Hardanger Stars by Kim Beamish

Assumed knowledge is a tricky thing.

You can get it wrong either way.

If you assume that someone (including yourself) already has knowledge about a topic and you move forward on this pretence, you may discover a gap in understanding and get caught short.

Go the other way and over-explain everything - assuming the person you’re talking to has no knowledge of the topic at hand - and you risk talking down to them.

Today we have a beautifully elegant collection of needlework accessories to show you, and we don’t want to risk any assumed knowledge - so we’re going to play it safe.

Hardanger Stars from Inspirations magazine issue #130 is just that: a matching set of needlework accessories featuring a variety of star motifs in Hardanger embroidery by Kim Beamish.

Let’s start at the beginning. If you are new to embroidery or have heard about Hardanger and are not entirely sure what it is, we’re going to take a moment to give you a summary of this gorgeous regional technique.

For those of you who are already familiar with Hardanger, feel free to go ahead and skip this bit and join us in a few paragraphs - after all, we don’t want to be over-explaining or telling you something you already know!

Hardanger - An Overview

Hardanger is a form of whitework embroidery originating in the Hardanger region of western Norway, where it has been a cherished decorative tradition for centuries. Its signature characteristic is the combination of surface stitching with cutwork - threads are literally cut and withdrawn from the fabric to create open, lattice-like voids that give Hardanger its lace-like quality and quiet architectural elegance.

The technique is worked on evenweave fabric, which allows stitches to be placed with precise, geometric accuracy. Kloster blocks - small, dense rectangles of satin stitch - form the framework, defining the shapes that will later be cut. Once the cutting is done, the remaining exposed threads are wrapped or woven into bars, and the open squares between them are often filled with small decorative stitches, the most characteristic being the dove’s eye.

The result is something that looks as though it took twice as long as it did - which is arguably a rare result in needlework.

Ok, now that we have that covered off, all our experienced stitchers can join us again…

Hardanger Stars - An Overview

In Hardanger Stars, Kim Beamish gifts us a quartet of sewing accessories - a sewing fold, pincushion, thread cutter cover and scissor fob - each featuring matching star motifs worked on café mocha 32-count Country French linen.

What makes Hardanger Stars so immediately appealing is the way Kim has unified the set. Four pieces, each with its own purpose and proportion, yet unmistakably related - like a well-dressed family turning up to the same occasion.

The star motif that gives the collection its name appears throughout, sometimes as an open cutwork centrepiece filled with wrapped bars and delicate dove’s eye stitches, and sometimes as a smaller, solid satin stitch star tucked into a corner. The repetition is intentional and it works beautifully, giving the set a cohesion that makes the individual pieces feel even more satisfying than they would alone.

The colour story deserves a mention of its own. At first glance, Hardanger Stars reads as a study in neutrals - warm mocha, quiet ecru - understated, yes, but far from plain. And then you notice the lining. Each piece is backed in crimson cotton, and where the cutwork opens up the fabric - which in Hardanger, it does generously - that crimson flashes through like an ember beneath ash.

A single bold decision that transforms the entire palette.

The four pieces themselves are eminently practical. The sewing fold - the largest of the set at 14cm x 10.5cm when closed - features three interior pockets and a small wool felt needlepage, with twisted ecru cords at the sides to tie it shut. The pincushion is a satisfying 10cm square, plump and lace-edged.

The thread cutter cover slips neatly over a Clover thread cutter, keeping it safely housed and looking considerably more elegant than it has any right to. And the scissor fob - just 4cm square and weighted with a small coin or washer - is the kind of finishing touch that makes your scissors feel like heirlooms.

If you’ve followed Kim’s work over the years, none of this will surprise you - and yet it delights all the same. Beautiful to make, beautiful to use, and beautiful to give.

Ready-to-Stitch kits for Hardanger Stars, including that to-die-for French linen, are now available using the link below.