Basic Embroidery Stitches For Small Flowers

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1. Home
2. Embroider stitches for flowers

EMBROIDERY FOR BEGINNERS

How Do You Embroider Flowers?

You don't need dozens of stitches to create beautiful mini flowers — these three will do the job.

🌸 3 Easy Stitches 📐 Beginner Friendly 🎥 Video Tutorial 🌿 Flowers & Leaves

It's one of the first things many beginners want to stitch, isn't it? A pretty flower, a leafy vine.

But it's so easy to look at a beautiful floral design online and just freeze.

In case you were wondering, you don't need dozens of stitches to make a start.

Don't worry about making mistakes. Take a deep breath. Here's the secret: you can start with a handful of simple stitches.

BY THE END OF THIS PAGE

What You'll Learn

🌼

Lazy Daisy

Stitch neat, tidy petals that combine into different flowers

✨

French Knot

Create tiny knots for flower centres, buds and pistils

🌿

Fly Stitch

Position creatively for flowers, stems or even leaves

🪡 GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES

What You'll Need

• ✓ A 6–8 inch embroidery hoop
• ✓ A size 7–9 embroidery needle
• ✓ Embroidery floss — choose a few favourite colours
• ✓ A sharp pair of small scissors
• ✓ A 10 inch square of cotton fabric

✦ ✦ ✦ STITCH 1

Lazy Daisy (Your Instant Petal)

This stitch is exactly what it sounds like. It's cheerful, it's easy-going, and it's probably the most common stitch used for flowers. Why? Because it makes a perfect little petal shape all in one go.

🎯

How to Use It

Arrange five or six in a circle (like in the photo!) to create a classic daisy.

🎨

Play With It

Use a single stitch for a tiny leaf or a tulip bud. Or, stitch them in a line on either side of a stem to make a sprig of lavender.

It's technically called a "detached chain stitch," but "lazy daisy" is just so much more fun, isn't it?

Want to see it in action? You'll find step-by-step instructions on this page.

This is one of my all-time favorite stitches for adding quick, pretty details. It's proof that you don't need complicated stitches to make something special.

For a bit of lovely, real-world inspiration, take a peek at how these vintage aprons used lazy daisy stitches. It's a perfect example of how charming this simple stitch can be.

Add lazy daisy flowers inside a padded satin stitch letter

Once you've got the hang of it, try a strawberry tutorial.

Or maybe add lazy daisy flowers inside a padded satin stitch letter.

✦ ✦ ✦ STITCH 2

The French Knot (Your 'Fancy Dot')

Ah, the famous French Knot. This is the stitch that makes everyone say, "Ooh, how'd you do that?" It looks so impressive, but it's just a tiny, tidy knot that sits on top of your fabric.

🎯

How to Use It

Pop a single yellow one in the center of a circle of Lazy Daisy stitches and boom — it's a flower.

🎨

Play With It

Cluster a few together to make tiny "forget-me-not" style blossoms. Or, scatter them along a stem for rosebuds or grape hyacinths.

✦ ✦ ✦

WATCH & LEARN

See the French Knot in Action

▶

This stitch can be a bit tricky for first-timers, but I have a guide to help you get it right every time.

You can see both lazy daisies and french knots representing a flower meadow in my crazy quilt block below.

A closeup of a section of a crazy quilt block featuring french knot flowers ✦ ✦ ✦ STITCH 3

The Fly Stitch (Petals and Leaves)

This is one of my most-used stitches. It's a little workhorse! It's most famous for making wonderful little leaves, but it can make flowers, too.

The stitch is basically a "V" shape with a little "tail" at the bottom (which holds the "V" down). You can make that tail long or short.

🎯

How to Use It

Add a fly stitch with a short tail to the top of a lazy daisy to make a rose bud. Settle it inside a green fly stitch calyx.

🎨

Play With It

Join them together in a line and add french knot berries.

✦ ✦ ✦ 🌸 YOUR TURN

Time to Plant Your Garden of Stitches

And... that's it!

See? No overwhelm. Just three simple stitches you can combine in endless ways.

With the Lazy Daisy for petals, the French Knot for centers, and the Fly Stitch for leaves, you have everything you need to start stitching a beautiful little meadow.

This is what embroidery is all about. Not memorizing rules, but just grabbing a needle and some colorful thread and having fun.

So, give it a go! What varieties can you come up with?

And please, don't worry about making mistakes. Just have fun creating.

Carol Leather

Founder, X-Caibre Designs

Carol Leather learned to stitch at her grandmother’s knee and turned that early love into a career designing for British needlework magazines and teaching at shows and online. She creates patterns and clear tutorials in cross-stitch, blackwork and other embroidery techniques — always with the beginner (or returner) in mind. Carol works from her cosy home office, answers every message she receives, and delights in helping stitchers find calm, skill and satisfaction in every finished piece.

About Carol Contact Carol

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