Piper Lilly DesignAll ornaments
DIY embroidery ornament kit

Letter monograms

Woven wheel flowers, back stitched leaves and letters, and colonial knot flower centers.

Finished letter monograms ornament
Before the first stitch

Getting started

Gather your supplies

Set out your wooden ornament, embroidery floss, a needle that fits through the holes, and scissors. Keep your ribbon for hanging the finished ornament.

Thread your needle

Moisten and flatten the floss end between your fingers, then pass it through the needle eye. If needed, separate the strands into two groups and pass each through the eye. You can use fewer strands if threading is difficult. Leave a short tail; do not double the floss.

Start from the back

Make a knot large enough to stay behind the hole, or hold the loose end on the back for the first few stitches. Always bring your first stitch up from the back of the wood.

Keep a gentle tension

Follow the scored lines and pre-cut holes. Pull each stitch until it lies neatly on the wood, without tugging hard. Keep the thread untwisted and work slowly if a hole already contains several stitches.

Where each stitch goes

Your pattern guide

Begin with the woven wheel flowers, then stitch the leaves. Add the flower-center knots and stitch the letter outline last. The B example shows the stitches used for every letter.

Labeled letter monograms stitch diagram

Pinch to zoom on your phone for a closer look.

Follow the pictures

Stitch by stitch

Woven wheel

  1. Woven wheel, step 1

    Step 1Come up through an outer spoke hole and go down through the center.

  2. Woven wheel, step 2

    Step 2Repeat to make all five spokes.

  3. Woven wheel, step 3

    Step 3Come up at the center. Weave under the first spoke and over the next, without going through the wood.

  4. Woven wheel, step 4

    Step 4Continue alternating over and under the spokes around the circle. Keep the thread relaxed as the flower fills.

  5. Woven wheel, step 5

    Step 5When the spokes are covered, go down through a spoke hole and secure the thread on the back. Gently arrange the flower with your needle.

Back stitch

  1. Back stitch, step 1

    Step 1Bring the needle up from the back through the second hole in the line.

  2. Back stitch, step 2

    Step 2Take the needle down through the first hole.

  3. Back stitch, step 3

    Step 3Pull the thread gently until the stitch lies flat against the wood.

  4. Back stitch, step 4

    Step 4Come up through the next unused hole.

  5. Back stitch, step 5

    Step 5Go down through the previous hole to join the stitches. Repeat along the scored line.

Colonial knot

  1. Colonial knot, step 1

    Step 1Bring the needle up through the knot hole.

  2. Colonial knot, step 2

    Step 2Slip the needle under the working thread to begin a loop.

  3. Colonial knot, step 3

    Step 3Bring the working thread over the needle tip to create a figure-eight wrap.

  4. Colonial knot, step 4

    Step 4Hold the wrap snug and insert the needle back into the same hole, keeping gentle tension on the working thread.

  5. Colonial knot, step 5

    Step 5Pull the needle through to the back while holding the wrap in place, so the knot settles on the front.

The final touches

Finish & hang

  1. When about 6 inches of thread remain, bring the needle to the back.
  2. Slide the needle under a nearby stitch, leaving a loop. Pass the needle through the loop and tighten gently. Repeat once more, then trim the extra thread.
  3. Repeat this finishing step when changing colors. Keep knots and thread tails on the back.
  4. Thread the hanging ribbon through the top hole and tie it securely. If desired, cover the back threads with a neatly trimmed piece of self-adhesive felt, leaving the hanging hole clear.

Your ornament is ready to hang, gift, or keep. Small variations are part of making it by hand.

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