"She wove timeless works of art"

     This text was originally produced for the exhibition Laholmare förr & nu, where interesting personalities are presented in words and pictures. The exhibition is produced by Föreningen Gamla Laholm and shown in the Town Hall.

     Judith Bengtsson from Trollhättan and John Johansson from Norra Össjö, personify what is called "love at first sight". John was in Trollhättan to sell goods at the market from "his" weavers and "basket weavers" in Hishult and visited the house where 19-year-old Judith lived with her parents, Olga and Per Johan. Two weeks later they were engaged and after a two-year engagement they married in 1937 and became an inseparable couple and workmates for more than half a century when Judith ran a weaving atelier in Knäred with strong support from her husband.

     Judith learned to weave from her grandmother Olivia and her mother, Olga. Olga was a seamstress and had a fine sense of color, a quality that Judith inherited and which became a large part of her success. John inherited business acumen from his father and grandfather who were both farm traders and expanded the range to various forms of handicrafts sold at markets. Judith and John decided to continue on the beaten path, weaving and selling their and others' products but the lack of skilled weavers meant they moved south when they got married. They lived for a while in Hishult with John's parents during the time when a residence and studio were built in Knäred in 1938, where there was then good communication through the railway.

     In Knäred, Judith and John started what would become one of Sweden's finest and most successful weaving studios, and Judith's Röllakan rugs, bonnets and other fabrics became very popular and in demand. The weaving mill had to be expanded twice, both in 1951 and 1965 in order to cope with demand. During its most successful period, thirteen weavers were employed and orders for mainly carpets and other decorations in churches grew rapidly. Orders came from churches in Halland but also from many places around Sweden and also from other countries. Orders also came from shipping companies, public institutions and shops selling quality products and unique fabrics. Because each carpet and pattern was unique. Judith was responsible for form, color and motifs, often in collaboration with John and together with skilled weavers whom Judith and John always showed great appreciation. During the 55 years at the weaving atelier in Knäred, Judith created between 4-500 unique patterns for both profane and sacred environments. For several decades, carpets and other fabrics from the studio in Knäred were among the absolute best in the country and very famous. Judith Johansson from Knäred, who collaborated for many years with Professor Carl Malmsten, and Märta Måås-Fjetterström from Båstad, dominated the Swedish weaving art.

     At the end of the 70s, the increased competition for the artistic craft was felt through cheaper, imported and machine-woven carpets, and the Knäredsateljén was forced to reduce the number of weavers. However, Judith never gave up, she kept her creative power and hoped for the longest time for a renaissance for the genuine art of weaving. In 1986, it was time for Judith and John to hand over to the youngest daughter, Britt-Marie, also an art weaver who has done several exhibitions together with Judith. Britt-Marie J Glyssbo ran the business until 2003, the last years in collaboration with Måås-Fjetterström's weaving atelier in Båstad.

     Judith's carpets were shown at around fifty major exhibitions over the years. The first in 1956 at the Röhsska muséet and then around Sweden but also in Denmark and Germany, the latest was made in 2006 at the Textile Museum in Borås, thirteen years after Judith's death. During her active period, Judith received several major awards, the Halland county council's cultural award in 1983, the Royal Patriotic Society's medal of merit in gold in 1988 and Laholm municipality's cultural award in 1990. Judith Johansson's tissue art lives on and is sold at high prices at Auktionsfirmor, but it will probably be a while before we see a so prominent and famous craftsman again.