Cut gem with rays and stars hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 5 colors · 2 kinds of stitch

Cut gem with rays and stars: preview of the stitched design

A cut gem is seen from the side, flat across the top and narrowing to a point at the foot, with its left half mirroring its right. The gem is outlined in dark teal back stitch. Inside it the facets are satin stitch in lighter shades of teal: star facets under the flat top, girdle facets above the widest line, lower facets hanging below that line and long facets running down to the point. The star facets and girdle facets leave open cloth between them. Three gold rays fan out above the gem and a gold four-pointed star sits at each side, all in satin stitch.

Size and details

Intermediate. Long satin stitches from a 6 inch hoop up.

5 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)	1.7 × 1.4 in	4.3 × 3.6 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.5 × 2.1 in	6.4 × 5.3 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.4 × 2.8 in	8.6 × 7.1 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.2 × 3.6 in	10.7 × 9.1 cm	3/8 in (10 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	5.9 × 5 in	15 × 12.7 cm	1/2 in (13 mm)

In an 8 inch hoop the widest satin stitch shape is 1/2 in (13 mm) across. Satin stitches longer than about 12 mm (just under 1/2 in) tend to work loose: divide the shape into sections, or work it in long and short stitch.

The pattern is drawn inside a circle about half an inch (1.3 cm) smaller all around than the hoop.

What you need

DMC 3808 Ultra Very Dark TurquoiseGem outline
DMC 3811 Very Light TurquoiseStar facets and lighter teal long facets
DMC 597 TurquoiseGirdle facets and darker teal long facets
DMC 598 Light TurquoiseLower facets
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawRays and stars

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 strandsGem outline
Satin stitch 2 strandsStar facets, girdle facets, lower facets, long facets, rays, stars

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.