benceagi wrote:I have done my very first ever hardanger piece. I learnt it on the Internet.
I have some questions, Jilly,
please, and everyone else, who knows how to do this.
1. I did it on a piece of leftover fabric, that I use for practice. It is very soft, and I think it is a kind of evenwave. What is the real hardenger fabric like? Is it stiff? Is it evenwave or does it have threads woven 2X2 as aida?
2. How on earth do you cut so that the threads' end doesn't stick out as it does for me? I didn't dare to cut closer, I was afraid of cutting the thread. And how does it not fray?
3. What do you do with the ends of the thread? The stitches are too loose to hold it, if I weave it under them at the back.
4. And I feel that the stitches of the Kloster (see my technical vocab?) are too far apart - is that right? And I know I made a mistake in wrapping the bars - there is not the same number of wraps everywhere - but next time I wil do it better. (I hope)
Can you please help me to improve? Thanks
You have made an excellent start! Let's see if I can answer your questions.
1. Hardanger fabric is 22ct and woven in pairs of threads. It's very easy to use and comes in lots of colours. Of course, you can use almost any evenweave fabric for hardanger. Several more common fabrics are called congress cloth and Oslo, although my personal favourite is Lugana.
2. Cutting can be scary. Two things help: nerves of steel and a very sharp pair of small, pointed scissors, sharp all the way to the point. Don't worry about the little bits that stick out. They disappear in time, especially if you incorporate filling stitches, which are the fun part of hardanger. If you should miscut (and I've done it), it's very simple either to reweave a thread into the place the mistake was made, or simply wrap or weave over three threads instead of four...
3. Start your kloster blocks with quite a long away waste-knot, and always start in the middle of the block (stitch 3, if you see what I mean, of the five that make up the block. How to finish? I quote here from Jill Carter's
Hardanger Embroidery, p 18: "To finish off kloster blocks, take the thread to the back and slip through the 'tunnels' formed by the blocks. Come up through the second block and take a back stitch over the middle thread. Hold the block and pull tightly to set the stitch firmly in position." You may need to go through several blocks to find one you haven't used to tie off stitches.
4. Are you using the right thread on the right fabric?
22ct fabric: Pearl cotton 5 for the kloster blocks and satin stitch; Pearl cotton 8 for the needleweaving
25 or finer counts: Pearl cotton 8 for satin stitches and Pearl cotton 12 for needleweaving.
I've never done this, but I suspect if you are doing REALLY fine work (40ct or above) you would need number 12 for the satin stitch and a single strand of floss for the needleweaving.
Of course, Pearl (or purl) cotton isn't the only thread you can use. Caron threads work well, for example. What you are looking for is a single twisted thread of the right weight.
Some people are very persnickity about the number of wraps. I personally feel that enough should cover the space, but have found that an odd number generally works best, and when you get to doing picots and stuff like that, odd numbers come into their own. Some embroidery books say a wrapped bar should have seven 'wraps'. I guess that would make sure your tension wasn't too tight, but life's too short, you know?
Here are two books, in English, that I think are excellent for the beginner:
Easing into Hardanger is the best beginners book I've ever used. The designs are good, too:
http://www.stitchdirect.com/shopWebSite ... p?plu=HB01" target="_blank" target="_blank
The Anchor Book of Hardanger Embroidery is a compendium of stitches and designs. Excellent:
http://www.amazon.com/Anchor-Book-Harda ... 0715319159" target="_blank" target="_blank
I find hardanger so relaxing and fun. It works up quickly, and looks much more difficult than it actually is -- at least at the beginning. How complex and embellished you make your designs is entirely up to you. I love hardanger!
. I have long admired hardanger. I think it is beautiful but the thought of cutting threads terrifies me. I'd love to learn it, but I think maybe I'm the kind of person who has to be shown (in person) as opposed to learning on the internet. I think my head is too thick to absorb something visually only. I need someone to sit next to me and take me step by step. 
?) Don't worry -- One Day you will find the time to do it. One Day we will all find the time to work through our entire To Do list.
There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE! 
