Cassette tape with a heart hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 4 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Cassette tape with a heart: preview of the stitched design

A cassette tape is seen from the front, drawn mostly in outline. The case and the label inside it are navy back stitch, as are the long window in the middle of the label and the raised part along the foot of the case. A red heart sits at the top of the label with a navy back stitch line at each side of it. Inside the window the two reels are red rings, and a gold stripe runs under the window; the heart, reels and stripe are satin stitch. Teal French knots mark the screws and holes: four screws in the corners of the case and three holes along the bottom.

Size and details

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

4 colors of floss and 3 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 in	4.3 × 2.5 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.5 × 1.6 in	6.4 × 4.1 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.3 × 2.1 in	8.4 × 5.3 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.2 × 2.6 in	10.7 × 6.6 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	5.8 × 3.6 in	14.7 × 9.1 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 BlueCase and the raised part along its foot, label, window, and lines beside the heart
DMC 304 Medium RedReels and heart
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawStripe
DMC 3809 Very Dark TurquoiseScrews and holes

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

Back stitch 2 strandsCase and the raised part along its foot, label, window and lines beside the heart
Satin stitch 2 strandsReels, heart, stripe
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsScrews and holes

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.