Free Flower Hand Embroidery Designs for Sweaters & T-shirts

I have decided that this winter I will wear embroidery. I plan to upcycle some of my old sweaters and T-shirts – perhaps also from the kids. Winter in Slovenia is grey and windy, so I plan to add some cheerful flowers and/or some colourful fall motives to my wardrobe. I have searching online webpages and my plan was to find some free flower embroidery designs for sweaters and T-shirts.

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Materials needed

For this projects you will need:

• 6 strand embroidery or cross stitch threads,
• needle,
• sharp scissors,
• hoop (recommended),
• T-shirt.

Small Stars Embroidery on T-shirt

I found several interesting ideas on clubchainstitch blog, but my eyes stayed on the star stitch idea. This pattern will go to my daughter’s old T-shirt or sweater because she is very interested in stars and astronomy. I think it will look great on her.

Other ideas that you can find inside clubchainstitch blog are:

• star stitch,
• French knot
• lazy daisy
• variations of all three stitches mentioned above.

This is a very nice beginners project that requires only basic embroidery & sewing supplies (embroidery needle & thread & hoop, pins, measure tape and scissors). Please, share your result with us in the comments.

Asymmetrical Flower Embroidery for T-shirt

Another nice design I found at Thinkmakeshareblog blog. I like it because is colourful and playful – you may find it especially nice if you add this embroidery on T-shit of your daughters or nieces. In the PDF that you will download, you will find only the pattern that needs to be transferred to your chosen T-shirt or sweater. You may find this tutorial very useful because blog includes very good instructions on how to prepare your T-shirt for embroidery, which supplies do you need and there are also Pro-tips from Leslie. As an additional bonus, she shows how to decorate one more T-shirt with a nice straight design. 

Here you use only 2 stitches:

• satin stitch,
• French knots.

So this is a perfect beginners project. If you wish to try embroidery on clothing and are afraid because you think is too complicated, this is a great project to start with.

Daisy & Leaf Embroidery for Sweater

I found this beautiful pattern on Instagram where it was posted by @anchorcrafting. You can download it for free from @anaclarabordou. I really like these tiny daisies and colourful autumn leaves on each side. They remind me of fall and how leaves slowly start to change the colours before they fall down and winter arrives into our forests.

I have downloaded it and have it planned for this winter. I need to choose which sweater to decorate and I will select a matching set of colourful threads.

Here you will use the following stitches:

• stem stitch,
• satin stitch,
• fishbone stitch,
• lazy daisy stitch
• French knot.

Every step is clearly shown in the PDF file that you will download, so this is a beginners/intermediate project, perfect way to start learning new stitches and also enjoying in upcycling one of your old favourite sweaters or T-shirts with new embroidery.

Floral Meadow Embroidery

This design from hodgepodgecraft has taken me back into my childhood. I could see the summers and feel the sun on my chicks. Just sitting outside and watching ladybugs and butterflies fly around. If you get the same feeling like me, give it a try. Stitches that you will use are the following: 

• backstitch,
• whipped backstitch,
• stem stitch,
• satin stitch,
• seed stitch,
• fishbone stitch,
• French knots.

This is a great and more advanced project if you wish to upgrade your knowledge of different stitches and also finish beautiful floral embroidery. You will be able to use them in future embroidery projects.

Conclusion – shall we embroidery this winter?

My answer is – YES. I will go through my wardrobe and check which of my favourite sweater or T-shirt can be upcycled with new flower embroidery design. I am very excited about this project and I hope you will join me on this journey too. I have a few colourful threads in my stash, but I plan to order more. I will share my progress with you, so, please, keep coming back 🙂

Please, let me know in the comments, how do you like my suggestions. I would also love to hear, which of the suggested ideas would you that I embroider and share with you step by step how I did it.

* I want to share with you my own experience and provide you with fresh ideas for embroidery on your favourite piece of clothing. None of the embroiders have paid me to mention them here – but I hope you will find their work as inspiring and beautiful as I did.

PS: You may also find it interesting:

• 5 Basic Hand Embroidery Stitches for Beginners
• How to Embroider Mandala by Hand | Step-by-Step Tutorial
• Free Flower Hand Embroidery Designs for Sweaters & T-shirts
• Free Christmas Patterns for Hand Embroidery Gifts
• Handmade Embroidered Face Mask for Adults | FREE FLOWER PATTERN – part 1: Material list
• Handmade Embroidered Face Mask for Adults | FREE FLOWER PATTERN – part 2: Lavender Embroidery
• Product Review: Beginners Embroidery Monstera Kit – my favourite plant
• Product Review: Beginners Embroidery 2 pack Dog Kit – so adorable doggies
• How to price your Handmade Embroidery Products
• How to Open Online Embroidery Store for Free on Facebook | Step-By-Step Guide