Barrel cactus in bloom hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 4 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Barrel cactus in bloom: preview of the stitched design

This barrel cactus in a patterned pot has a round body of seven ribs, the middle one in front and each of the others coming out from behind its neighbor, and a flower of seven pointed petals round a center on its crown. The ribs and the pot are outlined in stem stitch, with French knots in rows down the ribs, and the petals are solid long and short stitch. The center of the flower, the rim of the pot and the four lozenges, the diamond shapes on its band, are satin stitch, with a French knot between each two.

Size and details

Intermediate. Uses long and short stitch.

4 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)	1.3 × 1.7 in	3.3 × 4.3 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2 × 2.5 in	5.1 × 6.4 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	2.6 × 3.4 in	6.6 × 8.6 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	3.3 × 4.2 in	8.4 × 10.7 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	4.6 × 5.9 in	11.7 × 15 cm	7/16 in (11 mm)

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 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RoseFlower
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawCenter of the flower, knots on the ribs and lozenges on the pot
DMC 986 Very Dark Forest GreenOutlines of the ribs
DMC 355 Dark Terra CottaPot outline, lines of the band, knots on the pot and rim of the pot

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

Long and short stitch 1 or 2 strandsFlower
Satin stitch 2 strandsCenter of the flower, lozenges on the pot, rim of the pot
Stem stitch 2 or 3 strandsOutlines of the ribs, pot outline, lines of the band
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsKnots on the ribs, knots on the pot

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.