Fluffy cloud hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 4 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Fluffy cloud: preview of the stitched design

The fluffy cloud is asleep. Its edge is one line of stem stitch, three round billows over a flat foot, with a second line of pale blue chain stitch all the way round just inside it; the two closed eyes and the small smile are curves of stem stitch and each cheek is a small round of satin stitch. Five four-pointed sparkles in gold satin stitch stand about it, two above and three below.

Size and details

Easy. In a hoop of 6 inches or less: stem stitch and chain stitch, with some short satin stitches; in a larger hoop the widest satin stitches are long.

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)	1.7 × 1.6 in	4.3 × 4.1 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.6 × 2.4 in	6.6 × 6.1 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.4 × 3.2 in	8.6 × 8.1 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.3 × 3.9 in	10.9 × 9.9 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6 × 5.5 in	15.2 × 14 cm	3/8 in (10 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 336 Navy BlueCloud, and closed eyes and smile
DMC 3755 Baby BlueLine inside the cloud's edge
DMC 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RoseCheeks
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawSparkles

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 strandsCloud, closed eyes and smile
Chain stitch 2 or 3 strandsLine inside the cloud's edge
Satin stitch 2 strandsCheeks, sparkles

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.