Olive branch edging hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 4 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Olive branch edging: preview of the stitched design

A wavy branch of stem stitch carries a slim fishbone stitch leaf on the outside of every bend, up and down by turns, a satin stitch olive on a short stalk inside each of the five middle bends, and a last leaf at each tip. Trace it again end to end for a longer hem, towel or tablecloth.

Size and details

Easy. Stem stitch and fishbone stitch, with some short satin stitches.

4 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)	2 × 0.6 in	5.1 × 1.5 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	3 × 0.9 in	7.6 × 2.3 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	4 × 1.2 in	10.2 × 3 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	5 × 1.5 in	12.7 × 3.8 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	7 × 2.1 in	17.8 × 5.3 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)

The pattern is drawn inside a circle about half an inch (1.3 cm) smaller all around than the hoop.

What you need

DMC 3781 Dark Mocha BrownVine
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenLower leaves
DMC 208 Very Dark LavenderOlives
DMC 989 Forest GreenUpper leaves

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 strandsVine
Fishbone stitch 2 strandsLeaves
Satin stitch 2 strandsOlives

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.