August birth flower, poppy hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 5 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

August birth flower, poppy: preview of the stitched design

The name AUGUST stands in block capitals between two sprays of leaves, one arching over it and one cupping it from below, each with a poppy, a birth flower of August, at its middle. Each poppy has four broad petals in long and short stitch, the upper and the lower one red and the two at the sides rust, a green satin stitch seed head and a ring of French knot stamens; the letters are satin stitch across each stroke, and the leaves are satin stitch on stem stitch branches.

Size and details

Intermediate. Uses long and short stitch.

5 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)	1.9 × 1.8 in	4.8 × 4.6 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.8 × 2.6 in	7.1 × 6.6 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.8 × 3.5 in	9.7 × 8.9 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.7 × 4.4 in	11.9 × 11.2 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.6 × 6.1 in	16.8 × 15.5 cm	1/2 in (13 mm)

In an 8 inch hoop the widest satin stitch shape is 1/2 in (13 mm) across. Satin stitches longer than about 12 mm (just under 1/2 in) tend to work loose: divide the shape into sections, or work it in long and short stitch.
In a 3 or 4 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 986 Very Dark Forest GreenBranches, darker half of each leaf and poppy seed head
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenLighter half of each leaf
DMC 304 Medium RedUpper and lower petals of each poppy
DMC 355 Dark Terra CottaSide petals of each poppy
DMC 336 Navy BluePoppy stamens and letters

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 strandsBranches
Satin stitch 2 strandsLeaves (each half slanted to the center vein, in its own color), poppy seed head, letters
Long and short stitch 1 or 2 strandsPoppy petals
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsPoppy stamens

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.