Jenni
I’m a passionate admirer of handicrafts. I would love to spend my days, evenings, and nights doing handicrafts, but two small children keep their mother busy.
Before the birth of my own children, I worked as an IT engineer in various environments, including international stints, both as visits and living abroad. With my engineering work taking a back seat during maternity leave, I ended up studying another highly mathematical field, textile production. I became immensely enthusiastic about weaving on a loom, designing fabrics, and performing calculations related to these processes. Memories of childhood summers at my grandmother’s place called Iltamaa started flooding back. In the countryside, my grandmother wove rugs and fabrics on large looms. I also learned the basics of weaving back then. Even now, Iltamaa reminds me of my grandmother with its brightly colored Kiikala rugs, even though her time at Iltamaa has long passed.
As a young girl, I had my own Finnish sheep at Iltamaa, named Piri. From Piri’s wool, my grandmother knit socks and other garments. My love for sheep began during the summers spent with Piri. Iltamaa was always imbued with a diverse natural environment, handicrafts, rural life, forests, and natural resources. I grew up in this context during my childhood and adolescence. I joined the scouts at the age of 10 and continued into adulthood. Creating with my hands and respecting nature are still fundamental values in my life.
Tapestry
My introduction to the wonderful world of tapestries came through a textile studies course where I designed and crafted a small tapestry using Finnish natural-colored lamb’s wool. In the design of ‘Maatiaisliekki,’ I used a computer, and in the process, I developed a system for creating tapestries from personal images. With the support of Business Finland and the ELY Center, I was able to bring my plans to life and introduce these experiential tapestries to the world.
I’m thrilled to be able to combine my IT skills, international experience, and love for handicrafts through these products. Handicrafts can also help maintain brain function, and I’m happy to assist a diverse range of people in expressing themselves and keeping their minds active through tapestries. It’s important to me to promote employment opportunities for individuals facing challenges in finding work, and in my business, I also focus on utilizing their skills.
Iltamaa’s experiential tapestries combine traditional Finnish materials, textile art and techniques, and modern, contemporary design. These tapestries are custom-made, ethically and ecologically sustainable products that don’t deplete natural resources and can last a lifetime when well cared for.
Welcome to get to know me and the experiential tapestries on these pages and on social media!
She believed she could – so she did.
Jenni