Rocket among stars hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 5 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Rocket among stars: preview of the stitched design

A rocket flies straight up. The tall body is one line of stem stitch, with a round window ringed in chain stitch round a pane of satin stitch; the nose, the band across the body, the two fins and the nozzle are worked across in satin stitch; and three pointed flames in satin stitch stream out under it, the middle one the longest. Two four-pointed stars in satin stitch with a French knot between them stand to either side.

Size and details

Intermediate. Long satin stitches from a 5 inch hoop up.

5 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)	1.5 × 1.8 in	3.8 × 4.6 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.2 × 2.6 in	5.6 × 6.6 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	2.9 × 3.5 in	7.4 × 8.9 cm	7/16 in (11 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	3.7 × 4.4 in	9.4 × 11.2 cm	9/16 in (14 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	5.1 × 6.2 in	13 × 15.7 cm	13/16 in (21 mm)

In a 6 or 8 inch hoop the widest satin stitch shape is 1/2 in (13 mm) or more 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 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 336 Navy BlueBody of the rocket, window and nozzle
DMC 304 Medium RedNose, band and fins
DMC 3755 Baby BlueWindow glass
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawMiddle flame, stars and small stars
DMC 922 Light CopperSide flames

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 strandsBody of the rocket
Satin stitch 2 strandsNose, band, fins, window glass, nozzle, middle flame, side flames, stars
Chain stitch 2 or 3 strandsWindow
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsSmall stars

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.