Holbein stitch flower in a star hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 3 colors · 2 kinds of stitch

Holbein stitch flower in a star: preview of the stitched design

A flower inside a star makes a small practice piece for Holbein stitch, and every line of it runs level, upright or on the slant. The outer line of the star is garnet and the inner line of the star is teal; each draws a star of eight points. Inside them stand the eight petals of the flower, garnet outlines with blunt tips, around an eight-sided center in gold. A gold stamen runs up the middle of each petal and ends in a gold French knot, and twenty-five more knots sit at the center. The lines of the star, the petals, the stamens and the center are all Holbein stitch; the knots are French knots.

Size and details

Easy. Simple stitches in three colors.

3 colors of floss and 2 kinds of stitch:

The stitched size, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters
3 in (8 cm)	1.9 × 1.9 in	4.8 × 4.8 cm
4 in (10 cm)	2.8 × 2.8 in	7.1 × 7.1 cm
5 in (13 cm)	3.8 × 3.8 in	9.7 × 9.7 cm
6 in (15 cm)	4.7 × 4.7 in	11.9 × 11.9 cm
8 in (20 cm)	6.6 × 6.6 in	16.8 × 16.8 cm

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 815 Medium GarnetOuter line of the star and petals of the flower
DMC 3809 Very Dark TurquoiseInner line of the star
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawStamens of the flower, center of the flower, knots at the tips of the stamens and knots at the center

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

Holbein stitch 2 strandsOuter line of the star, inner line of the star, petals of the flower, stamens of the flower, center of the flower
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsKnots at the tips of the stamens, knots at the center

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.