Orange half with leaves hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 4 colors · 2 kinds of stitch

Orange half with leaves: preview of the stitched design

Half an orange is seen face on, with its stalk and a leaf to each side. The peel is one band of satin stitch, and the ten equal segments are satin stitch, each in two halves that slant to meet on its middle line, round a French knot. The stalk is satin stitch and the two leaves are satin stitch.

Size and details

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

4 colors of floss and 2 kinds of stitch:

The stitched size and the widest satin stitch, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters	Satin stitch up to
3 in (8 cm)	1.3 × 1.6 in	3.3 × 4.1 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2 × 2.4 in	5.1 × 6.1 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	2.7 × 3.2 in	6.9 × 8.1 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	3.3 × 4 in	8.4 × 10.2 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	4.7 × 5.7 in	11.9 × 14.5 cm	7/16 in (11 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 320 Medium Pistachio GreenLighter half of each leaf
DMC 986 Very Dark Forest GreenDarker half of each leaf
DMC 3781 Dark Mocha BrownStalk
DMC 922 Light CopperPeel, segments and heart of the orange

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 strandsLeaves (each half slanted to the center vein, in its own color), stalk, peel, segments
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsHeart of the orange

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.