How to embroider a flower yourself using ready-made patterns

Floral motifs have been part of the embroidery culture for quite some time. They symbolize prosperity, happiness, and love. This article discusses how to embroider flowers on canvas and what is needed for this.

Cross stitch: technique of execution

There are three main techniques for cross stitching. Namely, classic embroidery, Danish and diagonal. Each method has its own nuances, so before starting work it is advisable to watch several master classes on stitches.

Device for work

Needles for work can be divided into two types: with a sharpened end and a blunt one. When working on dense materials, such as satin stitch, sharp needles are used.

Blunt needles are used in cross stitch work, and in counted types of embroidery in general. The fabric for such embroidery has a sparse thread in its structure, so the blunt tip easily passes through the canvas cells without cutting its threads. Another important characteristic of embroidery needles is a large eye, which makes the work of threading the thread much easier.

You will also need a sharp textile roller and small manicure scissors.

An organizer will come in handy to store threads while working and to have all the tools at hand. The floss is taken out of the package and inserted into the needle one by one, then it is placed with the threads in a special square cell in the organizer and the yarn number is indicated.

You can also buy ready-made embroidery kits, inside there is already a canvas with a pattern, and on the box there is a miniature of the proposed picture. Such kits are divided by levels, from beginner to professional.

Selecting fabric for the base

The main types of material for cross stitching are presented below.

Canvas

This fabric will be a practical and economical base for cross stitching.

The rare weave produces even cells, which are quite comfortable to work with during sewing. There are also many types of Aida canvas (this is one of the most common materials):

• No. 7 - is well suited for beginners and children who dream of learning to embroider. The cells have large holes, so it is quite easy to insert a needle into them. Tailors recommend trying to work with this number first;
• № 11 - is used for embroidering napkins, sheets, blankets and other beautiful details of the home interior. Therefore, if you need to decorate bed linen, then you need to take this type;
• № 14 — will be one of the most popular types of embroidery base. For work, buy floss and needles № 24. On this type of canvas, interlining looks good, diluted with water and giving the finished work a bright shade.

Mixed materials

Such fabrics will be much cheaper than pure types. These include:

• floba is a combination of viscose and cotton fabric, which is produced in only one color. The uneven tone of the fabric creates an original look of wear. Floba will be a good material for embroidering tablecloths, pillows and various wardrobe items. It is perfect for beginner needlewomen;
• Quaker 28 is a blend of cotton and linen. It is often used because it has over 100 colors in the palette.

How to Create a Cross Stitch Pattern from a Picture

You can find various sites that help you create a pattern for embroidery from photos or pictures. What you need to do for this:

• Choose a picture. Half of the success depends on a well-chosen picture. A good photo for creating a scheme should be taken in a bright place, but so that it is not overexposed by the sun. There should be no glare or dark spots. If you need not a photo, but a picture from the Internet, then you need to choose colors as contrasting as possible.
• The picture or photo needs to be processed. This is done because when loaded into the program, the image is compressed, becomes worse in quality and highlights all the flaws. Processing can be done in any photo editor.

The most common mistakes when choosing a photo/picture for a diagram:

• unbleached smile (on the diagram it will look even darker);
• red eye effect;
• half of the painting or photo is dark;
• glare on the face from the sun;
• orange or gray skin color (you need to adjust the contrast of the photo).

Cross stitch patterns with color indication can be found on various websites dedicated to handicrafts.

Several cross stitch patterns of flowers

Below is a description of how to embroider a flower on canvas.

Petersburg Sonata

The Petersburg Sonata is perfect for true cross stitch lovers. Very heavy work, with a large abundance of floss colors, more than 50, is made on a fine Aida base #18 with full cross stitches in one thread. The work looks like it was not embroidered, but painted with paints. If you place it in the sunlight, it will shimmer with an abundance of colors.

Sweet pea

The work is done mainly in purple and green tones. Figure 5 shows a pattern for embroidery of sweet peas. This picture is best placed in the bedroom.

Pink rose

Before trying to make roses on canvas, you need to embroider less complex works, such as petals or branches. To get an excellent picture on fabric, you need to carefully choose floss that will be scarlet like roses.

To make the process easier, you can draw a 10x10 grid on the fabric with a disappearing marker and stretch it onto the frame. You can start working from a convenient end of the template, and at the end of the embroidery, you need to make an outline for the entire design. This way, it will be brighter and visually larger.

