Cherry blossom laurel wreath hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 5 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Cherry blossom laurel wreath: preview of the stitched design

This open wreath is in the manner of a laurel: two branches, each clothed with pairs of leaves and a single leaf at its tip, rise from a cherry blossom at the foot and leave the wreath open at the top, with room in the middle for a name or a date. The blossom has five notched blush-pink petals in long and short stitch round a rose satin stitch eye, with a yellow French knot on each petal. The branches are stem stitch and the leaves are satin stitch in a dark and a light green.

Size and details

Intermediate. Uses long and short stitch.

5 colors of floss and 4 kinds of stitch:

The stitched size and the widest satin stitch, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters	Satin stitch up to
3 in (8 cm)	1.6 × 1.6 in	4.1 × 4.1 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.5 × 2.5 in	6.4 × 6.4 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.3 × 3.3 in	8.4 × 8.4 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.1 × 4.1 in	10.4 × 10.4 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	5.8 × 5.8 in	14.7 × 14.7 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)

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 986 Very Dark Forest GreenBranches and darker half of each leaf
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenLighter half of each leaf
DMC 152 Medium Light Shell PinkCherry blossom petals
DMC 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RoseCherry blossom eye
DMC 726 Light TopazCherry blossom stamens

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), cherry blossom eye
Long and short stitch 1 or 2 strandsCherry blossom petals
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsCherry blossom stamens

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.