May in laurel hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 6 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

May in laurel: preview of the stitched design

The word MAY stands in one line of sturdy purple block capitals inside an open laurel wreath. Two leafy branches rise from a pink blossom at the foot of the wreath and curve up either side of the word, their leaves set in pairs that grow smaller toward the open top. The letters are satin stitch, the leaves are satin stitch on stem stitch branches, and the blossom has satin stitch petals round a cluster of French knots.

Size and details

Easy. In a hoop of 6 inches or less: short satin stitches, no shading; in a larger hoop the widest satin stitches are long.

6 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 × 1.5 in	4.8 × 3.8 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.9 × 2.2 in	7.4 × 5.6 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.9 × 2.9 in	9.9 × 7.4 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.9 × 3.7 in	12.4 × 9.4 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.8 × 5.1 in	17.3 × 13 cm	7/16 in (11 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 PinkBlossom petals
DMC 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RoseBlossom center
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawRing of knots in the blossom
DMC 208 Very Dark LavenderLettering

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), blossom petals, lettering
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsBlossom center, ring of knots in the blossom

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.