Dresden plate block hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 3 colors · 6 kinds of stitch

Dresden plate block: preview of the stitched design

A square quilt block holds a Dresden plate of twelve round-ended blades in the middle, with a four-hole button at its center and a small fan of three blades in each corner. The square round the block, the corner fans, the blades and the button are stem stitch and the rim of the button is back stitch; the short gold spokes round the edge of the plate are straight stitches, the long petals on every other blade are lazy daisy stitches, the lines along the sides and down the other blades are running stitch and the dots and button holes are French knots.

Size and details

Easy. Simple stitches in three colors.

3 colors of floss and 6 kinds of stitch:

The stitched size, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters
3 in (8 cm)	1.4 × 1.4 in	3.6 × 3.6 cm
4 in (10 cm)	2 × 2 in	5.1 × 5.1 cm
5 in (13 cm)	2.7 × 2.7 in	6.9 × 6.9 cm
6 in (15 cm)	3.4 × 3.4 in	8.6 × 8.6 cm
8 in (20 cm)	4.7 × 4.7 in	11.9 × 11.9 cm

In a 3 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 336 Navy BlueBlock, quilting along the sides, corner fans, blades and button holes
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawSpokes round the plate, button and button rim
DMC 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RoseLong petals, blade lines, blade dots and fan dots

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 strandsBlock, corner fans, blades, button
Running stitch 3 strandsQuilting along the sides, blade lines
Straight stitch 2 strandsSpokes round the plate
Lazy daisy stitch 2 strandsLong petals
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsBlade dots, fan dots, button holes
Back stitch 2 strandsButton rim

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.