It’s time to add a new monogram alphabet for hand embroidery to the embroidery patterns page!

I love this particular alphabet! It’s from the late 1800′s – early 1900′s (it came out in two different editions of a French publication). I’ve cleaned it up and added the missing letters from the alphabet (I and W… or was it J and W?).

Often, in old publications that offered alphabets for hand embroidery, certain letters were left out.

Sometimes, it was the I or J, because they can be interchanged for each other. Sometimes, the W was left out, because the M could be flipped. Sometimes, the alphabets are missing X’s or Z’s – maybe because there aren’t as many people out there whose names begin with X and Z? Or perhaps because, in the particular language in which the embroidery pamphlet was printed, the letter didn’t figure as a common letter for the beginning of names?

Whatever the case, eventually, the complete alphabet will be available here on Needle ‘n Thread. We’ll start with A, B, and C.

I call this particular set of monograms “Delicate Spray.”

Back in the day, decorative alphabets were not actually named. But it helps me keep things in order if I give the alphabets a name.

They’re kind of like kids or pets – if you didn’t name them, how would you ever refer to them?!

In any case, this one is Delicate Spray in the files because it features some delicate little sprays of flowers.

The alphabet would look very pretty in any kind of monogramming technique – padded satin stitch, other simpler line stitches, even shadow work.

If you wanted to get really fancy, you could even swing it in goldwork.

Yikes! That just came out – I hadn’t thought about it before, the juices are flowing…

Monograms for Hand Embroidery – Printables

If you’d like to print these letters for your files, or save them to your computer, here are the links to the individual PDFs for each letter. On each PDF, you’ll find three sizes: 1.5″ high, 3″ high, and 4″ high. If you turn off the scaling options on your computer, the letters should print at those sizes.

If you want to change the sizes of the letters, use the scaling feature in your printers settings, or use a photocopy machine.

Monogram for Hand Embroidery – Delicate Spray A (PDF)
Monogram for Hand Embroidery – Delicate Spray B (PDF)
Monogram for Hand Embroidery – Delicate Spray C (PDF)

You can find this monogram alphabet for hand embroidery – and several other monogram alphabets – under Monograms for Hand Embroidery on the Patterns page here on Needle ‘n Thread.

Hope you enjoy it!