Hardanger embroidery is a very specific type of embroidery which originated in Europe. It began in Norway, to be exact. It has very definite rules and stylistic requirements to be considered Hardanger.
One of the fundamentals of Hardanger embroidery is the color schemes. In the traditional Hardanger, the colors used were very important. The pieces used white on white or tan on tan. The colors were required to match in both thread and fabric. In more modern Hardanger embroidery, there has been a move away from the white on white look and some offsetting thread colors have been added. To purists, this addition of non-matching color makes the piece of work a non-conforming Hardanger work. In the Hardanger embroidery, almost all the patterns that are sewn are geometrical. These patterns include squares, rectangles, and diamonds, to name just a very few. The thread used is 22 pairs and ends up forming the geometric shape. Stitches that are used include the French knot, fly stitch, and running stitch. Four sided stitch is usually used for hemming. Of course, Hardanger also uses Satin stitching blocks as a core stitch pattern throughout the piece. The end resulting block is called a Kloster block.
Hardanger has been one of the more popular embroidery styles used for some time. Many participants count it among their most popular. The patterns are clear and clean and the stitching patterns that are used are normally fairly simplistic. This simplicity lends itself to a product that can be completed fairly quickly but still look professional.
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