Emperor moth with eyed wings hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 5 colors · 5 kinds of stitch

Emperor moth with eyed wings: preview of the stitched design

An emperor moth is seen from above with its four wings spread and an eye in each. The fore wings and the hind wings are outlined in brown stem stitch, each with an inner line of tan back stitch and a row of gold French knots along its outer edge. Every eye is navy satin stitch inside a ring of teal satin stitch. The head is brown, the thorax tan, and the bands of the body run tan and brown by turns, all in satin stitch. The two feathered feelers are gold fishbone stitch.

Size and details

Intermediate. Long satin stitches from a 5 inch hoop up.

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)	1.8 × 1.3 in	4.6 × 3.3 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.7 × 1.9 in	6.9 × 4.8 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.7 × 2.6 in	9.4 × 6.6 cm	3/8 in (10 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.6 × 3.2 in	11.7 × 8.1 cm	7/16 in (11 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.4 × 4.5 in	16.3 × 11.4 cm	5/8 in (16 mm)

In an 8 inch hoop the widest satin stitch shape is 5/8 in (16 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.
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 3852 Very Dark StrawFeathered feelers and knots in the wings
DMC 3781 Dark Mocha BrownHind wings, fore wings, brown bands of the body and head
DMC 3828 Hazelnut BrownInner lines of the wings, tan bands of the body and thorax
DMC 336 Navy BlueEyes in the wings
DMC 3809 Very Dark TurquoiseRings of the eyes

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

Fishbone stitch 2 strandsFeathered feelers
Stem stitch 2 or 3 strandsHind wings, fore wings
Back stitch 2 strandsInner lines of the wings
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsKnots in the wings
Satin stitch 2 strandsEyes in the wings, rings of the eyes, bands of the body, thorax, head

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.