Candlewick petal medallion hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 4 colors · 2 kinds of stitch

Candlewick petal medallion: preview of the stitched design

A round medallion in candlewick work, in which lines are drawn as rows of knots, is worked in knots and satin stitch. Eight pink petals open around the flower in the middle, eight pink knots around one gold knot. A scalloped outline of navy knots runs around the petals, one pointed scallop around the tip of each petal, and a green drop sits outside it in the hollow between each scallop and the next. A ring of navy knots frames the whole. The scalloped outline, the ring of knots, the flower in the middle and the center of the flower are colonial knots; the petals and the drops between the scallops are satin stitch.

Size and details

Intermediate. More than a hundred colonial knots.

4 colors of floss and 2 kinds of stitch:

The stitched size and the widest satin stitch, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters	Satin stitch up to
3 in (8 cm)	1.8 × 1.8 in	4.6 × 4.6 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.8 × 2.8 in	7.1 × 7.1 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.7 × 3.7 in	9.4 × 9.4 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.6 × 4.6 in	11.7 × 11.7 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.4 × 6.4 in	16.3 × 16.3 cm	7/16 in (11 mm)

In a 3 inch hoop the colonial 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 BlueScalloped outline and ring of knots
DMC 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RosePetals and flower in the middle
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenDrops between the scallops
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawCenter of the flower

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

Colonial knot 2 strandsScalloped outline, ring of knots, flower in the middle, center of the flower
Satin stitch 2 strandsPetals, drops between the scallops

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.