Ornate Floral Heart with Butterflies Embroidery Design, Machine Embroidery Pattern, Instant Download

Sketched this one out after a bunch of requests for a heart design that wasnt just a plain outline. The whole thing runs in a single colour, black thread, zero colour changes, just one spool loaded and the machine does the rest. Its a heart shape edged in Victorian-style scrollwork, the kind of lace filigree you see on old jewellery engravings. Two large monarch butterflies sit at the top and bottom of the heart, wings spread wide with detailed vein lines. Tucked into the scrollwork are small botanical clusters, tiny flowers, leaves, and curled stems winding round the frame. 4 sizes, the small chest run at 4 in up to a 7.5 in top, running 7,390 stitches at the smallest and 11,572 at the largest.

Because theres no fill, only satin outlines and running stitch, the density sits low at 374. That means Im working with very fine needle paths, and the topping matters a lot on looped or textured surfaces. On smooth quilting cotton or linen youre fine without it, but on a loosely woven fabric you want a light water-soluble topping to stop the fine lines sinking in. Use cutaway stabiliser underneath regardless, the continuous outline path creates tension across the whole hoop. I had a customer order this last spring for a set of linen dinner napkins, she stitched the 5.5-inch version in gold thread on ivory linen and it came out looking like an antique tablecloth. Still get messages about that one.

Ping me if you want to use a variegated thread on this, Ive had great results with a dark-to-light grey variegated on white cotton canvas. The thin satin lines catch the colour shift really well. Use a 75/11 sharp needle, not a ballpoint. The fine outline work needs a crisp needle entry or the edges go fluffy. Skip polyester thread on the fine scroll sections, cotton thread sits closer to the fabric surface and keeps the lace detail sharper. Best hooped on medium-weight woven cotton, linen, or a canvas tote, thats where the Victorian detail really shows up.