“The earth laughs in flowers.” said Ralph Waldo Emerson. Nothing is more true. If you can recreate this laughter somehow, on fabric what can be more rewarding. You can too – There are many ways flowers can be embroidered on your clothes tastefully to enhance the look of the garment – get nature’s blessings easily on to your clothes and accessories.
The embroiderd flowers can be placed around the neckline or on the sleeves or near the hem or the side slits. Check out the post on the correct way of embroidery placements
Earlier I used to be confused about what to fill the designs I have drawn up or copied from some embroidery design books. Now that I know embroidery (a little more) I am more confused. There are innumerous ways of making flowers using embroidery. I have listed my favourite ways of embroidering flowers here
You may also want to check out these 10 easy (I am always for ‘easy’) flower embroidery designs – each of them you can complete in a matter of a few minutes.
Embroidery Flowers
1.Spider web rose
This is a beautiful rose made by weaving thread over straight made around a point.
For more ways to embroider roses checkout the post – 10 ways to embroider roses
2.Blanket stitch flowers
Simple Blanket stitches used to fill in the flower designs
Checkout this post on filling stitches to see 6 of the best filling stitches
3.Sun ray flowers
Straight stitches made around a point
You can change this flower to a 3D effect easily, by cutting the edges after securing the thread with simple back stitches . Checkout the post on making 12 types of 3D embroidery flowers if you like some texture and your flowers to have that extra dimension
There are many ways you can use the straight stitch to work simple flowers
Here back stitches form the stem and straight stitches make the petals of the flowers. The whole 6 strands of the embroidery floss are used to make the petals thick. If you are interested, the flower is from the post on T-shirt decorating
4.Lazy daisy sprays
There are some 8 different ways to make flowers with the lazy daisy stitch. Check them out.
5.Butterfly stitches Flower
Butterfly stitch involves satin stitch which is tied in pairs of 5 stitches or so with a contrasting coloured thread
6 . Satin stitched Flower
Close Satin stitches are used to fill the flower designs
The butterfly stitched bow is combined with a simple satin stitched flower in this post on embroidered Jeans
7. Close buttonhole stitch
Buttonhole stitches are used inside the flowers
8.Lazy Daisy buds
Long stalk lazy daisy stitch makes a very easy and pretty flower bud, don’t you think so?
9. Pistil stitch
Long tail bullion knot as well as french knots can be used to make pretty as a picture flowers. Learn how to make pistil stitch here
10.French knot flowers
French knots are very versatile and can make many types of flowers,one of them is the one given below. They are most commonly used to fill the center of flowers. Checkout the tutorial to make french knots (& its 5 uses in embroidery)
11.Bullion roses
Bullion knot stitches arranged in a slanting angle around a french knot.
Checkout the detailed tutorial to make a Bullion knot stitch and 3 easy bullion stitch embroidery designs
12.Blanket stitch flowers
Blanket stitches are made in the form of a fan here
13. Lazy Daisy flowers
There are many more ways to make flowers with this very versatile stitch. Checkout the 8 different types of lazy daisy flowers you can make.
14. Long and short stitch flowers
Checkout this post to Learn to do long and short stitch which is one of the best filling stitches, most suitable for filling big designs. Needle painting technique uses different shades of embroidery thread to fill embroidery designs in long and short stitches.
Check out the post on the 4 ways to recreate a pansy flower on fabric for easily stitching a pansy flower and some images you can use as a reference for embroidering pansy flowers.
15. Lazy daisy Tulips
This flower is made by making a detached chain stitch upside down and then work one straight stitches through the loop of the detached chain stitch which shows up as the v shaped petals.
16. Herringbone stitch flowers ( Straight or reverse)
You can fill the flowers with herringbone stitches on the face of the fabric. If the herringbone stitches are used on the back of the fabric it will show up as a shadow and outline stitches on the flower design ( Shadow embroidery). This is mostly done on thin cloth for the shadow of the work done to be shown.
17.Chain stitch filled flowers
Chain stitch is made with thick strands of thread inside the designs. First, the outline is done and then the inside part is filled with rows of chain stitches. Check out the post on chain stitch designs for more details.
18. Cross stitch flowers
Checkout the post on beginners guide to cross stitch if you would like to learn more
19. Bullion rosebuds
Two Bullion knots are arranged together to look like a rose bud .
20. Pinwheels
Here Blanket stitches are made in a circle around a point. Checkout this post on more variations of the simple blanket stitch
21 Granitos flowers
Checkout the tutorial to make this very easy granitos stitch to make beautiful puffy blooms.
22 Granitos rosebuds
23 Bead embroidery flowers
You can make beautiful flowers with bead and sequins. Check out the post on 10 easy to do Embroidery Tutorial: Making Bead Flower Motifs for more details
24. Ribbon embroidered flowers
If you are a fan of Ribbon embroidery you can checkout the 10 ways to make ribbon embroidered flowers here
Would you like to turn your embroidered flower into a clothing patch you can attach anywhere – Learn how to make embroidered Fabric Patches
25. Stitch handmade Fabric flowers
You can make fabric flowers – different kinds of them and stitch them directly onto the fabric. If you want to make flowers with fabric you can check out these tutorials
Related posts:
Easy cute and small embroidery designs for bedsheets and pillowcases.
15 ways to embroider leaves for these flowers
Refer a good list of basic embroidery stitches – Hand embroidery stitches for beginners
If you are a beginner and would like to learn more about embroidery Checkout related posts on 7 FAQ answered for beginners embroidery and 9 ways to transfer embroidery designs
Hi,
Many years ago as a stay-at-home mother, I crocheted and knitted afghans as a hobby. The Tunisian Simple Stitch was beginning to show up in the crafting magazines. I crocheted the background for Gloria Vanderbilt’s afghan. It has 141 squares each one requiring a pattern. She designed 12 cross stitch flower motifs to be repeated throughout the afghan. I got so very bored with it that I put it away. Now I have so many afghans unfinished that I determined to finish them before doing something new.
While the squares in Simple Stitch lend themselves to cross stitch, I came upon the lovely embroidery flowers and am using yarn to embroider the squares instead of the cross stitch that I have come to detest.
The background is quite thick and I have to make a padding under French knots and such, to have the knots not get lost in the fabric – it works.
Thank you for your site. You have given me more ideas than other sites because you ‘break the rules a bit’ for more informality, like using a more shaggy flower petal and mixing colors or lines in less expected ways. I enjoy reading and studying your work.
Your posts are really helpful.
Keep up the good work.
God bless you
Hi Alice
That is so nice of you to say. Thank you. Best wishes. You will do great.
Hi Marie
Thank you ; And Have you taken up your grandmother’s legacy ?
Thanks for the comment – Hope you will take a look at this page for some more stitches //rosettanreedlaw.com/hand-embroidery-stitches/
Hi, embroidery is lovely. Maybe this would help – //rosettanreedlaw.com/how-to-embroidery/