Torii gate in cherry blossom hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 5 colors · 4 kinds of stitch

Torii gate in cherry blossom: preview of the stitched design

A torii gate stands in a wreath of cherry blossom: two boughs climb from the foot up either side and bend toward each other over the lintel, with nine blossoms, each with five satin stitch petals and a French knot in the middle, and pairs of fishbone stitch leaves between them on a stem stitch bough. The two leaning posts, the tie beam, the strut and the two beams of the lintel are satin stitch, and each post stands on a footing on one long stone step.

Size and details

Easy. Short satin stitches, no shading.

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)	1.9 × 1.8 in	4.8 × 4.6 cm	1/16 in (1.6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.9 × 2.7 in	7.4 × 6.9 cm	1/8 in (3 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.8 × 3.6 in	9.7 × 9.1 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4.8 × 4.5 in	12.2 × 11.4 cm	3/16 in (5 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	6.7 × 6.3 in	17 × 16 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)

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 RedPosts, tie beam, strut and lower lintel
DMC 336 Navy BlueUpper lintel, footings and stone step
DMC 320 Medium Pistachio GreenBoughs and leaves
DMC 3350 Ultra Dark Dusty RoseBlossom petals
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawBlossom middles

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

Satin stitch 2 strandsPosts, tie beam, strut, lower lintel, upper lintel, footings, stone step, blossom petals
Stem stitch 2 or 3 strandsBoughs
Fishbone stitch 2 strandsLeaves
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsBlossom middles

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.