Free Hardanger Course — Lesson Five

A tiny mat finished with Danish hemstitch

Welcome to Lesson 5! This time we're stepping slightly sideways from the main Hardanger openwork techniques to learn hemstitch — a beautiful way to finish the edges of your embroidered pieces.

Hemstitching groups fabric threads into neat little bundles and creates a decorative border at the same time. You'll use this technique in Lesson 6 to finish your final Hardanger project, so it's well worth getting comfortable with it now.

If you'd like to explore hemstitching further, it's also the starting point for drawn thread work — a whole world of decorative stitching on withdrawn threads. But for now, let's focus on the basics.

What You'll Need

For Danish hemstitch, choose a thread that matches the fabric colour — the idea is for the holes to stand out more than the stitches. Use a thread similar in thickness to the fabric threads — you don't want something too bulky.

Folding the Hem

Decide where you want the hem in relation to your design. Count the required distance from the outside edge of your embroidery. Fold the fabric along this line using a technique called scoring.

After scoring, finger press the fold in the fabric.

Decide how deep you want your hem — usually six to ten threads. For this example, we'll use eight. Score another line eight threads outside the first.

Diagram showing how to fold, score, and cut the fabric for your hem

Count another seven threads (one less than the depth of the hem) and withdraw the eighth thread. The easiest way is to snip the thread in the centre and gently tease it out with the needle until you can grab it. Then pull gently but firmly to remove it.

This drawn thread gives you a straight line to guide your scissors as you cut off the excess fabric. Fold and finger press the scored lines from the outside in to create the hem. Turn your work clockwise and repeat on the other sides.

Folding the Corners

To avoid bulk at the corners, you'll need to remove a small piece of fabric. Lay the work face up on the table. Unfold the left-hand corner and carefully cut off the marked piece (using the diagram above).

Refold the cut edge first. Turn clockwise and repeat. Each corner will "chase" the rest around the piece of work. You can tack the hems in place if you wish.

Working the Hemstitch

Hold the hem horizontally with your thumb on the hem. Lay the end of your thread in the hem's fold.

Working from left to right, take a small backstitch through just the hem to anchor the thread.

Pick up two threads from the work and pull gently. Then pick up two threads from the folded hem to the right of the first stitch.

Move on to the next two threads in the work, pull gently, then pick up two threads in the hem. Continue in this way towards the corner.

Picking up threads from the work

Continuing the hemstitch along the hem

Finishing the Corners

Compensating for Uneven Thread Counts

A neat hemstitched corner

As you approach a corner, count ahead and check if the number of remaining fabric threads is even. If not, take a compensating stitch by working one bundle over three threads at this point.

Try not to leave the compensating stitch until you're right in the corner — it will be less noticeable if you place it a few stitches back.

Neatening the Corners

When you reach the corner, take the needle through the hem to the point of the corner. Then overcast with tiny stitches back around to bring you into position for the next side. This prevents distorted, misshapen corners.

You Did It!

Look at everything you've learned in this lesson:

Five lessons down — just one more to go! You've now got all the techniques you need for the final project in Lesson 6.

Ready for more Hardanger?