Lily-ended cross hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 4 colors · 5 kinds of stitch

Lily-ended cross: preview of the stitched design

The four arms of the cross each end in a lily, and a round stone sits at its crossing. The cross is outlined in stem stitch with a row of chain stitch inside it, and its arms widen a little toward their ends. Each arm ends in a collar of satin stitch from which spring two side petals of satin stitch that curl outward and one upright petal of fishbone stitch. The stone is padded satin stitch.

Size and details

Intermediate. Uses padded satin stitch.

4 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)	1.5 × 1.7 in	3.8 × 4.3 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.3 × 2.5 in	5.8 × 6.4 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3 × 3.4 in	7.6 × 8.6 cm	3/8 in (10 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	3.8 × 4.2 in	9.7 × 10.7 cm	7/16 in (11 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	5.3 × 5.9 in	13.5 × 15 cm	5/8 in (16 mm)

In an 8 inch hoop the widest satin stitch shape is 5/8 in (16 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 3828 Hazelnut BrownCross outline and collars
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawInside of the cross and side petals
DMC 726 Light TopazUpright petals
DMC 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RoseStone at the crossing

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 strandsCross outline
Chain stitch 2 or 3 strandsInside of the cross
Satin stitch 2 strandsSide petals, collars
Fishbone stitch 2 strandsUpright petals
Padded satin stitch 2 strandsStone at the crossing

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.