Cross Stitched Rose with Tall Stem

A6 side-fold card becomes a keepsake treasure by 

hand cross-stitching a single long stem rose bloom 

onto the stitching holes-punched offset front panel. 

Round-corners window is positioned off center 

on the front accent panel to showcase the stitching 

with “MOTHER’S DAY” printed as “print & cut” panel 

(optional plain front panel also included). 

Sentiment is completed as two-layer “happy” welded word. 

Cross stitching pattern included. 

Card measures approx. 4.63” wide x 6.25” tall when closed.

ASSEMBLY: 1. Identify and cut the shapes:

A main card base

B hole-punched stitching panel (2 to layer for strength)

C contrast margin overlay panel

D front frame overlay, print & cut with "MOTHER'S DAY"

E happy welded word cut with offset base

2. If using the print & cut panel, follow tutorials provided

by Silhouette America's online support to set up

the front panel on screen, send to printer, prepare

for cutting, then cut out.

3. Prepare each of the stitching panels to remove ALL

remaining "chads" or cut out crumbs. One way to do this

is to un-coil a basic paper clip to use the end as a tool

to poke through each hole on the whole array of both.

Turn the shapes over to brush or scrape away punches.

For the tiny holes where half stitches will fall between

the regular "squared" stitch holes, use a smaller diam.

tool such as the tapestry needle that will be used

to complete the stitching, to make sure they are open holes.

4. Layer and attach together the two stitching panels,

taking care that all cut edges as well as the holes

align as precisely as possible.

One way to do this is to use the paper clip tool

to push through the corner holes of the joined

layers to make the adjustment, if necessary.

Once the panels are joined and adjusted,

press flat using a heavy flat weight such as this thick

book volume, with something else heavy on top

until the glue is completely dried, usually several

hours or over night.

5. Assemble materials needed for embroidery,

including three closely-matched colors for bloom,

and three related greens for leaves, sepals and stem.

For the sample project, these are the floss colors chosen:
lightest pink 350 for main rose body

med pink 309 for rose body side shading

darkest pink 814 for rose tip shading

bright green 471 for lightest leaf & sepal shading

deep green 3362 for darker leaf & sepal shading

darkest green 895 for stems

Procure stitching needles for cross stitching,

such as this recommended tapestry needle size 24.

STITCHING INSTRUCTIONS

6.  Cut a 24-30" length of 6-strand floss, then separate

two strands then lay them together . . . 

. . . fold the lengths in half . . .

. . . and thread the four ends through eye of a blunt tip darning

needle size 24/26 (recommended). Pull the ends

part-way down - the loops will remain as the long end

and will be used to "tie on".

7. Study this diagram to understand how to form

cross stitches for uniform appearance and tension.

NOTE that the RIGHT SLANT stitches are generally

placed across the row first, followed by the LEFT SLANT

stitches placed coming back across the row.

8. Create a print out of the rosebud stitching diagram 

(or simply view it on-screen). 

9. Make the first few stitches:

A) Insert the loaded needle UP from backside through

the  hole of the FOUR holes that will create

the first 'X" of the top left sepal "leaf" tip. 

Pull needle and thread through leaving approx. 3-4" 

of loop "tail" still on backside.

B) Insert the needle into the bottom right hole of first 'X' . . . 

. . . and pull through until front thread is nearly flush with surface,

and short loop remains on the backside of the panel.

Pass the needle through the loop and cinch the thread up

 firmly on the back. 

This completes the "tie on" step.

10. Continue by inserting the needle in the top RIGHT

hole of the first 'X', pull thread full fully, then

insert into the bottom left hole that will . . .

. . . complete the first 'X'.

11. Next, continue stitching the next short "column" of

three green stitches, completing . . .

. . . the left slant stitches one following the previous,

moving downward. Then, move back toward top of

the column to create the right slant stitches and

complete the 'X' stitches.

12. Continue in the same manner to begin and complete

the stitches of the same color on the chart.

When loaded needle needs to transition from panel

backside at one place where adjacent stitches have

been completed to a different location where stitches 

can continue, pass the needle under the stitches in

the pathway to emerge (still on backside of work),

in the position to continue stitching.

When floss length on needle gets close to being

too short to continue, pause in mid stitch when needle

is pulled through to backside, then slip the needle under

the adjacent 4-5 stitches. Pull the needle fully through,

then trim tail beyond stitching, remove needle and re-thread.

13. Identify and locate the next place to begin stitching,

load the appropriate floss color, then repeat

the "tying on" process and complete the "color block".

14. The rose bud design includes half stitches along

the "seam" between the two leaf colors.

At this positions - three on each leaf - there are tiny

holes punched that will accept the diagonal left or

right half stitches in the same manner.

15. For this design, the stem stitching up center line

and leaf stems are completed with alternating

straight stitches. To complete these, tie on at the base

of the bud, complete the triangle of stitches there,

then continue downward to complete straight

stitches with spaces in between. When the floss and

needle reach the bottom of stem . . 

. . .  continue back up the line to add stitches at the spaces. 

Where the branch stems positions are reached, re-direct

the straight stitches up between the leaf halves,

then pass the needle back to where other stem can 

be stitched. Finally, continue back up the stem until

all required straight stitches are completed.

Tie off in the usual manner.

This completes the cross stitching.

16. Complete the card with the following operations:

A) position and attach the window accent layer

with window opening edges evenly spaced around

hole cut outs, and outer edge just beyond the cut

edge of the stitching panel, evenly all around.

B) position and attach front window panel

with window cut out edges aligned, even offset

margin remaining revealed all around.

(Press the assembly under heavy flat weight.)

C) Position, centered, and attach word cut out onto

offset base word cut.

D) position and attach the "happy" word cut assembly

onto the card front just above the printed words line,

and centered left to right in the plain margin.

E) position and attach the front assembly onto

the front panel of folded card base, with even

offset margin revealed all around.

F) tie a neat bow from 6-ply floss, then glue to

stitching panel at stem just below bud, if desired.

Paint the floss cut ends with clear nail polish.

Here is the completed card.