Continuing with this new series of monograms for hand embroidery here on Needle ‘n Thread, here’s the next four letters of the floral script alphabet I started sharing last week.

One thing I especially love about this particular alphabet is that it offers so many possibilities for interpretation in stitches, and as I add the letters to Needle ‘n Thread, I’ll share some stitching ideas with you.

One of my favorite approaches to decorative initials drawn in this particular style of script is to embroider the letters in shadow work.

I’ve written about shadow work for monograms previously. You can see an example of shadow work embroidery on a monogram here. I’ve also written about types of fabric suitable for shadow work here. The fabric needs to be sheer or semi-sheer for shadow work to be effective.

Unlike the script alphabet featured in the shadow work examples mentioned above, though, this floral script alphabet has a bit of embellishment on it.

The embellishment might seem to run interference with the letters, making shadow work embroidery a strange choice.

The way I have it pictured, though – and if I have a chance, I’m going to work up a sample, because I really like the idea and I’d like to see how it works out – is this:

Embroider the wide parts of the script in shadow work. The embellishments – including the floral elements (flowers and leaves) and the dot on each letter, work in regular surface embroidery on the front of the fabric.

This will create a light / dark contrast in the whole letter, which could be interesting – but it could also be problematic.

For example, the letter could get lost with the shadow work, leaving the embellishment to stand out too much.

To avoid losing the letter in the shadow work, I’d stitch the letter in a vibrant color and the embellishments in lighter, more delicate shades that compliment the vibrant color used in the letter.

I’d use floche, because it’s one of my favorite threads for monogramming, but the approach would work well in two strands of regular cotton floss or stranded silk.

Eventually – maybe even before this whole alphabet ends up on the website – I’d like to try this approach. I think it would be really pretty!

If you like shadow work and you want to give it a try, go for it! I’d love to see what you come up with!

Floral Script E-H Printable

Here’s the free handy dandy printable for letters E – H of the floral script alphabet. The letters print at 2.5″ high, but they can be scaled up or down to suit your needs, by enlarging on your printer or on a photocopy machine.

Floral Script E-H Monograms (PDF)

More Letters

You can find the previous letters in this alphabet – and other monogram alphabets for hand embroidery – available in the Patterns Index under Monograms.

I’ll be adding the rest of the letters of this alphabet over the next several weeks, so keep an eye out for them if you want to collect them for future use!