Moon phase ring hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 2 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Moon phase ring: preview of the stitched design

The phases of the moon are set round a ring: eight moons outlined in back stitch run from the new moon at the top round by the crescent, the first quarter and the gibbous moon to the full moon at the foot, and back up the other side as it wanes. The dark part of each moon is satin stitch and the lit part is bare cloth, a French knot stands between each moon and the next, and in the middle is a four-pointed star whose four arms are each worked across in satin stitch.

Size and details

Intermediate. Long satin stitches from a 4 inch hoop up.

2 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)	1.8 × 1.8 in	4.6 × 4.6 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.7 × 2.7 in	6.9 × 6.9 cm	7/16 in (11 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.6 × 3.6 in	9.1 × 9.1 cm	9/16 in (14 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.5 × 4.5 in	11.4 × 11.4 cm	11/16 in (17 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.3 × 6.3 in	16 × 16 cm	15/16 in (24 mm)

In a 5, 6 or 8 inch hoop the widest satin stitch shape is 1/2 in (13 mm) or more 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.
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 336 Navy BlueDark part of each moon
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawOutlines of the moons, star and knots between the moons

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

Satin stitch 2 strandsDark part of each moon, star
Back stitch 2 strandsOutlines of the moons
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsKnots between the moons

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.