Straight stitch fan sunflower hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 3 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Straight stitch fan sunflower: preview of the stitched design

A sunflower is seen from the front: sixteen petals set on a ring full of knots. Straight stitch does most of the work. Each of the petals of the sunflower is a fan of long straight stitches that start side by side at the ring and spread a little toward a rounded tip. The petals are gold and orange by turns, and each stands clear of the next. The ring at the center is brown stem stitch, and the knots at the center are brown French knots that dot the cloth inside it.

Size and details

Intermediate. Dozens of French knots.

3 colors 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)	1.7 × 1.7 in	4.3 × 4.3 cm
4 in (10 cm)	2.5 × 2.5 in	6.4 × 6.4 cm
5 in (13 cm)	3.3 × 3.3 in	8.4 × 8.4 cm
6 in (15 cm)	4.2 × 4.2 in	10.7 × 10.7 cm
8 in (20 cm)	5.8 × 5.8 in	14.7 × 14.7 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 3852 Very Dark StrawGold petals of the sunflower
DMC 922 Light CopperOrange petals of the sunflower
DMC 3781 Dark Mocha BrownRing at the center and knots at the center

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

Straight stitch 2 strandsPetals of the sunflower
Stem stitch 2 or 3 strandsRing at the center
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsKnots at the center

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.