Lazy Daisy Stitch

What you will learn

• Single detached loops
• Arranging petals evenly

Materials and tools

• Embroidery hoop, 5 or 6 in (13 or 15 cm)
• Plain cotton or linen practice fabric
• Embroidery (crewel) needle, size 5 to 7
• Six-strand embroidery floss
• Embroidery scissors
• Water-soluble or heat-erasable marking pen

Before you start

• Put the fabric in the hoop so it is drum-tight.
• Cut 18 in (45 cm) of floss, separate the strands you need, thread the needle and knot one end.

1. Draw a dot for the flower centre and five or six short lines radiating from it, each about 3/8 in (1 cm).
2. Come up at the centre end of one petal line.
3. Go back down in the same hole, leaving a loop on the surface.
4. Come up at the outer end of the petal line, inside the loop. Pull gently until the loop lies as a rounded petal.
5. Go down just outside the tip of the loop, making a tiny stitch over it that holds it in place.
6. Come back up at the centre for the next petal and repeat round the circle.

Tips for a neat result

• Leave the loop a little loose for a round petal. Pull tighter for a narrow leaf.
• Fill the centre with a French knot or two.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check your result

• Petals are open, similar in size and evenly spaced.
• Each tip has a small anchoring stitch.

Projects that use this