Free Cross Stitch Alphabet 15
"Floral Alphabet"

"Floral Alphabet 15" looks just as it sounds. Tiny flowers adorn the capitals and can be used to accent any part of a design. This graphic type of alphabet adds just a dash of interest to the lettering of a design.

Often, as with this alphabet, the graphic elements can be moved to fit the overall design. And, as always, you can change the colors as needed to best compliment your cross stitch.

Letters need not be green in order for the alphabet to have the desired effect. Flowers can be any color you can imagine.

You can sprinkle flowers throughout the lettering or not, as you see fit. Experiment with the best look for your application. You can also use the floral elements in the rest of your cross stitch to tie in the alphabet.

Floral Alphabet 15
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Click here or on the picture above for a printable PDF pattern for Floral Alphabet Design 15. A new window (or tab) will open so you can keep your place here.

In the Design Example

"Alphabet 15" is stitched on 14-count Aida using DMC floss:

• 2 strands for cross stitches
• 1 or 2 strands for daisy stitches
• 1 strand for backstitches

Description:

• Block letters, script/italics

Characters Included:

• Upper Case Letters
• Lower Case Letters
• Numbers
• Punctuation
• Floral Accents

Height:

• Most of the upper case letters in Alphabet 15 are 10 stitches high; the "J" and "Y", with descenders, are 14 stitches high
• The lower case letters without ascenders or descenders (ex: a, c, o) are 5 stitches high
• The lower case letters with only ascenders (ex: b, d, h) are 10 stitches high
• The lower case letters with only descenders, (ex: g, p, y) are 9 stitches high
• The lower case "j", with descender and a dot above, is 11 stitches high

Width:

These letters have varying widths.

Stitch Complexity

• Full Cross Stitches
• Half Stitches or 3/4 Cross Stitches
• Backstitches
• Daisy Stitches

For the partial stitches that make up the angles, you can use 1/4 cross stitches, letting the backstitched outline complete them. Or, use 3/4 cross stitches, with or without the outline for a fuller, rounder look.

The fabric and the floss strand count may affect your choice. If you are uncertain, try stitching a few sample letters in the corner of your fabric.

Each upper case letter and number contains a flower accent within the character. You can stitch the lower case letters without any floral accents at all, or you can sprinkle them around your completed words, within, above, below or in between the letters.

The eight floral accent examples are constructed with the following stitches:

• Red flower bud is a full cross stitch (2 strands) without a backstitched outline. The leaves are two daisy stitches, meeting at the point (2 strands).
• Same as #1 above, except the daisy stitched leaves are made thinner by using only 1 strand. Although it looks the same on the chart, changing the number of strands you use will the look on your fabric.
• Red flower bud is a full cross stitch (2 strands) without a backstitched outline. The leaves are made with a 3/4 cross stitch (2 strands) without a backstitched outline.
• The unopened red flower bud is a daisy stitch (2 strands), and the green leaves are two daisy stitches (2 strands), meeting at the corner.
• Same as #4 above, except the daisy stitches use only 1 strand.
• The unopened red flower bud is made with a daisy stitch (2 strands). The green leaves are made with a 3/4 cross stitch (2 strands) without a backstitched outline.
• The unopened red flower bud, without leaves, is a daisy stitch (2 strands).
• The full red flower that accents the upper case letters and numbers are made with four full cross stitches (2 strands) and red backstitched outline (1 strand). The yellow center is a full cross stitch (2 strands). The green leaves are two daisy stitches (1 strand) meeting at the point.

These are only a few examples of the floral accents you can use with Alphabet 15. Try changing the combination of stitches and the number of strands you use.

You can also change the placement of the full flowers on the upper case letters. Use your imagination, and let the rest of your design guide you.

Learn any unfamiliar stitches by clicking on the "How To..." button on the left menu, or click here, then select tutorial links at the bottom of the page.

Floss

It is assumed that you will change the floss color to reflect your tastes and to coordinate with the rest of your project. Use the same number of strands that you are using throughout the rest of your cross stitch pattern.

How to Fit Text into a Design

Learn how to select and adapt cross stitch alphabets by clicking on the "Alphabet 123s" button on the left menu, or click here.

Click here for a printable cross stitch pattern for this design.

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