Tea Time with Floral Accent Embroidery Design, Instant Download

A round teapot sits in the background, its got a little knob lid and a curved spout that points right. In front of it is a wider teacup on a saucer, the cup has that classic outward-flare shape at the rim. Both pieces fill in a warm taupe-grey with dark run-stitch doing all the structural work, the spout rim, the handle curves, the saucer shadow. Then coming up from the lower right and spilling across the base of the composition is a large hibiscus flower, multiple spreading petals, a long staminal column in the centre, and leaf shapes tucking in behind. All of it in just 2 colours.

Thats actually one of the things I love about this file. 2 colours, 1 colour change, 2 stops. But the contrast between those warm grey areas and the dark line work is so well handled that the design reads as more detailed than it is. That warm thread on the teapot body catches light differently to the stitched outline sections and gives you the impression of a ceramic glaze even though its just thread. Its a technique that works better in embroidery than in print because the thread texture adds a dimension flat colour doesnt have. I had someone message me last autumn who stitched the 4-inch size onto a cream linen tea towel and told me it resembled a botanical journal illustration, which made me genuinely happy to read.

9 sizes from 2.54 inches wide by 3.5 tall up to 5.45 by 7.5. Stitch count is modest, 5.9k at the smallest and 13.9k at the largest. Use tear-away stabiliser on woven cotton for this one, the density at 342 stitches per square inch is quite open and the fabric texture shows through in a good way. Pair this with natural fabrics. Stitch on white cotton, cream linen, or unbleached canvas. Skip mid-tones, the taupe fill needs a light ground to separate from the background. Run at normal speed and pull threads as you go.