Making things...: Hardanger Embroidery

Hardanger embroidery is traditional worked in white thread on white evenweave fabric (typically 22 threads per inch). Hardanger fabric usually has pairs of threads in the weave, but single weave fabrics of about 18 to 24 threads per inch can also be used. Aida fabric is not suitable as the threads are not easy to withdraw. Satin stitches are worked in Kloster blocks to secure the fabric, and then specific warp and weft thread are cut and withdrawn from the material, so that the remaining fabric threads can be overstitched (and patterns made between them with filling stitches), creating the effect of lace.

Cotton perle (pearl cotton) number 5 is used to work the Kloster blocks, and a finer weight of pearl cotton number 8 is used work the remaining threads (although stranded embroidery silks can also be used for this).

Here is an example of a design where I have used different coloured threads in order to create the design of a sunflower. The coloured background shows through where the fabric threads have been cut and withdrawn.