January birth flower, carnation hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 5 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

January birth flower, carnation: preview of the stitched design

The name JANUARY stands in block capitals between two sprays of leaves, one arching over it and one cupping it from below, each with a carnation, a birth flower of January, at its middle. Each carnation is two tiers of petals with zigzag edges in long and short stitch, spread like a fan above a green cup in satin stitch, and from behind the foot of the cup two satin stitch leaves rise in a V, their tips reaching toward the ends of the branches; the letters are satin stitch across each stroke, and the leaves are satin stitch on stem stitch branches.

Size and details

Intermediate. Uses long and short stitch.

5 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)	1.9 × 1.7 in	4.8 × 4.3 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.8 × 2.6 in	7.1 × 6.6 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.8 × 3.4 in	9.7 × 8.6 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.7 × 4.3 in	11.9 × 10.9 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.6 × 6 in	16.8 × 15.2 cm	1/2 in (13 mm)

In an 8 inch hoop the widest satin stitch shape is 1/2 in (13 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.

The pattern is drawn inside a circle about half an inch (1.3 cm) smaller all around than the hoop.

What you need

DMC 986 Very Dark Forest GreenBranches, darker half of each leaf and darker half of each carnation leaf
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenLighter half of each leaf, lighter half of each carnation leaf and carnation cup
DMC 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RoseCarnation outer petals
DMC 3779 Very Light RosewoodCarnation inner petals
DMC 336 Navy BlueLetters

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 strandsBranches
Satin stitch 2 strandsLeaves (each half slanted to the center vein, in its own color), carnation leaves (each half slanted to the center vein, in its own color), carnation cup, letters
Long and short stitch 1 or 2 strandsCarnation outer petals, carnation inner petals

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.