Happy Saturday!

This morning, a free pattern to add to the collection of hand embroidery patterns here on Needle ‘n Thread! This one is a highly formal, stylized thistle.

I love thistles in hand embroidery – there are so many ways they can be embroidered! I’ve seen puffy, hairy thistles, worked in turkey work; I’ve seen needle painted thistles in long and short stitch; I’ve seen thistles worked with very long chain stitches, like the one in Breath of Spring; thistles worked with pistil stitch, and thistles worked with very effectively with plain old straight stitches. Lots of options!

The formal aspect of this design lends itself well to silk shading, to goldwork, or a combination of both. With a little ingenuity and creativity, whitework and even blackwork could be an option. Enlarged, it could make a nice appliqué design for a quilt. And of course, crewel work would be a good choice for this design, too!

I’ve received a few emails lately asking if I can please provide color, thread and stitch guides for the patterns I post. Well, as much as I’d love to be able to do that for each pattern, the time involved in preparing color and stitch guides is tremendous! I provide the patterns so that you can play with them and discover your own interpretations.

Think of it as the challenge of finding your own way on an exciting journey while creating your own unique work of art!

Thistle Pattern Printable

The thistle embroidery pattern prints at 5.5″ high, but it can be enlarged or reduced to suit your needs. Here’s the printable:

Stylized Thistle for Hand Embroidery (PDF)

If you’re looking for other hand embroidery patterns – perhaps something a little less formal? – you might enjoy browsing through the free hand embroidery patterns here on Needle ‘n Thread!

Enjoy the weekend!