Atom with three orbits hand embroidery pattern

Intermediate · 4 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Atom with three orbits: preview of the stitched design

The sign for an atom is three long orbits woven over and under one another by turns at their twelve crossings, round a solid nucleus of red satin stitch. Each orbit is a band with stem stitch edges and a line of chain stitch down its middle, every line ending where another orbit lies over it, and a gold electron of satin stitch sits on the far end of each.

Size and details

Intermediate. Long satin stitches from a 4 inch hoop up.

4 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)	1.6 × 1.8 in	4.1 × 4.6 cm	1/4 in (6 mm)
4 in (10 cm)	2.4 × 2.7 in	6.1 × 6.9 cm	7/16 in (11 mm)
5 in (13 cm)	3.2 × 3.6 in	8.1 × 9.1 cm	9/16 in (14 mm)
6 in (15 cm)	4 × 4.5 in	10.2 × 11.4 cm	11/16 in (17 mm)
8 in (20 cm)	5.6 × 6.3 in	14.2 × 16 cm	15/16 in (24 mm)

In a 5, 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.

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 BlueOrbits
DMC 3755 Baby BlueMiddle lines of the orbits
DMC 304 Medium RedNucleus
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawElectrons

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 strandsOrbits
Chain stitch 2 or 3 strandsMiddle lines of the orbits
Satin stitch 2 strandsNucleus, electrons

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.