Redwork basket of apples hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 1 color · 2 kinds of stitch

Redwork basket of apples: preview of the stitched design

This is a redwork basket of apples seen from the front. Three apples are heaped behind the rim of the basket, the middle one in front of the other two; each has a stalk, and each outer apple has a leaf with a vein. A bowed handle rises from the rim and arches over the apples. Below the rim the basket narrows to its base and is crossed by stakes and four wavy rows of weavers. The rim, the basket, the handle, the apples, the stalks and the leaves are stem stitch; the stakes, the weavers and the leaf veins are back stitch. It is all one red thread, with no filled shapes.

Size and details

Easy. Line stitches only, but a good deal of line to work.

1 color of floss and 2 kinds of stitch, all of them line stitches:

The stitched size, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters
3 in (8 cm)	1.5 × 1.3 in	3.8 × 3.3 cm
4 in (10 cm)	2.2 × 2 in	5.6 × 5.1 cm
5 in (13 cm)	3 × 2.6 in	7.6 × 6.6 cm
6 in (15 cm)	3.7 × 3.3 in	9.4 × 8.4 cm
8 in (20 cm)	5.2 × 4.6 in	13.2 × 11.7 cm

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 RedRim of the basket, basket, handle, apples, stalks, leaves, stakes of the basket, weavers of the basket and leaf veins

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 strandsRim of the basket, basket, handle, apples, stalks, leaves
Back stitch 2 strandsStakes of the basket, weavers of the basket, leaf veins

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.