Dad in holly hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 5 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Dad in holly: preview of the stitched design

The word DAD stands in one line of sturdy red block capitals between two garlands of holly. Each garland has a red poinsettia at its middle and a branch curving away to each side, with a pair of holly leaves, two bunches of three red berries and a single leaf at its tip. The letters, the poinsettia bracts (the red leaves that look like petals) and the berries are satin stitch, the holly leaves are satin stitch, and the branches and berry stalks are stem stitch, with three French knots at the heart of each poinsettia.

Size and details

Easy. In a hoop of 6 inches or less: short satin stitches, no shading; in a larger hoop the widest satin stitches are long.

5 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)	1.3 × 1.8 in	3.3 × 4.6 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2 × 2.6 in	5.1 × 6.6 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	2.6 × 3.5 in	6.6 × 8.9 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	3.3 × 4.4 in	8.4 × 11.2 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	4.6 × 6.2 in	11.7 × 15.7 cm	3/8 in (10 mm)

In a 3 or 4 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 986 Very Dark Forest GreenBranches, darker half of each holly leaf and stalks
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenLighter half of each holly leaf
DMC 304 Medium RedHolly berries, poinsettia long bracts and lettering
DMC 355 Dark Terra CottaPoinsettia short bracts
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawPoinsettia centers and poinsettia center knots

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 strandsBranches, stalks
Satin stitch 2 strandsHolly leaves (each half slanted to the center vein, in its own color), holly berries, poinsettia long bracts, poinsettia short bracts, poinsettia centers, lettering
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsPoinsettia center knots

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.