Framed Embroidered Nursery Rhymes - Free sewing patterns

Traditional nursery rhymes have been around for centuries and still have a timeless appeal to children and parents alike. These pictures, simply framed, have a delightful vintage feel and would look lovely on a child’s bedroom wall. Though they require a bit of patience and dexterity, they can be stitched up in no time.

Essentials

Fabric, cotton or linen, white, 30cm square
Thread, embroidery, DMC, one skein of each: skintone (951); bright yellow (972); pale yellow (727); silver grey (928); pale pink (776); coral pink (956); lavender blue (340); cornflower blue (799); dark green (367); bright green (702); soft green (989); orange (722); dusky rose (223); tan (436); brown (3862); dark brown (838); ecru
Wadding, 20cm square
Needle, crewel
Embroidery hoop
Picture frame, wooden, 19cm square aperture
Mount board or thick cardboard, 20cm square

Dimensions List

20cm square (plus width of frame)

Stitch a Jack and Jill embroidery

Download and print the embroidery guides for this project. Trace the Jack and Jill motif to the centre of a 30cm square piece of cotton or linen. To transfer the design, trace it directly onto the fabric using an erasable pen. Alternatively, trace or photocopy it onto a piece of thin paper, go over the outline on the wrong side (mirror image) with a transfer pen, place the paper transfer side down on the right side of the fabric and press with a hot iron.
Place the fabric in an embroidery hoop and thread a crewel needle with two strands of dark brown thread. Embroider the words, using split stitch. For the grass, thread the needle with two strands of green and work each blade using stem stitch; do the same for the outline of the hill. For the houses, fill in the roof shapes with satin stitch and embroider the outlines of the houses and windows in backstitch, using a single strand of embroidery thread.
When embroidering a solid shape, it is easiest to begin in the centre and work outwards. Start with Jill’s face, filling in the shape but leaving the details of her features until later, then fill in the collar and hair, working outwards towards the hat. Next, do the bodice and sleeve of the dress, followed by the belt, skirt, legs and shoes. All areas of the design are filled with satin stitch.
When the main features have been completed, thread the needle with a single strand of dark brown thread and use this to outline some of the shapes with lines of backstitch, such as the hands and under the chin. For the facial features, use a single strand of thread. Use blue for the eyes, outlining in dark brown, and coral pink for the mouths.
When all the embroidery is complete, remove the fabric from the hoop and press lightly on the reverse. Trim the material to 26cm square, this allows for a border of fabric measuring 3cm. Place the embroidered fabric face down on the work surface, cut a square of wadding measuring 20cm and set it centrally on top, followed by a piece of thick cardboard on top of this.
Fold the edges of the fabric over the cardboard and, with a double thickness of sewing thread, attach the end to the centre of the fabric border on one of the sides. Take the needle across to the opposite side and through the material, then back to the other side, about 1cm along from where you started.
Continue joining opposite sides of the fabric border with long lengths of thread, then repeat on the other two sides (this process is called lacing). Remove the glass from the frame and place the finished embroidery inside then replace the backing board.

Make a Mary, Mary embroidery

Follow the instructions for the Jack and Jill design. All the shapes on this design are filled with satin stitch; the larger flower stems are worked in split stitch and the grassy tufts in stem stitch. The seeds are French knots.