Flower Embroidery Stitch Along Pt 1

Ready to dive into this flower embroidery stitch along?

Whether you’re brand new to embroidery or just looking to expand your skills, this is the perfect project to get your needle moving. You’ll combine easy, beginner-friendly embroidery stitches for flowers to create 7 common blooms — and pick up techniques you can apply to countless other designs.

Best of all, you can download a free flower embroidery pattern and follow along at your own pace.

Flowers are some of the most popular designs to embroider, and it’s easy to see why. With so many colors, shapes, and forms to choose from, you’ll never run out of inspiration.

That’s exactly why I put together this flower embroidery stitch along — to help you master these gorgeous designs while keeping the process simple and fun, no matter your experience level.

In this first part of the embroidery tutorial, we’ll cover the first 4 flowers (rose, daisy, cosmos, and lavender) and finish the remaining 3 in part 2.

To hand embroider flowers beautifully, you don’t need fancy or complex stitches. In fact, basic embroidery stitches are all you need to create detailed, stunning results — and that’s exactly what we’ll use throughout this series.

Download the Template

This flower embroidery tutorial is perfect for beginners, but I do recommend checking out my individual stitch tutorials beforehand. Getting familiar with each stitch before you start will make the whole process smoother and more enjoyable, so it’s worth the extra few minutes. I’ve included clickable links throughout this post for easy access.

Download the free flower embroidery template so you can follow along!

What You’ll Need to Get Started

Before jumping into the embroidery stitch along, gather a few basic supplies:

• Embroidery hoop (a 6″ or 8″ hoop works well for these designs)
• Embroidery fabric (cotton muslin or quilting cotton are great choices)
• DMC embroidery floss in the colors listed for each flower
• Embroidery needle (sizes 3–9 work for most projects)
• Small scissors
• The free flower embroidery pattern (download link above)

If you’re new to hooping fabric, check out my guide on how to hoop fabric for tips on getting your fabric taut and wrinkle-free before you begin stitching.

Flower Embroidery Stitches You’ll Use

Part of what makes this embroidery tutorial so beginner-friendly is that it relies on just a handful of foundational stitches. Here’s a quick overview of the embroidery stitches for flowers you’ll need, with links to full stitch tutorials:

• Woven wheel stitch — perfect for creating dimensional, textured roses
• Satin stitch — ideal for filling petals and leaves smoothly
• Lazy daisy stitch — creates individual petals quickly and easily
• French knot — adds beautiful textured centers to flowers
• Stem stitch — creates clean, curved stems and outlines

If any of these are new to you, I highly recommend reviewing the full tutorials before starting. Each one is simple to learn and, once you know them, you’ll have all the tools you need to embroider flowers of every kind.

The Flowers

Each flower in this embroidery stitch along is kept intentionally simple — this is meant to be a beginner-friendly foundation you can build on and personalize with your own style. That said, simple doesn’t mean boring. These designs are genuinely pretty, and you’ll be surprised how much depth you can achieve with just a few basic stitches.

Let’s get into it!

1. Rose

• Thread colors: dmc #666 (red) & dmc #3346 (green) 
• Stitches: Woven wheel stitch, satin stitch

The rose is created with the woven wheel — one of the most satisfying embroidery stitches for this gorgeous bloom — it creates a beautifully dimensional rose that looks impressive but is actually quite simple once you get the hang of it.

1. Start with a circle template and add 5 straight stitches to divide the circle into pie-shaped wedges using 6 strands of dmc #666.
2. Bring your needle up at the center and begin weaving over and under each stitch, going around and around until the circle is covered. Use the blunt end of your needle if the point keeps snagging the fabric.
3. Use your fingers to gently nudge the thread into place as you go. When finished, fluff the woven wheel with your needle tip to give it a full, rounded look.
4. To create the leaves (6 strands of DMC #3346): Use the satin stitch to fill each leaf shape, stitching from one end to the other until fully covered.

Tips:

• If you run out of thread mid-weave, push your needle to the back near a straight stitch and come back up with fresh thread close to that point to continue seamlessly.
• If the tips of your straight stitches are still visible after weaving, add a few small straight stitches around the outside edge — they’ll curve naturally around the rose and cover any gaps.
• Weave your thread gently as you go and use your needle to adjust and fluff your rose.

2. Daisy

• Thread colors: White & dmc #743 (yellow) 
• Stitches: Lazy daisy stitch, French knot

The daisy is a classic, and it’s one of the easiest flowers to embroider thanks to the lazy daisy stitch. Each petal is formed with a single lazy daisy stitch — quick, clean, and satisfying.

Create the Petals:

Using 6 strands of white create each petal with the lazy daisy stitch:

1. Come up and back down through the same hole at the base of the petal along the circle to create a closed loop.
2. Come up through the loop at the top.
3. Return to the back at the top of the loop, on the outside of it, to anchor the stitch.
4. Repeat for each petal.

Create the Center

Using 6 strands of dmc #743, fill the center with French knots (2 wraps):

1. Come up through the fabric and wrap your thread twice around the needle.
2. Push the needle halfway back into the fabric and gently pull the thread until the wraps hug the needle snugly.
3. Pull the needle through from the back to form a tidy knot on the front.
4. Continue to add french knots to the center until filled.

3. Cosmos

• Thread colors: dmc #604 (pink) & DMC #743 (yellow) 
• Stitches: Satin stitch, French knot

The cosmos flower is all about those gorgeous, full petals, and the satin stitch delivers beautifully. This is a great opportunity to practice keeping your stitches even and close together.

Create the Petals

Create the petals with the satin stitch using 6 strands of dmc #604:

1. Divide each petal shape into sections and fill each side with satin stitches, or simply fill from one end to the other.
2. To prevent bulk near the center, make some stitches shorter so they return to the back a few millimeters from the center point. Use the surrounding stitches to cover any small gaps that result.

Create the Center

Use 6 strands of dmc #743 to create French knots (2 wraps). Pack them in nice and full for a lush, rounded center.

4. Lavender

• Thread colors: DMC #3836 (purple) & DMC #3346 (green) 
• Stitches: Stem stitch, lazy daisy stitch

Lavender is one of those flowers that looks effortlessly elegant in embroidery. The combination of the stem stitch for the stalks and lazy daisy for the florets creates a very convincing, delicate sprig.

Create the Stems

Use 4 strands of dmc #3346 and add the stem stitch:

1. Make a small stitch, then come up a short gap away along the stitch line.
2. Nudge the previous stitch to the right and return to the back.
3. Repeat, keeping your stitches evenly sized for a smooth, rope-like line.

Create the Flowers

Use the lazy daisy stitch: 6 strands of dmc #3836

1. Create a closed loop at each floret position: Come up then back down in the same spot and leave a small loop.
2. Push the needle up at the top of the loop, on the inside.
3. Stitch down by returning to the back at the top of the loop, on the outside.
4. Repeat, layering florets up the stalk.

Keep Going!

That’s a wrap on the first four flowers in this flower embroidery stitch along! You’ve now practiced the woven wheel, satin stitch, lazy daisy, French knot, and stem stitch — five essential embroidery stitches for flowers that you’ll use again and again.

Head over to part 2 of this flower embroidery tutorial for the final 3 flowers. And if you haven’t already, grab the free flower embroidery pattern above so you’re ready to stitch along.