Hardanger Embroidery

::::<><><>...Hardanger Embroidery...<><><>::::

Several years ago I traveled to Canada with my friends Yvonne and Darla to Yvonne’s sister’s home outside of Lethbridge, Alberta. I felt very comfortable in this beautiful neighboring country since Alberta is considered the “Texas of Canada.” We took amazing day trips to Calgary, Fort MacLeod, Writing on Stone Provincial Park, Waterton National Park, and an overnight trip to Banff, Lake Louise, and the Kananiskas Mountain Lodge.

In Jo and George Kush’s home, I noticed some beautiful table linen pieces throughout the house, and Yvonne told me it was called Hardanger embroidery and that her sister had made them. The work was intricate and included geometric patterns and embroidered holes to create the designs. I had never heard of Hardanger embroidery, which I learned was also called ‘whitework’ since the thread color normally matched the fabric. The name stems from the Hardanger region in Norway where the craft flourished from the 1650-1850 (2), although it is said to have originated in the Middle East (1).

Click on the big picture to start the slide show.

Jo was gracious enough to let me share photos of her extraordinary Hardanger work, and she also sent me pictures of some of her mother Marijke Oude-Reimerink’s Hardanger pieces. Marijke brought the craft with her from The Netherlands to Canada where she and her husband Hendrik settled and raised three children. Marijke passed away this year, but I was fortunate to get to meet her on our visit to Lethbridge. I learned that anything these three Oude-Reimerink gals do, they do it exceptionally well.