Short answer: Most embroidered flowers come from five stitches: lazy daisy for petals, satin for solid petals, woven wheel for roses, French knots for centres and stem stitch for stalks. Learn those five and you can stitch almost any flower.
Flowers are the most stitched design in our Bulandshahr studio, and "flower embroidery" holds steady among India's top embroidery searches (Google Trends). Here is how each common flower is built.
Which stitch makes which part
8 flowers, ranked by difficulty
| Flower | Stitches | Level | Beginner time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daisy | Lazy daisy, French knot | Easy | 15 min |
| Lavender sprig | Stem, detached chain | Easy | 20 min |
| Forget-me-not cluster | French knots | Easy | 25 min |
| Woven rose | Woven wheel | Easy | 20 min |
| Tulip | Satin, stem | Medium | 40 min |
| Lotus | Satin, split stitch outline | Medium | 1 hr |
| Sunflower | Long and short, French knots | Medium | 2 hrs |
| Shaded rose | Long and short, 3 to 4 shades | Hard | 3 hrs+ |
Times are rough studio estimates for a palm sized flower by someone in their first month.
Colour rules that make petals look real (tap each)
Dark at the base, light at the tip
Petals catch light at their edges. Start each petal with the darkest shade near the centre and finish with the lightest at the tip.
Three shades are enough
A dark, a mid and a light of one colour reads as shading. Five shades is for thread painting.
Leaves should be quieter than flowers
Use a muted or greyish green so the bloom stays the hero. Bright grass green fights the petals.
On dark fabric, add a light outline
A single strand of a pale shade round each petal stops it disappearing into black or navy. More in our thread colour guide.
Watch: 10 flowers step by step
Video: The Authentic Embroiderer, over 1.4 million views.
Flower embroidery from our studio
Browse floral embroidered t-shirts and cottagecore and wildflower. Read next: simple embroidery designs, sunflower embroidery on shirts, all embroidery designs.
Questions
What is the easiest flower to embroider?
A lazy daisy flower: five or six looped petals and a French knot centre. Fifteen minutes for a first try.
How many strands for flower embroidery?
Two strands for fine petals and outlines, three for bold satin petals and roses.
Written by the Vee Threads studio team in Bulandshahr, where women artisans have hand stitched more than 5,000 orders.
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