Chartres labyrinth hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 2 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Chartres labyrinth: preview of the stitched design

A round labyrinth of the medieval Chartres pattern has one path that winds through eleven rings and four quarters from the opening at the foot to a center of five petals, the place of a sixth left open for the way in. The walls are back stitch, the petal center is stem stitch and a single French knot marks the middle.

Size and details

Easy. Simple stitches in two colors.

2 colors of floss and 3 kinds of stitch, all of them line stitches and knots:

The stitched size, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters
3 in (8 cm)	1.9 × 1.9 in	4.8 × 4.8 cm
4 in (10 cm)	2.9 × 2.9 in	7.4 × 7.4 cm
5 in (13 cm)	3.8 × 3.8 in	9.7 × 9.7 cm
6 in (15 cm)	4.8 × 4.8 in	12.2 × 12.2 cm
8 in (20 cm)	6.7 × 6.7 in	17 × 17 cm

In a 3 inch hoop the French knot is drawn smaller than about 2 mm (a little over 1/16 in). Use one strand of floss for it 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 BlueWalls and lane walls
DMC 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RosePetal center and middle

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 strandsWalls, lane walls
Stem stitch 2 or 3 strandsPetal center
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsMiddle

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.