The embroidery stitches of the Citron pattern

The lemon, a ray of sunshine from the orchards of the South, is embroidered in about 7 to 10 hours with 5 stitches. It's a generous, richly textured pattern: the grainy skin of the fruit, full leaves, a branch that structures the whole thing. Intermediate level: enough technique to stay interesting, without ever being technical for technique's sake.

The stitches used in this pattern

French knot

The lemons are the heart of the pattern. Part of their surface is embroidered in French knots. It's that small round bump that imitates the grainy skin of the fruit: knots packed close together, until the shape looks full and alive.

How to do a French knot:

1. Bring the needle up where you want to place the knot.

2. Wrap the thread around the needle 1, 2 or 3 times depending on the size you want.

3. 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).

4. Hold the wrapped thread firmly against the fabric without pulling too hard.

5. Gently pull the needle all the way through to form the knot.

On this pattern, you work in yellow thread. The motion takes a bit of patience at first, then it becomes almost meditative. That's also why the pattern takes its time: each area of knots is like a little forest of stitches.

Long and short stitch

Long and short stitch completes the lemon and fills in some of the leaf areas. Lay stitches side by side, all in the same direction, for a smooth, luminous fill — the perfect contrast to the relief of the knots.

The trick: keep the tension even and pack the stitches close together without overlapping, except from one row to the next where you need to bring the thread up inside the stitch above. Pulled too tight, they pucker the fabric; too loose, they leave gaps. On the lemons, long and short stitch gives the smoother areas; on the leaves, it gives a satiny finish with the kit's two greens (light and medium).

Stem stitch

The branch and small stems are drawn in stem stitch, that slightly twisted line stitch that moves forward in half-steps. It follows the curves of the wood without stiffness, and gives the structure the look of a freshly cut branch.

The technique: go forward 4 to 5 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. Here, brown thread is used for the branch.

Leaf stitch

Leaf stitch is made for… leaves. It starts from a central line (the vein) and fills the shape with diagonal stitches meeting in the middle, like a series of small Vs. The result naturally follows the leaf's silhouette and adds volume without weighing the pattern down.

How to do it:

1. First draw the central vein (often in split stitch, see below).

2. Bring the needle up on one edge of the leaf.

3. Stitch diagonally towards the central vein.

4. Come back up on the other side, at the same height, and stitch towards the centre again.

5. Continue working up or down the leaf, keeping the stitches even.

This is the stitch that reads as “lemon leaf” at a glance: dense, directional, a little livelier than a plain fill.

Satin stitch

For the second part of the leaves, I chose to work in satin stitch. For the edges I started with split stitch, then began in the middle of the leaf to work vertical lines relative to the leaf's length, from right to left then left to right.

How to do it:

1. First work the split stitch all along the edge.

2. Bring the needle up at the top middle of the leaf, just on the outer edge of the split stitch.

3. Stitch straight across to the other side of the leaf, just past the outer edge.

4. Bring the thread back up at the top right of the first stitch, at the same height, and stitch down at the bottom right of the first, again in a straight line.

5. Continue all along the right side, then start again from the middle to work towards the left, keeping the stitches even.

Split stitch

Split stitch draws the veins and some of the finer outlines. It looks like stem stitch, with one difference: instead of coming up next to the previous stitch, you push the needle through the middle of the thread, splitting it. The resulting line is very smooth, almost continuous — perfect for a crisp central vein.

The steps:

1. Make a first straight stitch.

2. Bring the needle back up halfway along the stitch.

3. Push it back down through the middle of the previous stitch, splitting the thread.

4. Continue this way to the end of the line.

On this pattern, it's reserved for the details that give the foliage its structure. A good vein, and the whole leaf holds together.

Embroidery order

The logic for building this pattern:

1. The leaf veins (split stitch).

2. Filling the leaves (leaf stitch and satin stitch, alternating the two greens).

3. The lemons (satin stitch, then French knots in yellow thread).
   

4. The frame and the branch (stem stitch).

Seven to ten hours of embroidery, depending on your pace, a pattern that smells of Provençal summer and light on the table.