Redwork lemon slice and leaves hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 1 color · 3 kinds of stitch

Redwork lemon slice and leaves: preview of the stitched design

This is a redwork lemon slice set in an open wreath of leaves. The slice is a wheel of eight segments inside a round rind. Below it sits a blossom of five petals, and from the blossom a stem of the wreath curves up each side of the slice, carrying leaves in pairs and one leaf at its tip. The rind, the segments, the blossom, the stems of the wreath and the leaves are stem stitch; the lines between the petals of the blossom and the leaf veins are back stitch; the center of the slice and the center of the blossom are French knots. It is all one red thread, with no filled shapes.

Size and details

Easy. Simple stitches in one color.

1 color of floss and 3 kinds of stitch, all of them line stitches and knots:

The stitched size, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters
3 in (8 cm)	1.8 × 1.6 in	4.6 × 4.1 cm
4 in (10 cm)	2.8 × 2.4 in	7.1 × 6.1 cm
5 in (13 cm)	3.7 × 3.2 in	9.4 × 8.1 cm
6 in (15 cm)	4.6 × 3.9 in	11.7 × 9.9 cm
8 in (20 cm)	6.5 × 5.5 in	16.5 × 14 cm

In a 3 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 RedRind, segments, blossom, stems of the wreath, leaves, lines between the petals of the blossom, leaf veins, center of the slice and center of the blossom

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 strandsRind, segments, blossom, stems of the wreath, leaves
Back stitch 2 strandsLines between the petals of the blossom, leaf veins
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsCenter of the slice, center of the blossom

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.