Make a Wish Dandelion Embroidery Pattern

Dandelions are a big deal in our house.  Grace loves to pick them, knowing that they have the power to turn a wish into a reality.

With dandelion season upon us, and a dandelion obsessed little girl in my house, I decided to create a dandelion 'make a wish' embroidery pattern AND it includes a tutorial.

If it's your wish to make one of your own, gather the following supplies:

Print out a copy of the pattern.

Using either a light box or a brightly lit window, trace the dandelion pattern onto your fabric using a water erasable pen.

Put an embroidery hoop around your fabric, displaying the traced pattern in the center.  Thread your needle with charcoal gray thread and knot the end.

Using a back stitch, embroider 'Make a Wish'.

How to Back Stitch:  Bring your needle and thread up and through at point 1.  Return your needle and thread back down and through at point 2.  At this point, you have a dash embroidered.  Bring your needle and thread up at point 3, base your point 3 distance so you can create another dash, roughly the same size as your first dash.  Return your needle and thread down and through at 4 (or back into point 2, the end of your first dash).  You now have 2 dashes.

Continue using the back stitch for each letter in 'Make a Wish'.  Try and make your dashes roughly the same size.  When working curved letters, like 'a' or 's', make your dashes a little smaller to allow for the dashes to allow the lines to curve.

Above the 'i', use a French knot.

How to Make a French Knot:  Bring the needle up though the point on the 'i'.  Wrap the thread around the needle 2 times.  Put the tip of the needle down near where your needle came up through the point on the 'i'.  Before you bring the rest of the needle and thread back down.  Pull the wrapped thread so it's taut against the needle, pulling it towards where the needle is inserted into the fabric.  While continuing you to gentle hold your thread above the fabric taut, slowly pull the needle and remaining thread through the fabric.  The result will be a completed French knot about your 'i'.

Use a stem stitch to create the stem of the dandelion and the wisps of the dandelion.

How to Stem Stitch:  Bring your needle and thread up and through at point 1.  Bring your needle an thread back down at 2.  Before you pull the thread entirely through, bring your needle back up at 3 (half way between point 1 and point 2).  Finish pulling your thread through.  Bring your needle and thread back down at point 4 and repeat the next stitch half way (or back up at the location of point 2).  *The most important thing to remember when doing a stem stitch is to keep your thread on the same side the entire time.  If your needle is to left of the thread, keep your needle to the left of the thread the entire length of your stem stitch.

Dandelion seeds.

The seeds use a stitch similar to a lazy daisy stitch.

As if you were going to make an inverted arrow point, at an angle from the wisp, bring your needle up, from the behind the fabric.  Pull your thread all the way through and insert the needle, going down, at an angle on the other side (again, image you are creating an inverted arrow).  Instead of pulling the tread all the way through, leave some slack.  Bring your needle back up a the end of the dandelion wisp, making sure the slack is behind your needle.  Pull your thread all the way through, eliminating any slack you had.  Bring your needle back down, near where your needle had gone up, this time on the other side of what was your slacked thread, and pull tightly.  Finish your seed by either doing the same stitch smaller inside what you have already created or do a simple straight stitch.  For the straight stitch, go up at the end of the dandelion wisp and back down, slightly further out, creating a straight line.

Next, decide what you'll do with your finished embroidery piece.

I am considering turning mine into a square for a quilt.

But for now, I'll display it in a wooden embroidery hoop.  If you opt to display yours in an embroidery hoop, trim the excess from the back and apply a layer of glue around the edges to secure it into place.

Either way you display it, be proud of yourself for a job well done!