Happy Wednesday! It seems like a terrific day to share a heart-y hand embroidery design with you, just in case you’re looking for something very February-y to stitch.
Now, I know this looks like a weird pattern. It can almost make your eyes a little wonky if you look at it too long. When I doodled it up a while ago, I had a specific vision for it.
I always have visions for doodles. They don’t always materialize, but I enjoy them while they last!
I’ll tell what I had in mind for this particular embroidery pattern…
I was thinking about all kinds of line stitches, stitch combinations, and composite stitches when I doodled this.
If you have worked any of the letters from my Stitch Sampler Alphabet collection, you’ll understand what I mean! All the non-floral parts of the letters in that alphabet are worked in a variety of line stitches, stitch combinations, and composite stitches.
I viewed this design as a kind of line-stitch-combo-composite-conglomeration-sampler-thing. I was just doodling up something to play with, to explore stitches on.
So that’s how the curly heart came about, and that was my vision. It isn’t an earth-shattering vision. But I think it would loads of fun!
I’m still planning to play with it. I have the design transferred to fabric already – it’s just a matter of finding a little Play Time right now. If I do it, I’ll share it with you – whether it comes out as planned or not!
But in the meantime, you can take the idea and run with it.
Hand Embroidery Pattern Printable
I’ve supplied two sizes of the pattern on the handy-dandy PDF printable below. There’s a small version, about 3.25″ wide, and a larger version that’s about 5″ wide. The idea is that the smaller one will fit within a 4″ hoop and the larger one will fit in a 6″ hoop.
If you stitch the small version, it will work better with finer threads (say, 2 strands of DMC), whereas the larger version could feasibly handle heavier threads.
Here’s the PDF:
Curly Heart Hand Embroidery Patterns
Looking for More?
You can find more Valentine’s Day embroidery patterns free here on Needle ‘n Thread. Here are a few:
Heart of Flowers
A Hearty Kaleidoscope
Blooming Hearts
LOVE in a Box
Scalloped Valentine
If you’re looking for some thorough step-by-step stitching instructions for heart-themed embroidery, perhaps you’d enjoy my e-book, Will Ewe Bee Mine?
The e-book features a cute heart-themed alphabet (as well as a sheep-themed and bee-themed alphabet) and matching borders, with step-by-step stitching instructions for all the motifs. You can find Will Ewe Bee Mine? available here.
Hope you have a Wonderful Wednesday!
Thanks so much Mary!
Thanks so much, Mary. What a nice surprise.
Thank you!
Bonjour Mary
I thank you for your free embroidery pattern. Also, as I have discovered, I can use the stitches on cards. It makes it very special and for my granddaughters on their clothings I write storuies with appliqués and embroidery.
Please resubscribe me back as I wish to receive your e-mail as I remember your embroidery explanation are very good.
Merci
Yolande
thank you so much for the free patterns… I love the doodly heart.
Dear Mary
Thanks so much for the free curly heart pattern is it lovely. This would be an interesting design to stitch because of all the curly lines in it. I hope you will play with it and let us see you stitched version. I have most of your e-books thanks and they are well worth purchasing there is so much in them. Thanks for sharing the free pattern with us and for the reminder of your e-books for Valentine’s day.
Regards Anita Simmance
Thank you so much for sharing this lovely design, as well as your others!
Hi was wondering if you had any tips on getting embroidery patterns onto felt as I find it hard.Love your free patterns thank you very much.Jenny
I would try Sublime stitching’s iron on transfer pen – the fine tipped, if you’re working with lighter colors. Maybe the heavier one for darker colors. Just remember you’ll need to cover the lines completely.