Mimosa, the first flower of the season, is embroidered in about 5 hours with 4 carefully chosen stitches. This pattern shows a bouquet in a vase, and each element has its own technique: structured stitches for the vase and stems, round and soft stitches for the small golden flowers. A pattern full of gentleness that captures the essence of this iconic Southern flower.

The stitches used in this pattern

Chain stitch

The vase is embroidered entirely in chain stitch, giving it a textile-like, regular look, like a woven basket or a ridged ceramic vase. Chain stitch is a series of small loops linked to one another, forming a solid, slightly raised line.

How to do chain stitch:

Bring the needle up at the start of the line.
Push it back down at exactly the same point, leaving a small loop of thread.
Bring it back up 3 to 4 mm further along the line, passing inside the loop.
Gently pull the thread so the loop settles neatly on the fabric.
Repeat from step 2 to link the stitches together.
At the end, bring the needle up inside the last loop and stitch down just past it to anchor it.

To fill the surface of the vase, rows of chain stitch are worked side by side until the whole shape is covered. The result is dense and textured.

Stem stitch

The mimosa's stems are drawn with stem stitch, that slightly twisted line stitch that moves forward in half-steps. It's the ideal stitch for tracing natural curves, since it follows the movement of the stem perfectly without stiffness.

The technique: go forward 5 to 6 mm under the fabric, come back up at the end of the previous stitch, always keeping the thread on the same side of the needle. The twist forms naturally.

Fly stitch (or feather stitch)

The mimosa's leaves are embroidered in fly stitch, also called feather stitch. It's a small V-shaped stitch that forms a light, open line, perfect for depicting leaflets or plant-like spines.

How to do fly stitch:

Bring the needle up slightly to the left of the line.
Push it down at the same height, slightly to the right, without pulling the thread all the way through, to keep a loose loop.
Bring it back up a few millimetres lower, in the centre, passing inside the loop.
Pull gently: the loop forms a small V.
Stitch down just below the point of the V, a few millimetres along, to anchor the stitch.
Bring the needle back up a little higher, just below the first stitch, to start the next one.
Alternate the loops to form a light, open line, like a small branch or a feather.

This stitch gives the mimosa's leaves their characteristic airy look.

French knot

The mimosa's flowers are the heart of the pattern. Each little golden-yellow ball is embroidered with a single French knot, also called a seed stitch. It's a raised stitch that creates a small round bump on the fabric, perfect for imitating mimosa's fluffy pompoms.

How to do a French knot:

Bring the needle up where you want to place the knot.
Wrap the thread around the needle 1, 2 or 3 times depending on the size you want.
Push the needle back down right next to where it came up (never in exactly the same spot, or the knot risks slipping through to the other side).
Hold the wrapped thread firmly against the fabric without pulling too hard.
Gently pull the needle all the way through to form the knot.

The key to lovely, even knots: hold the wrapped thread with your thumb as the needle goes through, and don't pull too fast. For the mimosa, you'll make many knots close together to create dense, full clusters, just like the real flowers.

Embroidery order

The logic for building this pattern:

The vase first (chain stitch over the whole surface).
The stems (stem stitch).
The leaves (fly/feather stitch).
The flowers last (French knots) so they slightly overlap the top of the stems.

Working from the background elements to the foreground elements gives a natural layered effect. The flowers, embroidered last, seem to spring out of the bouquet.

Five hours for a pattern full of golden fantasy. French knots are often a revelation for embroiderers: tricky to master at first, they quickly become addictive once you've found the knack.