Gothic tracery window hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 4 colors · 5 kinds of stitch

Gothic tracery window: preview of the stitched design

A pointed Gothic window is shown as navy stonework in stem stitch, with a middle line of chain stitch running round the arch. Two lancets, the tall pointed openings, stand side by side at the foot, under a large round opening. In each lancet a green stem of stem stitch carries seven green fishbone stitch leaves, one at the top and three pairs below it. The round opening holds eight gold satin stitch petals set round a red French knot in its middle.

Size and details

Easy. In a hoop of 6 inches or less: line stitches and loops and French knots, with some short satin stitches; in a larger hoop the widest satin stitches are long.

4 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)	1.1 × 1.7 in	2.8 × 4.3 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	1.6 × 2.5 in	4.1 × 6.4 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	2.1 × 3.4 in	5.3 × 8.6 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	2.7 × 4.2 in	6.9 × 10.7 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	3.7 × 5.9 in	9.4 × 15 cm	3/8 in (10 mm)

In a 3 inch hoop the French knot is drawn smaller than about 2 mm (a little over 1/16 in). Use one strand of floss for it 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 BlueStonework and middle line of the arch
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenStems in the lancets and leaves in the lancets
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawPetals in the round opening
DMC 304 Medium RedMiddle of the round opening

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 strandsStonework, stems in the lancets
Chain stitch 2 or 3 strandsMiddle line of the arch
Fishbone stitch 2 strandsLeaves in the lancets
Satin stitch 2 strandsPetals in the round opening
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsMiddle of the round opening

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.