Vesterheim Folk Art school offers needlework classes in April

The Folk Art School at Vesterheim Museum is offering four classes in traditional types of needlework during the month of April.

Two of the classes, "Hedebo" and "Tatting," are appropriate for both beginners and experienced makers. Each is only one day long, with "Hedebo" on April 13th and "Tatting" on April 14th.

There will also be two classes in Norwegian Hardanger embroidery—one for beginners on this Thursday and Friday, April 4th and 5th, and another for those with some experience on this Saturday and Sunday, April 6th and 7th.  Class instructors will be Ruth Ann Holm, Roger Buhr and Judy Hansen, three experts in Hardanger.

Hedebo needlework goes back centuries to its origin in Denmark. The technique is used to create stand-alone pieces or embellishments to most any fabric item. Tatting is used in similar ways to hedebo, but its origins are traced back further to some of the first sailors' knots and fishermen's nets. Popular in the U.S. since the Victorian era, Hardanger embroidery was first used in western Norway as trim on blouses and aprons.