November birth flower, chrysanthemum hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 6 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

November birth flower, chrysanthemum: preview of the stitched design

The name NOVEMBER stands in block capitals between two sprays of leaves, one arching over it and one cupping it from below, each with a chrysanthemum, a birth flower of November, at its middle. Each chrysanthemum is three rounds of narrow petals in satin stitch, one inside the other, red, rust and gold from the outside in, round a French knot; the letters are satin stitch across each stroke, and the leaves are satin stitch on stem stitch branches.

Size and details

Intermediate. Satin stitch over about a sixth of the cloth in a 6 inch hoop.

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 × 1.8 in	4.8 × 4.6 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.8 × 2.6 in	7.1 × 6.6 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.8 × 3.5 in	9.7 × 8.9 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.7 × 4.4 in	11.9 × 11.2 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.6 × 6.1 in	16.8 × 15.5 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)

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 986 Very Dark Forest GreenBranches and darker half of each leaf
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenLighter half of each leaf
DMC 304 Medium RedChrysanthemum outer petals and chrysanthemum centers
DMC 355 Dark Terra CottaChrysanthemum middle petals
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawChrysanthemum inner petals
DMC 336 Navy BlueLetters

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), chrysanthemum outer petals, chrysanthemum middle petals, chrysanthemum inner petals, letters
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsChrysanthemum centers

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.