Sixteen-point starburst medallion hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 3 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Sixteen-point starburst medallion: preview of the stitched design

A starburst has sixteen rays that stand at equal steps round a center, eight long and eight short by turns. The long rays are gold satin stitch and the short rays teal satin stitch. The center is a disc of teal satin stitch inside two navy rims, the inner rim back stitch and the outer rim stem stitch. Three navy rings circle the starburst just beyond the tips of the short rays, and the long rays cross them: the inner ring is stem stitch and the outer rings are back stitch.

Size and details

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

3 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)	1.9 × 1.9 in	4.8 × 4.8 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.9 × 2.9 in	7.4 × 7.4 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.8 × 3.8 in	9.7 × 9.7 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.8 × 4.8 in	12.2 × 12.2 cm	7/16 in (11 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.7 × 6.7 in	17 × 17 cm	9/16 in (14 mm)

In an 8 inch hoop the widest satin stitch shape is 9/16 in (14 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 336 Navy BlueRings, outer rim of the center and inner rim of the center
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawLong rays
DMC 3809 Very Dark TurquoiseShort rays and center

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 strandsInner ring, outer rim of the center
Back stitch 2 strandsOuter rings, inner rim of the center
Satin stitch 2 strandsLong rays, short rays, center

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.