Guided by her Finnish roots and a love for Nordic simplicity, Katriina Flensburg finds inspiration in nature, color, and form. Her work blends tradition with modern expression, always chasing the beauty of balance and clarity.
How did you find yourself on an artist’s path? Always there? Lightbulb moment? Dragged kicking and screaming? Evolving?
I believe that my love of beautiful objects, art and design was imprinted in me early through my family influences, some of my beloved “Gustavian style” childhood interiors, the functionalistic design of the Nordic/Scandinavian late post-war public architecture (schools, libraries, health care establishments, major banks, etc.) and the well renowned school education in my native country Finland.
How long have you been quilting and designing? How did you get started?
I got involved in quilting while living in the US in my mid-twenties. However, the newborn interest in quilts and quilting, and the following one in the methods applied as the means for expression of modern art, was a sum of many synchronicities leading me to explore quilting as a form of modern artistic expression.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
Tell us more about how you evolved from making American quilts to textile art.
I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for a couple of years due to my husband’s work. While exploring local shops, I fell in love with a pile of beautiful, soft, and colorful “cotton blankets,” which I learned were antique American quilts originating from various parts of the country. I was sold!
Interior design is one of my major interests, and I immediately placed them on the walls of the interiors I had in my mind. They were too expensive for my budget at the time, but it turned out there was a recently opened quilt shop just around the corner from my house. I enrolled in a basic class, which was followed by many others…
Where do you find inspiration for your designs?
Like many Nordic peers, I have a very close relationship with nature.
Seasonal changes have a recurrent impact on my moods and energy, and my creativity is much dominated by those powerful and very perceptible changes. They are also the major source of my inspiration, as is the somewhat plain, minimalistic form language of Nordic architecture and sculpture. The underlying beauty of plain aesthetic simplicity appeals to me.
Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in with your materials and start playing?
Except for the occasional overall drafts, my design process is improvisational. It begins with an inspiring color, form, fabric print or texture, which, when combined with other elements, develops into a challenging composition.
I´m not driven by the crafting process but by my love of color and shape combined with my visual curiosity, and the challenge of creating something that pleases me while using the means of my choice.
What different creative media do you use in your work?
I’ve explored various techniques of surface design, and worked with somewhat unconventional tissues in my pieces, like fake leather, spandex, sack-weave, and tweed.
I’ve also made outdoor installations with concrete, aluminum racks, and organza. I would like to do more experimenting, but the kind of processes often require absolute focus and more time than I can access.
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?
I have a spacious studio in the attic of an old barn house, a part of our former farmhouse estate. When I occasionally need more space and access to water, I move over to the studio down below, which is mainly reserved for my Quilt Academy teaching and for the guests of my Art´n Fiber residency.
Scraps. Saver? Or be done with them?
It depends on what´s considered a scrap 😉. I do not see myself as a habitual scrap saver but I occasionally save bits and pieces for future work, especially of the tissues I´ve painted or printed myself, when I see some potential for their use for spicing up a piece, improving the design and/or catching up the viewers´ attention.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
My projects take time, and even more so when my energy level is not in sync with my mind and my ambition. But yes, and despite it, I still often work on a couple of pieces parallel to each other. However, only during the design phase, for the final finish, I prefer to take them one and one.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
I work mainly on my design wall, moving around the elements. The process is very visual, and what appeals to me color and form-wise, is dependent on my spirits and mood.
Occasionally, I create some conceptual work as well, “baking in” a message or statement about issues that concern me in our present time. One of the kind of pieces is “Purple Waters” which reflects my opposition to the annual and bloody slaughter of pilot whales, trapped in the coastal waters of the Faroe Islands.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
I enjoy the whole of the design process and love to spend time on it, often way too much considering the availability.
The most challenging aspect for me is the free and rapid machine quilting, where, depending on the specific piece, the margin for error is often extremely limited or absent.
How did losing a body of work in 2015 influence your style and work flow?
The experience was devastating, costing me much of my midlife work and flagship collection. It triggered a chronic illness that brought along life threatening hazards for complications and persistent fatigue. All this changed the conditions for my creativity.
I must now pace myself, and my travel and collaboration opportunities are limited. While this naturally frustrates me and lessens my possibilities to be productive, the style of my work endures, I believe, because it is so deeply tied to my identity.
Do you prefer the kind of project that is challenging and requires attention, or the kind where you get in your meditative zone and enjoy the process?
My pleasure and enjoyment is the intense attention and the challenges connected to the design process – they are my meditative zone.
Repetitive machine quilting can be relaxing if not disrupted by mechanical issues, and I still love hand quilting even though I´m unable to do it often or as much as I would like.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
While I´m less in favor of competing in art, I admit that some challenges and deadlines can be motivating.
However, there’s a fine line between healthy, inspiring competition and the kind that becomes stressful and discouraging. For me, the ongoing inspiration comes from new materials, creative input, and the personal challenge of creating.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received on your journey as a textile artist?
I don´t think I have received any advice to remember from a specific source. The general guidance I’ve adapted applies to all areas of art and creativity: Be yourself, identify and develop your own personal style, do not ever waste your time on work that does not – in one way or another – origin from your innermost being.
Where can people see your work?
My work is included in the collections of the International Quilt Museum in Nebraska, Lincoln, and is featured on their website, as well as on the SAQA pages highlighting juried artists, various virtual galleries, and multiple printed publications and catalogues. I am also a member of the Surface Design Association (SDA), with selected pieces displayed on their platform. Whenever possible, I continue to participate in exhibitions organized by both organizations.
I´m further a member of the Swedish Artists´ Association and my city´s (Uppsala) professional artists´ association and I exhibit my work timewise in the affiliated galleries. Many of my works have appeared and remain accessible in magazines, books, and catalogues dedicated to the field across Europe and internationally.
Due to my professional Facebook pages being compromised last year, my current artist account is now a private-access profile on Instagram, available upon request to colleagues, art professionals, students, and friends. For further information and to view a comprehensive presentation of my work, please visit my homepage: https://katriinaflensburg.se and please learn more at the Quilt Academy of Sweden homepage: https://quiltakademin.se/home-eng
Interview posted September 2025
Browse through more inspiring art quilts on Create Whimsy.