If you are starting your first floral hand embroidery project, this personalised daisy wreath is a lovely place to begin. The Loom & Stitch embroidery kit for this design is available at the bottom of the article, and the steps below will help you stitch the full pattern from start to finish on your garment.
Position the pattern and prepare to stitch
Peel the stick and stitch pattern away from its backing and place it in the centre of your fabric. Thread your needle with the yarn colour for the initial and leave a short tail on the reverse so you can secure it neatly later. As you work, aim for even tension so the yarn sits flat without pulling the fabric out of shape.
Stitch the letter with chain stitch
Bring the needle up through the fabric, then take it back down through the same hole and bring it up again one stitch length ahead. Catch the working yarn under the needle to form a loop, then pull gently so the first chain sits neatly on the surface. Repeat this all along the outline of the letter, keeping the yarn held to one side with your thumb if that helps you control the loop. When you reach the end, make one tiny anchoring stitch over the final loop and then weave the tail through the back of the chain stitches to secure it.
Work the daisy petals with lazy daisy stitch
Each petal is made separately. Bring the needle up at the base of a petal, go back down through the same hole, then bring the needle up at the tip of the petal inside the loop of yarn. Pull the loop until it lies flat and add a tiny straight stitch over the tip to anchor it. Continue around each flower in a clockwise direction. The final petals can feel crowded, especially on smaller flowers, so take your time and bring the needle up as close to the centre as you comfortably can.
Fill the leaves using fishbone stitch
For the leaves, start at the tip and make a straight stitch down the centre line. After that, alternate side stitches: come up on one side of the leaf and go down through the centre, then come up on the opposite side and go down through the centre again. Keep each stitch close to the previous one and follow the direction lines of the leaf shape so the finished embroidery has a tidy, feathered look. Fishbone stitch is ideal for beginners who want soft texture in a floral embroidery pattern.
Add the centres and the bees
Use French knots for the daisy centres. Bring the needle up where you want the knot, wrap the yarn around the needle three times, then take the needle back down very close to where it came up and pull through slowly. For the bees, fill the body with satin stitch by laying close, parallel stitches across the shape. The wings are stitched with small lazy daisy loops, anchored in place with one tiny stitch at the tip of each wing.
Finish the piece neatly
Turn the garment over as you change colours and secure each thread tail by weaving it through nearby stitches or tying it to the starting tail if the two ends meet. Once everything is stitched, rinse away the stick and stitch backing according to the product instructions and allow the fabric to dry flat. If you would like the full DIY embroidery kit for this beginner embroidery design, browse the associated Loom & Stitch kit linked at the bottom of the article.
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