Round pansy neckline hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 6 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Round pansy neckline: preview of the stitched design

A round neckline has a pansy at the center front and a leafy branch up each side. The neck edge is two lines of stem stitch side by side, joined by a turn at each shoulder, so that it is worked as one unbroken line. The pansy is long and short stitch: two upper petals, two side petals and a yellow lower petal, with a satin stitch face and a French knot for its eye. The branches are stem stitch, each with six pairs of satin stitch leaves and a single leaf at its tip. As printed the curve is smaller than most neck openings: enlarge the printout until it matches the neck edge of a blouse, a child’s dress or a nightgown, or stitch it as it is below the neckline.

Size and details

Intermediate. Uses long and short stitch.

6 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)	1.7 × 1.3 in	4.3 × 3.3 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.5 × 2 in	6.4 × 5.1 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.4 × 2.6 in	8.6 × 6.6 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.2 × 3.3 in	10.7 × 8.4 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	5.9 × 4.6 in	15 × 11.7 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)

In a 3 or 4 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 208 Very Dark LavenderNeck edge and pansy upper petals
DMC 986 Very Dark Forest GreenBranches and darker half of each leaf
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenLighter half of each leaf
DMC 210 Medium LavenderPansy side petals
DMC 726 Light TopazPansy lower petal and pansy eye
DMC 336 Navy BluePansy face

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 strandsNeck edge, branches
Satin stitch 2 strandsLeaves (each half slanted to the center vein, in its own color), pansy face
Long and short stitch 1 or 2 strandsPansy upper petals, pansy side petals, pansy lower petal
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsPansy eye

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.