,” she said, recalling a customer who snagged her bunad on a door the day before May 17. “She used a lot of safety pins, but she still got to wear it.”

As the deadline looms, Flo isn’t sure she’ll finish everything in time. “I might have to do an emergency fix on a bunad, then bring it back later to sew it properly,” she said. Still, she looks forward to seeing Norwegians of all ages in their bunads on the national day: “It’s what makes it all worthwhile.”