Monday wash day hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 5 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Monday wash day: preview of the stitched design

MONDAY is arched in block capitals of satin stitch over a wooden wash tub with its washboard standing in the suds and soap bubbles rising at each side. The tub, the hand hole in each of its two raised boards, the suds and the bubbles are outlined in stem stitch; the staves, the upright boards of the tub, are marked in back stitch; and the two hoops round the tub, the frame and ridges of the washboard and its heart are satin stitch. Two laurel branches of satin stitch leaves on stem stitch stems rise from a satin stitch blossom at the foot, a French knot at its center, and curve up to the two ends of the name, so that the name and the branches make one ring; the wreath is the same in all seven designs of the set, one for each day of the week.

Size and details

Intermediate. A great deal of stitching.

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)	1.9 × 1.9 in	4.8 × 4.8 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.8 × 2.9 in	7.1 × 7.4 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.7 × 3.8 in	9.4 × 9.7 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.6 × 4.8 in	11.7 × 12.2 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.5 × 6.7 in	16.5 × 17 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)

In a 3 inch hoop the French knot is drawn smaller than about 2 mm (a little over 1/16 in). Use one strand of floss for it 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 GreenStems and darker half of each leaf
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenLighter half of each leaf
DMC 304 Medium RedBlossom petals and heart
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawBlossom center, washboard frame and hoops of the tub
DMC 336 Navy BlueName, washboard ridges, soap bubbles, outlines of the suds, wash tub outline, hand holes of the tub and staves of the tub

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 strandsStems, soap bubbles, outlines of the suds, wash tub outline, hand holes of the tub
Satin stitch 2 strandsLeaves (each half slanted to the center vein, in its own color), blossom petals, name, washboard ridges, washboard frame, heart, hoops of the tub
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsBlossom center
Back stitch 2 strandsStaves of the tub

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.