Poker chip with spade and wreath hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 4 colors · 5 kinds of stitch

Poker chip with spade and wreath: preview of the stitched design

A poker chip is seen face on. Inside the navy stem stitch edge of the chip, eight satin stitch inlays cross the rim at equal steps, red and navy by turns. The ring inside the rim is navy stem stitch too, and within it sits a circle of sixteen gold French knots. Inside the knots lies a band of two navy rings in stem stitch with a gold chain of chain stitch between them. In the center a navy satin stitch spade stands inside a green wreath that is open at the top: one stem of stem stitch with fishbone stitch leaves in pairs and a gold satin stitch berry at its foot.

Size and details

Intermediate. Long satin stitches from a 6 inch hoop up.

4 colors of floss and 5 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 × 1.9 in	4.8 × 4.8 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.9 × 2.9 in	7.4 × 7.4 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.8 × 3.8 in	9.7 × 9.7 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.8 × 4.8 in	12.2 × 12.2 cm	3/8 in (10 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.7 × 6.7 in	17 × 17 cm	1/2 in (13 mm)

In an 8 inch hoop the widest satin stitch shape is 1/2 in (13 mm) across. Satin stitches longer than about 12 mm (just under 1/2 in) tend to work loose: divide the shape into sections, or work it in long and short stitch.
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 304 Medium RedRed inlays of the rim
DMC 336 Navy BlueNavy inlays of the rim, edge of the chip, ring inside the rim, rings of the band and spade
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawKnots inside the rim, chain between the rings and berry at the foot of the wreath
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenStem of the wreath and leaves of the wreath

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 strandsInlays of the rim, berry at the foot of the wreath, spade
Stem stitch 2 or 3 strandsEdge of the chip, ring inside the rim, rings of the band, stem of the wreath
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsKnots inside the rim
Chain stitch 2 or 3 strandsChain between the rings
Fishbone stitch 2 strandsLeaves of the wreath

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.