Dice between two sprigs hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 4 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Dice between two sprigs: preview of the stitched design

A pair of dice sits side by side between two leafy sprigs, one arching over them and one curving under. Each die is a cube seen from one corner and is only a line on the cloth: the dice outline and the edges of the dice are navy stem stitch. The spots are small red ovals of satin stitch, five on the top face, three on the outer face and six on the inner face of each die. Each sprig is green, a stem in stem stitch with fishbone stitch leaves in pairs along it, a single leaf at each tip and a gold satin stitch berry at its middle.

Size and details

Easy. Stem stitch and fishbone stitch, with some short satin stitches.

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)	1.6 × 1.6 in	4.1 × 4.1 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.3 × 2.3 in	5.8 × 5.8 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.1 × 3.1 in	7.9 × 7.9 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	3.9 × 3.9 in	9.9 × 9.9 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	5.4 × 5.4 in	13.7 × 13.7 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)

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

What you need

DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenStems of the sprigs and leaves of the sprigs
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawBerries on the stems
DMC 336 Navy BlueDice outline and edges of the dice
DMC 304 Medium RedSpots of the dice

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 strandsStems of the sprigs, dice outline, edges of the dice
Fishbone stitch 2 strandsLeaves of the sprigs
Satin stitch 2 strandsBerries on the stems, spots of the dice

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.