Free Hardanger Machine Embroidery Design

For this month’s free design, I thought I’d give you a taste from the hardanger collection plus use it in a sample project to give you an idea how it might be used.

I’ve chosen to make a ring bearer wedding pillow out of white linen and use a golden yellow chiffon behind it to highlight the cutwork hardanger areas. (It also keeps the rings from falling inside the pillow.)

Another layer of white cotton behind the chiffon softens the color even more. I’ve kept the pillow otherwise very simple for a sophisticated elegance. The addition of a ribbon in the center secures the rings.

This project is simple and would make a beautiful gift for that special bride. You might also embellish the pillow with a monogram and the date.

Creating the Project

To create the pillow front, I combined edited and unedited designs from the collection. I used the free design four times, which is  included as is on the full collection. To make the outer border, I edited out part of another design and duplicated it multiple times to create one side of the border. Then I grouped that piece, copied and pasted to complete the other three sides. To make the corner piece, once again I edited another design in the collection and repeated it 4 times.

While you could certainly get the collection and do this yourself, I’ve included the edited versions along with the unedited one plus full instructions as a download.

If you would like full instructions along with the designs used, you can purchase them for $9.97. Color PDFs cover how to embroider hardanger (5 pages), and how to make the pillow (9 pages), plus all the designs (6) and templates used to make the project (both assembled and unassembled to accommodate various sewing fields). The finished composition (approximately 185mm x 185mm) is included along with the individual elements for using with smaller hoops or other projects.

The designs used for the inner portion of the pillow are small and can be done on any embroidery machine. The border section, full frame, and completed design will require a larger sewing field. If your machine can’t sew a larger area, consider omitting the outer frame or using a decorative machine stitch. Who will know?

These instructions are basic and assume some basic sewing and embroidery skills.

Click here to get the project. Or, if you just want the free design, you can get it here. (Note: many designs are only free for a limited time only.)