Aquarius zodiac sign hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 2 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Aquarius zodiac sign: preview of the stitched design

The constellation of Aquarius, the Water Bearer, stands in a ring of stem stitch that carries two small stars, three French knots and, at its foot, the sign’s symbol. Eight of its stars are joined by lines of back stitch: the two at the right, Sadalsuud and Sadalmelik, are four-pointed stars in satin stitch, both of one size, and the rest are French knots; the Water Jar is two of the knots, and the water falls from it in two streams. The stars of the Jar and the two satin stitch stars beside them are set a little wider apart than in the sky.

Size and details

Easy. Stem stitch, back stitch and French knots, with a little satin stitch.

2 colors of floss and 4 kinds of stitch:

The stitched size and the widest satin stitch, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters	Satin stitch up to
3 in (8 cm)	1.7 × 1.9 in	4.3 × 4.8 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.6 × 2.8 in	6.6 × 7.1 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.5 × 3.8 in	8.9 × 9.7 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.4 × 4.7 in	11.2 × 11.9 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.1 × 6.6 in	15.5 × 16.8 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)

In a 3 inch hoop the French knots are drawn smaller than about 2 mm (a little over 1/16 in). Use one strand of floss for them there, or choose a larger hoop.

The pattern is drawn inside a circle about half an inch (1.3 cm) smaller all around than the hoop.

What you need

DMC 336 Navy BlueRing, stars on the ring, lines between the stars and sign's symbol
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawKnots on the ring, four-pointed stars and knot stars

The floss is six-strand cotton; the stitch guide says how many strands to use. You also need a hoop, an embroidery needle (a size 7 to 9 suits two or three strands) and plain cotton or linen fabric. To frame the piece in its hoop, cut a square 3 inches (8 cm) wider than the hoop: a 9 inch (23 cm) square for a 6 inch hoop.

Stitch guide

Stem stitch 2 or 3 strandsRing, sign's symbol
Back stitch 2 strandsStars on the ring, lines between the stars
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsKnots on the ring, knot stars
Satin stitch 2 strandsFour-pointed stars

Getting it onto your fabric

The PDF holds the pattern twice at actual size: once as drawn, and once mirrored for an iron-on transfer pen. Print it at 100% with scaling off and check the one-inch square (25.4 mm) with a ruler before you trace. How to transfer a pattern explains tracing, carbon paper and the other ways. The files are under Downloads.