Plant babies
ADD SOME GREENERY TO YOUR HOME – IN STITCH FORM – WITH A TERRARIUM PACKED WITH CACTI, SUCCULENTS, PALMS AND FERNS
Lauren Holton
MATERIALS
Fabric: 35x35cm
Stranded cotton: see Notes Embroidery hoop: 15cm diameter Basic embroidery kit
STITCHES USED
Couching Stitch, Leaf Stitch, Satin Stitch, Seed Stitch, Split Stitch, Straight Stitch
NOTES
Find the template on p63.
DMC stranded cotton, 1 skein of each: 310 (black), 371 (light olive), 413 (dark grey), 500 (dark bluegreen), 502 (medium blue-green), 503 (light blue-green), 524 (light sage), 739 (light ecru), 830 (golden olive), 840 (dark brown), 842 (light brown), 890 (bottle green), 935 (very dark avocado), 936 (dark avocado), 3011 (dark olive), 3022 (light grey), 3051 (dark sage), 3362 (medium avocado), 3363 (light avocado), Ecru (dark ecru).
Transfer the design from the template onto the centre of the fabric using your preferred method. Mount the fabric into a hoop. Follow the Embroidery guide to see which colour, stitch and number of strands to use where. Work the design in the following order so the design gradually builds up.
Fill the segments in each of the cacti in Satin Stitch, using two colours where indicated in the Embroidery guide. Fill all the palm leaves with Leaf Stitch beginning with the leaf in the foreground, then in the two behind it. Work the Croton leaves in three different shades of green Leaf Stitch as indicated in the Embroidery guide.
For both of the Philodendron leaves, begin by placing one long Straight Stitch from the tip of each ‘finger’ of the leaf to the stem. Fill in the area around each of these Straight Stitches using Satin Stitch. Fill the fern leaves with Satin Stitch, with each stitch extending from the outside edge of the leaf and meeting at the base. Fill the Monstera leaves with Satin Stitch, then stitch around the holes in the leaves.
Scatter small stitches in dark brown, then light brown Seed Stitch all over the terrarium floor.
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Add stripes, then the central veins and stems on the palm leaves using Straight Stitch. Next, stitch the central veins and stems on the Philodendron leaves. Repeat this for the Monstera leaves, using Couching Stitch where necessary to pull the stitches for the central veins into place. Work the fern stem in Straight Stitch. The stem on the Croton and each leaf vein is also worked as Straight Stitches.
Outline each individual leaf, stem and the upper edge of the terrarium floor in black Straight Stitch. Then, work the cactus spines in Straight Stitch.
Use Split Stitch in black to work the outer edges of the terrarium, referring to the Embroidery guide to see how many strands to use in which area.
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PHILODENDRONS
Leaf centres: Straight Stitch, bottle green (890), 3 strands Leaves: Satin Stitch, bottle green (890), 3 strands
Veins and stems: Straight Stitch, light avocado (3363), 3 strands
PALM LEAVES