SPRING BLOOMS HOOP
USE THESE PRETTY BOTANICALS TO PRACTISE MINDFUL STITCHING AND MAKE A YEAR-ROUND FLORAL DISPLAY FOR YOUR HOME
Practise essential stitches and decorate your home with one-of-a-kind wall art
MATERIALS
Linen fabric: 35x35cm, dusky pink Stranded cotton: 1 skein each of cream, lilac, dark pink, light pink and dark purple
DMC variegated stranded cotton: 2 skeins of 4045 (green) Embroidery hoop: 18cm diameter Basic embroidery kit
STITCHES USED
Fishbone Stitch, French Knot, Lazy Daisy Stitch, Split Stitch, Stem Stitch
NOTES
Find the template on p79.
01 Transfer the design from the template onto the centre of the fabric using your preferred method. Mount the fabric into the hoop with the design positioned centrally. Start by stitching the large four-petal flowers working in Split Stitch and using three strands of dark purple. Start at edge of each petal and work your way around in rows towards the centre. Offset the first stitch of each row as this will help to fill the petal evenly.
02 Next, work the smaller four-petal flowers using exactly the same method as the larger flowers, but in three strands of lilac instead. Then, fill the centre of all the four-petal flowers with a spiral of Split Stitch using three strands of cream.
03 For the sprigs, using all six strands of the variegated green and beginning at the bottom of the stem, work in Stem Stitch until you reach the top. Starting at the tip of the top leaf, work Fishbone Stitch at a 45˚ angle. Once you get to the bottom, start on the next leaf but change the direction of the stitches so they align with the leaf. Continue working the rest of the leaves in this way.
04 Work the five-petal flowers in Lazy Daisy Stitch, using all six strands of dark pink. It’s really important not to pull the thread too tightly as you want to make sure there is plenty of space inside each petal. It should sit just above the fabric, with a gap of around 1mm between the thread and fabric.
05 Now you have the outside edge of the five-petal flowers, fill the centre of each petal with a smaller Lazy Daisy Stitch using all six strands of light pink. This time, pull the thread tighter, so it sits flush to the fabric.
06 Use three strands of cream to scatter the design with French Knots wherever there is a dot on the template. If you’re displaying your stitching in the hoop, finish the back following our guide on p67.