Hardanger Embroidery

Hardanger embroidery is so versatile and pretty. This placemat and centerpiece pattern found in a 1960 Coats and Clark’s Embroidery booklet would be a good place to start.

The booklet has and I have also, included a chart of the stitches used that is helpful for beginners.

The booklet also includes a fun tidbit:

Hardanger embroidery is named for the Hardanger district and fiord in Western Norway. Although usually classified as Norwegian embroidery, the work in its original form is very old, being worked long ago in Persia and other Asiatic countries in colored silks on very fine gauge netting.

You’ll Need Sharp Scissors

Hardanger work requires a sharp pair of scissors with pointed ends. It’s delicate work cutting close to the threads edge to create the design.

Kai V5135 5½ inch Very Berry Scissors

I bought these exact scissors a couple months ago. I find that they are sturdy, made of stainless steel and come with a blade cap to keep the points sharp and safe. The soft ergonomic handle (in Very Berry) is comfortable to use.

What Else Will I Need?

Here are some items besides the sharp scissors you’ll need to start this project.

FABRIC — You’ll need Hardanger canvas or any fabric woven with a square mesh. Counting squares is a very important part of this type of embroidery.

One yard of fabric 42 inches wide. Each placemat measures 12½ x 18 inches and the centerpiece measures 12½ x 26 inches.

THREAD — Pearl Cotton (Perle) No. 8. You can find this in skeins or balls of thread. A set of two placemats and one centerpiece requires seven balls of No. 8 thread. Each additional placemat requires two balls.

TAPESTRY NEEDLE — Size No. 22. A tapestry needle has a blunt end and a large eye.

Hardanger Stitches

As I said above, a nice clear chart of stitches accompanies this pattern. There are written instructions that coordinate with each Figure photo. All of this is in the PDF file below.

There is also a Working Chart to follow:

If you’d like to see more Hardanger embroidery information and patterns follow this link to other blog posts I’ve done on this craft.

PDF Download Link

The full pages of the design and stitch charts are in the PDF file.

Download Instructions: You can use the Download button above or Right-Click the link and select either “save target as” or “save link as” depending your browser. Also, you can click on it, it will open in another window and there you can save or print it.

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Enjoy!

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