PEONY HAT
STITCHED IN VIBRANT JEWEL TONES, THIS PRETTY PEONY CAP IS SURE TO TURN HEADS, HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE TO WEAR IT
Lexi Mire Brantman shares a quick and easy way to refresh your wardrobe for spring
MATERIALS
Pigment-dyed soft baseball cap: turquoise
Stranded cotton: 1 skein each of light green, dark orange, pink, dark pink, light pink, light purple, red and yellow
Embroidery hoop: 10cm diameter
Basic embroidery kit
STITCHES USED
Backstitch, Long and Short Stitch, Satin Stitch, Split Stitch, Straight Stitch
NOTES
Find the template on p73.
Work in six strands of thread throughout the design.
01 Transfer the peony design from the template onto the cap using your preferred method. Position the template on the front of the cap so that the peony sits centrally in one of the front panels, between the seams for ease of stitching. Do not place your cap in the embroidery hoop just yet. 02 Using light green, work the stems and the base of the peony in Split Stitch, beginning at the bottom and working upwards. Add the leaves to the stems using Straight Stitch and light green in a ‘V’ shape down the length of each stem.
03 For the purple daisies, stitch the petals in Straight Stitch using light purple. Start each stich at the base of the flower and finish at the tip of each petal, creating a fan shape. Add a small Straight Stitch of yellow for the pollen. For the small pink buds, work in Straight Stitch using dark pink then add a small Straight Stitch of yellow on top of the central stitch for the pollen.
04 Now, insert the front of the hat into your hoop so that the peony outline is centered. Work the peony using Long and Short Stich, beginning by filling the three shapes at the base of the flower using red. Continue working up the peony, filling the next shapes with dark pink. Then, stitch halfway up the next petals in pink. Overlap the thread colours to create a blended, painterly effect. Add the inside of the flower, along the top edge, using Satin Stitch in red.
05 Switching back to Long and Short Stitch, use light pink to add some highlights to the top of each petal. Add a line of Backstitch along the inside edges of the petals, in a shade that’s a tone lighter, to give a clear separation of the petals. Finish the peony by working Straight Stitches in yellow, radiating out from the top-centre to create the pollen.
06 For an optional extra, add freehand buds in the gaps around the design, worked with three Straight Stitches in yellow and dark orange. Add as many as you like until you’ve achieved your desired finish.