Kilim rug hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 3 colors · 5 kinds of stitch

Kilim rug: preview of the stitched design

A small kilim rug has a fringe at each end, a zigzag border, a row of three diamonds with short bars between them at the top and the bottom, and a large hooked diamond in the middle with a small diamond in each corner of the field. The edges, the diamonds and the hooks are stem stitch, the zigzag, the bars and the inner diamond are back stitch, the middle of the large diamond is satin stitch, the fringe is straight stitches and the dots are French knots.

Size and details

Easy. Line stitches and French knots, with a little satin stitch.

3 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 × 1.6 in	2.8 × 4.1 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	1.6 × 2.4 in	4.1 × 6.1 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	2.1 × 3.2 in	5.3 × 8.1 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	2.7 × 4.1 in	6.9 × 10.4 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	3.7 × 5.7 in	9.4 × 14.5 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)

In a 3 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 355 Dark Terra CottaEdge of the rug, inner edge of the border, lines between the rows, small diamonds, inner diamond and diamonds in the corners of the field
DMC 336 Navy BlueZigzag in the border, bars between the small diamonds, large diamond, and hooks and horns
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawCorner dots, fringe, dots in the small diamonds and middle of the diamond

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 strandsEdge of the rug, inner edge of the border, small diamonds, large diamond, hooks and horns, diamonds in the corners of the field
Back stitch 2 strandsZigzag in the border, lines between the rows, bars between the small diamonds, inner diamond
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsCorner dots, dots in the small diamonds
Straight stitch 2 strandsFringe
Satin stitch 2 strandsMiddle of the diamond

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.