Eiffel Tower in laurel hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 5 colors · 5 kinds of stitch

Eiffel Tower in laurel: preview of the stitched design

The Eiffel Tower stands between two laurel branches that climb from the foot up either side and stay open at the top. The tower is back stitch with satin stitch platforms and straight stitch cross-bracing, each branch is a stem stitch line with nine pairs of satin stitch leaves, and three red French knot berries sit where the branches part. It is a keepsake of Paris for a hoop, a tote bag or the cover of a travel journal.

Size and details

Easy. Line stitches and French knots, with some short satin stitches.

5 colors of floss and 5 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 × 1.6 in	4.8 × 4.1 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.9 × 2.5 in	7.4 × 6.4 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.8 × 3.3 in	9.7 × 8.4 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.8 × 4.1 in	12.2 × 10.4 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.7 × 5.8 in	17 × 14.7 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)

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 3781 Dark Mocha BrownPlatforms and tower
DMC 3828 Hazelnut BrownCross-bracing
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenBranches and lighter half of each leaf
DMC 986 Very Dark Forest GreenDarker half of each leaf
DMC 304 Medium RedBerries

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

Satin stitch 2 strandsPlatforms, leaves (each half slanted to the center vein, in its own color)
Back stitch 2 strandsTower
Straight stitch 2 strandsCross-bracing
Stem stitch 2 or 3 strandsBranches
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsBerries

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.