Aries zodiac sign hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 2 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Aries zodiac sign: preview of the stitched design

The constellation of Aries, the Ram, stands in a ring of stem stitch that carries two small stars, three French knots and, at its foot, the sign’s symbol. Its four stars are joined by lines of back stitch: three are four-pointed stars in satin stitch (the largest, in the middle, is the star Hamal), and the one at the right end is a French knot. The two stars of the horn, at the right, are set further from Hamal and from each other than in the sky, so that each can be stitched and the horn keeps its hook.

Size and details

Easy. In a hoop of 6 inches or less: stem stitch, back stitch and French knots, with a little satin stitch; in a larger hoop the widest satin stitches are long.

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	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.6 × 2.9 in	6.6 × 7.4 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.5 × 3.8 in	8.9 × 9.7 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.4 × 4.8 in	11.2 × 12.2 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.1 × 6.7 in	15.5 × 17 cm	3/8 in (10 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 star

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 star
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.