This floral wreath combines an initial with daisies, roses, leaves and bees, making it a lovely personalised hand embroidery project. The Loom & Stitch embroidery kit for this tutorial is available at the bottom of the article, and this written guide explains the full process so you can stitch the design from start to finish without needing anything else.
Place the pattern in the centre
Stick the pattern onto the garment and start with the initial in the middle. Working from the centre outward makes the wreath easier to balance and helps you keep the surrounding motifs in proportion as you stitch.
Stitch the initial with chain stitch
Bring the needle up through the fabric, take it back down through the same hole, then bring it up again one stitch length ahead with the yarn looped under the needle. Pull gently to form each chain. Continue along the letter line, holding the yarn to one side with your thumb if that helps you keep the loops neat. Anchor the final chain with a tiny straight stitch, then secure the tail on the reverse by weaving it through the back of the chain.
Make the flowers with lazy daisy and woven wheel stitches
Use lazy daisy stitch for the daisy petals, working one petal at a time from the base to the tip and anchoring each loop with a short straight stitch. Repeat the same method on the smaller flowers around the wreath. For the roses, start by making five straight stitch spokes radiating from the centre. Bring the needle up slightly off centre and weave the yarn over and under the spokes in a continuous circle until the base stitches disappear and the rose looks full.
Add leaves and stems
Fill the leaves with fishbone stitch, beginning with a central line and then alternating side stitches back into the middle. For the stems and finer lines of the wreath, use split stitch: make one stitch, bring the needle up a stitch length ahead, then take it back down through the centre of the previous stitch. This creates a tidy, slightly textured line that suits delicate greenery.
Stitch the bees and flower centres
Fill each bee body with satin stitch by placing short, parallel stitches side by side. Add the dark stripes over the yellow body with a thinner yarn and a few small straight stitches. Use lazy daisy loops for the wings. To finish the flowers, add French knots in the centres by wrapping the yarn around the needle three times and pulling through close to the starting point.
Secure the reverse and finish the wreath
Tidy the back as you go by weaving in loose tails and trimming away excess yarn. Once every part of the wreath is complete, rinse away the stick and stitch backing and let the garment dry flat. If you would like the matching Loom & Stitch embroidery kit for this floral wreath, browse the associated kit linked at the bottom of the article.
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