STEPS for your mindful makes

GENERAL STITCH GUIDE

EMBROIDERED BOUQUET

Gather your supplies

• 25 x 25cm cotton fabric in yellow

• DMC stranded embroidery cotton in 09 (very dark cocoa), 20 (shrimp), 224 (light shell pink), 225 (very light shell pink), 505 (grass green), 524 (fern green), 563 (light jade), 613 (very light brown), 644 (beige-grey), 760 (salmon), 924 (very dark grey-green), 3824 (light apricot) and blanc (white)

• Heat-erasable fabric marker

• Embroidery hoop, 18cm

• Embroidery needles, sizes 8 and 5

• Felt square

• Fabric glue

• Hairdryer

• General sewing supplies

Here’s how

STEP 1 Using Embroidered bouquet diagram (see page 176), trace pattern onto fabric using the fabric marker. The easiest way to do this is to tape the pattern to a window (or similar light source) with the fabric right side out on top before tracing. With the design centred, secure fabric between the inner and outer embroidery hoops, tightening the hoop’s screw as you pull the fabric taut.

STEP 2 Using 1 strand of very dark cocoa thread (09), fill daisy centres with seed stitches (lots of tiny straight stitches). Work petals using satin stitch and 1 strand of thread, alternating the colours of each petal between shrimp (20) and light apricot (3824).

STEP 3 Outline petals of flamingo feather plants in 1 strand of salmon (760), using lazy daisy stitches for the centre-most petals and fly stitches for the petals above and below. Fill in each petal with 1 or 2 straight stitches using 2 strands of salmon (760), following the direction of the petal.

STEP 4 Outline peony petals with whipped backstitch using light shell pink (224). Use 1 strand for the base layer of backstitch and 2 strands for the whipped layer.

STEP 5 Fill in the peony petals with satin stitch and 2 strands of very light shell pink (225).

STEP 6 Fill in the inner part of the variegated leaves using fishbone stitch and 1 strand of fern green (524). For the outer part of leaves, use satin stitch in 1 strand of very light brown (613). Try to keep angle of stitches on inner and outer parts of leaves the same.

STEP 7 Embroider centre of the anemones using French knots in 1 strand of beige-grey (644). Next, fill in petals with a combination of long and short stitches using 2 strands of blanc (white). Using stitches of varying lengths helps them blend together in an organic way.

STEP 8 Using 2 strands of light jade (563), fill in