Spool of thread in a laurel wreath hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 5 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Spool of thread in a laurel wreath: preview of the stitched design

A wooden spool of thread with a needle standing through it sits inside an open laurel wreath tied with a ribbon bow: the two ends of the spool are bars of satin stitch, the thread wound on it is one full barrel in five bands of satin stitch, and the needle is satin stitch, slim, with an open eye. The laurel leaves are satin stitch on stems of stem stitch, and the bow is satin stitch with a padded knot.

Size and details

Easy. Short satin stitches, no shading, with a little padded satin stitch.

5 colors of floss and 3 kinds of stitch:

The stitched size and the widest satin stitch, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters	Satin stitch up to
3 in (8 cm)	1.7 × 1.8 in	4.3 × 4.6 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.6 × 2.7 in	6.6 × 6.9 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.4 × 3.6 in	8.6 × 9.1 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.3 × 4.5 in	10.9 × 11.4 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6 × 6.2 in	15.2 × 15.7 cm	5/16 in (8 mm)

The pattern is drawn inside a circle about half an inch (1.3 cm) smaller all around than the hoop.

What you need

DMC 986 Very Dark Forest GreenStems and darker half of each leaf
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenLighter half of each leaf
DMC 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RoseBow, bow tails, bow knot and thread on the spool
DMC 414 Dark Steel GrayNeedle
DMC 3828 Hazelnut BrownEnds of the spool

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 strandsStems
Satin stitch 2 strandsLeaves (each half slanted to the center vein, in its own color), bow, bow tails, needle, thread on the spool, ends of the spool
Padded satin stitch 2 strandsBow knot

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.