8 spring and summer hand embroidery projects

Don't know about you but I can't wait for spring to come! That always happens to me when there is this period between cold and warm weather when the temperature is steadily around 0°C and the streets are covered in snow mixed with puddles. Not my favorite sight, frankly speaking. The good news is that this period can be spent stitching something bright and warm preparing for the new season to come :)

Since the winter is coming to an end, isn't it the right time to decide on your spring/summer projects? Here are some suggestions from Stitch Floral blog! ❤

1. Spring Miniatures

I mean, it's literally in the name, isn't it?

Spring Miniatures will be a perfect choice if you are a beginner embroiderer OR if you have played with the needle and thread for a while but want to try working with 1 strand of floss for the first time.

On Instagram, I sometimes get questions and comments musing about how difficult it must be embroidering with 1 strand of floss. It actually isn't! Of course, it will be unusual at first if you're used to stitching with all 6 strands of floss. But in the end, it's only a matter of habit.

While stitching these little ones you will also learn many essential stitches like stem stitch, french knots, lazy daisy stitch, and others. You can work them one by one on separate pieces of fabric, or you can stitch them all together like I did: in 2 rows with 3 flowers each. 

These series gathered positive feedback from beginner stitchers so I'm confident in the fact that they are indeed helpful :) The link will take you to the first flower of the series - Mimosa, and then you can check them out one by one. 

2. Cecelia Rose Stitch Along

This project is also suitable for beginners. It is an old Stitch Along divided into few parts, and I have posted pictures of the process of working this design and described pretty much every step I took. Which means you have a solid visual and instructional support for stitching it with confidence.

But even if you're not a beginner, it is also a pretty design which will not take too much of your time and effort before you finish it. See the results of the stitch along to get more inspiration :)

When we worked this Stitch Along I sent the pattern with DMC thread index to all the participants by e-mail. Now you can purchase it in my shop.

3. Lemon tree

This buddy was one of my first embroidery designs and it failed a little to get into my Etsy shop so I posted it for free. When you download it, you get the pattern, thread index and instructions – the whole set.

It's not a very complicated design and doesn't really use any difficult stitches. The main star is buttonhole stitch as it is used for all the leaves. So if you're not good friends with this technique yet – what a wonderful chance to practice it! All while growing a lovely lemon on your fabric :)

4. Planters

This is a set of 3 patterns that I posted a few days ago. All 3 have a matching style and all 3 reflect the popular green plants theme going on around the embroidery world.

I gave some suggestions on how to work the bigger planters in case you feel lost. But as for the pattern with the smaller ones – it is a chance for you to challenge your creativity!

I think these patterns are perfect as a wall art – you can see here how one of it looks when mounted on canvas. Add a photo frame and it will be a lovely decoration for your home. Another idea – a textile bag. Or a tablet case? There are so many ways to utilize these patterns!

5. Trish Burr's designs: Pansies or Magnolia

Let's talk needlepainting now.

If you are a fan of a more realistic approach to hand embroidery, when the work starts resembling a painting, these two Stitch Alongs is everything you need to get the hang of it.

Pansies by Trish Burr would be ideal for a start. These flowers aren't that big in scale and the color blending there is arguably easier (well, from my point of view). However, you need the book to find the pattern.

Magnolia is a bigger scale project with lots of elements and various shapes, so I think it would make sense to work it as a way to step up your needlepainting game. But you know yourself better – if you're the type to learn swimming by jumping into the deep water, then you can totally tackle this project. You will need to get a pattern from Trish Burr's shop or from her book – the details are all in the first post of the Stitch Along.

For both of these Stitch Alongs, I posted a lot of pictures of my process of working them with a lot of commentary on all the steps. That's why, if you are craving for a project with detailed instructions, any of the Stitch Alongs would be a perfect choice.

Besides, aren't they both just perfect for Spring and Summer season? :)

6. Aqua Botanicals, Amelia and Serenity designs

These are all the designs from my Etsy shop. Something I have just noticed while preparing for this post is that all of my designs actually have spring/summer vibes. They all have a different level of difficulty though so choose wisely.

Serenity designs and Aqua Botanicals stand on the same level difficulty, but they are quite different in their mood. Calm and elegant Serenity florals with geometric frames are the opposite of the whimsical botanicals bursting with colors. It's easy to pick a side according to your current mood. You can also choose between working a single individual design or a whole set of them.

Amelia designs also feature rich florals with boho-inspired elements. They are probably the most difficult ones out of the bunch but the instructions are very detailed and have images as visual support for each step (you can see the previews for each of the designs in my shop) :)

7. Dancing Poppies

These little poppy flowers are of quite an unusual color – pink. That's because they were inspired by oriental pink poppies. Check them out on google, they are so so pretty! 

But if you like the more common spread red one, you can always switch the colors and work the poppies the way you see them :)

These poppies are delicate and look almost fragile on the fabric so if you like designs with tender and romantic vibe or that's the mood you're searching for your new project – here is the ideal candidate.

You can download the pattern and in the post I shared which thread and stitches I used when working it.

8. Flower Bouquet

Last but not least, the flower bouquet that we worked not so long ago. Actually, there is no pattern to download for it but that's the whole fun. I also worked it without a pattern, deciding on the elements' placement and stitched on the go.

I think it is great to train your improvisation skills once in a while and create something on fabric without any preparation, just following your instincts and mood.

Well, if I am completely honest, there was preparation for this bouquet – I decided on which stitches I want to use beforehand. Mainly because it was meant to be a practice piece to train the new techniques we learned prior to that – you will find the links to all of the tutorials in the post.

So why not make your own bouquet for the upcoming season? You can actually plan it all out, draw the pattern yourself, decide on which exactly flowers you want to stitch and which colors you want to use. Or just go with the flow. I promise it will be a lot of fun! :)

***

So here is a nice list of ideas from Stitch Floral that you can use for your new projects to welcome Spring and Summer. Make a cup of tea/coffee and feel free to dig all of the content to choose what fits you perfectly :)

With all the freebies that I share I have only these rules: that you don't use it for any commercial gain, give me credit if you exhibit it, don't repost and don't claim it as your own design.

The rest is all up to your creativity – change the patterns' size, colors, use some other techniques and stitches than what I used. You can even use a pattern as an inspiration but add some extra details, or, on the contrary, simplify it for yourself.

As long as it is for your private use, you can play with it to your heart's content. And make sure to show me your results! Love seeing your works!