Ophiuchus constellation hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 2 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Ophiuchus constellation: preview of the stitched design

The constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, stands in an upright oval ring of stem stitch that carries four small stars. Its twelve stars are joined by lines of back stitch: three are four-pointed stars in satin stitch, one of them at the upper left, where the star Rasalhague stands, and the other nine are French knots. The stars keep the places they have in the sky, with north up.

Size and details

Easy. Stem stitch, back stitch and French knots, with a little satin stitch.

2 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)	1.5 × 2 in	3.8 × 5.1 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.2 × 3 in	5.6 × 7.6 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	2.9 × 4 in	7.4 × 10.2 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	3.7 × 5 in	9.4 × 12.7 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	5.1 × 6.9 in	13 × 17.5 cm	1/4 in (6 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 336 Navy BlueRing, stars on the ring and lines between the stars
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawFour-pointed stars and knot stars

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 strandsRing
Back stitch 2 strandsStars on the ring, lines between the stars
Satin stitch 2 strandsFour-pointed stars
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsKnot stars

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.