Scrollwork cross hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 3 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Scrollwork cross: preview of the stitched design

A Latin cross is drawn as a plain frame and filled with filigree scrolls, which curl in pairs toward each other down every arm, with a dot inside each pair, a four-petal flower where the arms cross and three small drops at the end of each arm. The frame and the scrolls are stem stitch, the petals and the drops are lazy daisy stitches, the jewel in the middle is satin stitch and the dots are French knots.

Size and details

Easy. In a hoop of 6 inches or less: stem stitch, lazy daisy stitch and French knots, with a little satin stitch; in a larger hoop the widest satin stitches are long.

3 colors of floss and 4 kinds of stitch:

The stitched size and the widest satin stitch, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters	Satin stitch up to
3 in (8 cm)	1.4 × 1.9 in	3.6 × 4.8 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.1 × 2.9 in	5.3 × 7.4 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	2.8 × 3.8 in	7.1 × 9.7 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	3.5 × 4.8 in	8.9 × 12.2 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	4.9 × 6.7 in	12.4 × 17 cm	3/8 in (10 mm)

In a 3 inch hoop the French knots and the shortest lazy daisy loops 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 BlueFrame of the cross
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawFiligree scrolls, dot inside each pair of scrolls and dots around the jewel
DMC 355 Dark Terra CottaPetals at the crossing, jewel at the crossing and drops at the ends

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 strandsFrame of the cross, filigree scrolls
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsDot inside each pair of scrolls, dots around the jewel
Lazy daisy stitch 2 strandsPetals at the crossing, drops at the ends
Satin stitch 2 strandsJewel at the crossing

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.