"Bouquet. Asters and bells"

Making bouquets will be difficult for beginner needlewomen. Such work will take quite a lot of time and requires concentration, since it will be difficult to rip it out later. More delicate and neutral shades prevail in the work. As a basis, you can take canvas No. 11 in blue.

Vintage roses

Antique roses are usually used to decorate pillows, blankets, towels and other household items. Such a product will be a great gift for mom or grandma. It is quite difficult to choose the color of the floss here. A combination of white, pink and yellow colors is used. To give the painting an antique look, it is necessary to use flob fabric. At the end of the work, it is recommended to place the painting under glass and in a frame.

Poppies on black

Poppies have long been considered a symbol of passion, love, wealth and children. Many craftswomen often embroider poppies on fans, which makes a kind of amulet. The Danish embroidery method is perfect for such a picture. The canvas should be black, and the poppies bright red, then it will be possible to convey the richness of the picture.

Chamomile

Daisies are the easiest option for embroidering flowers, for which it is not necessary to use patterns. But craftswomen recommend that no matter how complex the drawing is, you should always have a sketch of it.

Pictures made up of several works in frames of different sizes look quite good; by grouping them on the wall into one common frame, you can get a bouquet of flowers.

Daisies can be complemented with beautiful gold threads or insects. Such a picture will look great in a child's room.

Wild flowers

Like daisies, wild flowers can be made single or collected in a vase. Although such flowers are simple, they look very impressive in embroidery. Especially if you make an assortment of daisies, bells and dry twigs of plants. The background can be sky-blue, then you will get a complete picture of nature.

Cross stitch snowdrops

It looks quite beautiful if the picture is monochrome, and its details can be highlighted in white or blue. This technique is often used by different artists. In embroidery, the emphasis can be on the petals of the snowdrop.

Rosebud in the heart

A person who is just beginning to master the technique of cross-stitching can easily make such a rose. It will be enough to embroider three buds in the shape of a heart.

Basic scheme options for beginners:

• Bulgarian type of flowers. The patterns of these roses are quite easy, mostly embroidered with pink floss;
• old bush roses - the painting uses more green and red colors;
• Tea rose patterns are great for beginners in embroidery, they can be made for clothes or towels.

Bouquet of roses and lilies of the valley

Quite often, such a combination can be seen in a wedding bouquet. White roses with lilies of the valley can be easily embroidered by a beginner. For experienced craftsmen, you can make red buds to get a rich image. It is advisable to do this embroidery in the satin stitch technique.

Lush peonies

Peonies have always been favorites among embroidery. These flowers are very easy to make, but at the same time, they will please the eye for a long time. Most often, peonies are pink or red, so if you place the picture in a bright room, it will shimmer beautifully in the sun.

Satin stitch embroidery of iris flower

Step by step work:

1. work begins with a purple thread. This will be the outline of the iris petals;
2. Beginner needlewomen usually twist a knot at the end of the floss, but you don't have to do this. After making the first puncture of the canvas, you need to carefully pull the thread to the outside, making a small tail. You need to hold it with your finger throughout the entire work. After a few stitches, it will fix itself;
3. Irises must be embroidered using a simple satin stitch. This is a method in which both sides of the fabric are the same;
4. The stitches need to be made slightly larger than the outline of the pattern. This will help to hide the border strip;
5. the needle is pulled out from the inside to the front side behind the outline of the template and the thread is removed. Now, the needle must be inserted back, but on the opposite side of the flower line;
6. The stitches must be made at a certain angle, but strictly parallel. There should be no gaps or spaces. The edges must be even;
7. between the purple threads you need to make small gaps. Then they are sewn with light floss. Thanks to this, the picture will be more realistic. After the lines of the pattern are embroidered with dark threads, you can make the center of the petals with light purple floss. The same shade should be used to fill the gaps left between the dark seams. Continue making the iris petals in this way;
8. the center of the flower is made with yellow threads;
9. Finally, you can embroider the upper part. The lapels, veins and lines of the pattern are embroidered with dark purple yarn. The center of the elements is filled with light purple threads;
10. Finally, you can decorate the painting with a satin ribbon.

Embroidered flowers are quite simple and interesting to make. Such motifs can be used not only on canvas, but also on clothes. The pictures turn out to be truly bright and juicy. The main thing is to choose the right color of threads for embroidery.