Redwork sunflower seen face on hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 1 color · 3 kinds of stitch

Redwork sunflower seen face on: preview of the stitched design

This is a redwork sunflower seen face on. Sixteen pointed petals of one shape stand at equal steps round the disc, each with a center vein, and the points of sixteen back petals show between them. Inside the edge of the disc sixteen seeds stand in a circle, then comes the ring of the disc, and seven more seeds sit inside it, one in the middle and six round it. The petals, the points of the back petals and the disc are stem stitch, the center veins of the petals and the ring of the disc are back stitch, and the seeds 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 × 1.8 in	4.6 × 4.6 cm
4 in (10 cm)	2.8 × 2.8 in	7.1 × 7.1 cm
5 in (13 cm)	3.7 × 3.7 in	9.4 × 9.4 cm
6 in (15 cm)	4.6 × 4.6 in	11.7 × 11.7 cm
8 in (20 cm)	6.4 × 6.4 in	16.3 × 16.3 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 RedPetals, points of the back petals, disc, center veins of the petals, ring of the disc and seeds

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 strandsPetals, points of the back petals, disc
Back stitch 2 strandsCenter veins of the petals, ring of the disc
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsSeeds

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.