Laurel leaf bookmark hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 3 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Laurel leaf bookmark: preview of the stitched design

A bookmark is bordered in running stitch: up its middle runs a sprig of laurel that rises from three French knot berries at its foot: a straight stem of stem stitch clothed with pairs of fishbone stitch leaves that lean toward its tip, growing smaller as they go and ending in a single leaf. Stitch it on a strip of linen or felt and back it with felt.

Size and details

Easy. Simple stitches in three colors.

3 colors of floss and 4 kinds of stitch:

The stitched size, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters
3 in (8 cm)	0.7 × 2 in	1.8 × 5.1 cm
4 in (10 cm)	1 × 3 in	2.5 × 7.6 cm
5 in (13 cm)	1.4 × 3.9 in	3.6 × 9.9 cm
6 in (15 cm)	1.7 × 4.9 in	4.3 × 12.4 cm
8 in (20 cm)	2.4 × 6.9 in	6.1 × 17.5 cm

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 320 Medium Pistachio GreenBorder and right leaves
DMC 986 Very Dark Forest GreenStems and left leaves
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawBerries

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

Running stitch 3 strandsBorder
Stem stitch 2 or 3 strandsStems
Fishbone stitch 2 strandsLeaves
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsBerries

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.