Bluework dragonfly with veined wings hand embroidery pattern

Beginner · 1 color · 2 kinds of stitch

Bluework dragonfly with veined wings: preview of the stitched design

This is a bluework dragonfly seen from above, the same on both sides. A broad head with an eye on each side sits on a stout thorax, and a long tail crossed by joints runs straight down from it. Four long wings are held open, the front wings above the hind wings, and each has a main vein with shorter veins branching from it to its hind edge. The head, the thorax, the tail and the wings are stem stitch; the eyes, the band of the thorax, the joints of the tail and the veins of the wings are back stitch. It is all one navy thread, with no filled shapes.

Size and details

Beginner. Line stitches only, fewer than 450 stitches in all.

1 color of floss and 2 kinds of stitch, all of them line stitches:

The stitched size, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters
3 in (8 cm)	1.6 × 1.4 in	4.1 × 3.6 cm
4 in (10 cm)	2.4 × 2.1 in	6.1 × 5.3 cm
5 in (13 cm)	3.1 × 2.8 in	7.9 × 7.1 cm
6 in (15 cm)	3.9 × 3.6 in	9.9 × 9.1 cm
8 in (20 cm)	5.5 × 5 in	14 × 12.7 cm

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 BlueHead, thorax, tail, front wings, hind wings, eyes, band of the thorax, joints of the tail, veins of the front wings and veins of the hind wings

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 strandsHead, thorax, tail, front wings, hind wings
Back stitch 2 strandsEyes, band of the thorax, joints of the tail, veins of the front wings, veins of the hind wings

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.