With Easter coming up, and with some vague sensation of Spring flitting in and out, teasingly, I have lilies on my mind. And so I thought I’d pass on a free hand hand embroidery pattern featuring the lily.

This is my variation of a design from a very old folio of ecclesiastical embroidery drawings that I was able to purchase last year from a European rare books source. I’ll tell you more about the folio later – it’s an amazing collection of designs, all full-sized, from the first decade of the 1900′s.

My variation of the lily design can definitely be used for secular embroidery. I picture it as a goldwork piece with a touch of silk here and there, but that’s just me.

Funny…I have a hard time saying “goldwork” today, after the whole framing situation with the Mission Rose that we talked about yesterday. Just to follow up briefly on that topic – and thank you so much for your input! – I didn’t like it any better this morning! I’m sure you’ll see another update down the road, when I make some changes.

But, back to the lily. Whitework, goldwork (I said it again…), crewel work – you could approach it with pretty much any surface embroidery technique. Does it beckon for any particular technique in your mind?

The diamond frame would be a nice spot for further line embellishment, too. I might play with that.

I like the flowy leaves – I see them split with two types of goldwork, at least half of each leaf couched with green silk, and the whole piece worked on a colored background, or at least, not a white background, so that the lily can take center stage in shades of white silk, or in gold couched with shades of white (Or Nué-style). Maybe a good project for trying one of these ground fabrics for embroidery that we discussed last week?

In any case, if you decide to do something with it, I hope you enjoy it!

Here’s the printable version (PDF):

Lily in a Diamond Hand Embroidery Pattern

Tomorrow, a Secret Garden update with lots of pictures! Later in the week, I’ll be showing you some beautifully worked embroidery from a reader, and of course, we’ll fill up the week together with more of the typical tips and tidbits.

If you’re looking for free hand embroidery designs for your own use, you’ll find plenty of them on the Embroidery Patterns page here on Needle ‘n Thread. There’s some fun Springy stuff in there, like this little egg full of flowers, this spring garden corner, these William Morris tulips – if you’re looking for something new to stitch up!