When she came to the United States from Norway 50 years ago, Dagny Henning of Everett didn’t know how to embroider in the Hardanger style.
Her mother and her grandmother hadn’t used the technique, so Henning didn’t have someone to learn from in the old country.
But years later and living in the United States, Henning wanted a white embroidered apron like the traditional Norwegian national dress. She couldn’t find one to buy so she decided to make one herself. She set out to learn Hardanger.
Hardanger, or, as it’s sometimes called, Hardangersom, is a form of counted-thread embroidery stitched on an even-weave fabric.
Some historical information suggests that Hardanger in some forms can be traced back to ancient Persia. The embroidery technique was popular in Europe during the Renaissance but is best known as hailing from Norway and is said to take its name from the Hardanger fjord.
The intricate stitching was introduced to the United States in the middle to late 19th century when Scandinavians began to emigrate to this country.
Henning found a teacher and took classes in the early 1980s and about 15 years ago she began teaching the most basic stitches to a group of eight or 10 women. She’s done it off and on for 20 years.
“You pick up and leave it and pick up and leave it,” Henning said.
Hardanger embroidery is made up of several stitches, including groups of satin stitches that interlock, called kloster blocks.
Not only are the stitches beautifully laid out to create designs such as tulips, hearts and the Hardanger eight-point star, but small needlework scissors cut away linen that’s not needed, which creates the intricate open-work design and Old World charm.
One slip or wrong cut can ruin a project.
“It looks difficult but once you know what you’re doing, it’s simple,” Henning said.
Henning starts with a piece of 22-count linen and some thread. She likes to sit outside when weather permits and work in the light of the day, starting her piece on the outside edge and working her way in.
“If you don’t start on the outside you have no inside,” Henning said.
Finished pieces include doilies, bell pulls, table runners and bookmarkers.
Most people give their work as gifts and many projects are small enough that they are easily carried on a trip or to an appointment.
One Marysville woman has found a market for her work. Emma Benner is a relatively new student to Hardanger. She just started a year ago.
“She’s showing us all up,” said Eleanor Hommeland of Marysville. “She makes them overnight almost.”
Benner crochets, knits and embroiders, so she didn’t find Hardanger hard to begin with. She now teaches her daughters the craft.
“It’s refreshing to get into something different,” Benner said.
Benner’s work, including doilies, dresser scarves and table runners, sells for about $125 apiece, depending on the size and the time she spent.
People who don’t recognize fine needlework often don’t recognize the time and skill required.
“People at craft fairs want to give you $5 or $10 for a piece,” Benner said.
It can be an expensive hobby to maintain, too. The money Benner brings in helps defray the cost of the materials: the cloth for Hardanger costs about $40 a yard and the thread for an average table runner costs $10 to $15.
Benner’s first project, a white round doily, took a full workweek to complete.
“Being as it was my first one and having to rip back as much as I did, I think it took me 40 hours,” Benner said.
Benner, who considers herself a quick worker, has put in about 65 hours on the piece she’s working on now.
“I can’t leave it alone,” she said.
Benner also believes that Hardanger is therapeutic. When she’s upset and picks up her needlework, she finds her thoughts and worries dissipate as she works.
“The more complicated it is,” Benner said, “the more fascinating it is to me.”
Reporter Christina Harper: 425-339-3491 or harper@heraldnet.com.
Want to join?
The Everett Hardanger group meets at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays at Sons of Norway Normanna, 2725 Oakes Ave., Everett. The group is open to everyone.
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