Needle Weaving Daffodil Flowers: Step-by-Step Tutorial

Hello!

As we approach the end of September, are you looking for a delightful way to recall the vibrancy of past spring and showcase the warmth of spring on your walls? I suggest an enjoyable 3D embroidery project that can fulfill this longing!

I had previously shared a video about the heralds of spring, the yellow daffodils, and now I've decided to revisit that design and create a tutorial for my blog. If this idea excites you as well, join me on this journey where I'll show you how to create these vivid 3D daffodil embroideries step by step.

I'll introduce you to three interesting needle weaving techniques I've come up with, and together, we'll bring this design to life while rediscovering the beauty of spring.

I'm employing a modified version of the woven picot stitch technique to craft daffodil flowers, a technique I came up with. This adaptation has indeed been a game-changer and has greatly simplified my embroidery work.

In another tutorial, I've explained this in great detail, and you can access it through this link if you wish.

Now, for this particular project, I'll be demonstrating how to create a series of 6 interconnected picot stitches.

Curious about how to achieve this? Let me show you.

Firstly, I want to emphasize that unlike the traditional picot stitch, I'm crafting a detached picot that doesn't attach to the fabric.

To achieve this, it's crucial that the warp threads forming the picot do not pass through the fabric at all. To make this possible, I temporarily secure the warp threads of the picot to the fabric using intermittent vertical straight stitches.

First, I position the fabric onto my embroidery hoop, ensuring it's stretched tightly for a smooth working surface.

Then, I create vertical stitches spaced 3 mm apart on the fabric; I need a total of 24 stitches for this. To prevent them from unraveling during weaving, I securely anchor the thread ends.

I am threading a long yellow thread onto a blunt-end tapestry needle. After securing a knot at the end of the thread, I guide the needle to the backside of the fabric, allowing the knot to remain on the fabric's surface.

Following this, I bring the needle to the front side of the fabric, positioning it 3 mm to the left of the initial stitch in the series.

Afterward, I create the picot by securing the warp threads to the stitches without passing them through the fabric.

To directly access this part of the YouTube video and see how I do it, simply click on this link.

I'll quickly go through this step without diving into too much detail. Visuals will easily demonstrate how I do it. In general, I create each picot in the series by weaving it around 5 strands.

After completing the picot, I tie a knot with my thread at the base of the rightmost strand and move on to the next picot.

After completing all 6 picots, I remove the stitches anchoring the series to the fabric. And there it is, my picot chain is separated from the fabric, leaving me with a detached woven piece.

After removing the securing stitches, tiny loops appear along the picot chain's base. These loops are part of the warp threads and become visible when the stitches are removed.

Picot chain has leftover thread tails on both sides as you can see. I take one of these threads and thread it through the needle.Starting from the opposite end of the picot chain, I collect all these loops onto my needle one by one, passing the needle through them and then I pull the thread.

And there you have it!

The picot chain has now transformed into a flower.

Now that you've understood how the flowers are created, I'll set that aside for now and move on to creating the central corona of the daffodil.

I'll also create this part using needle weaving. I'll weave it as an independent piece, detached from the fabric, using the method of securing the warp threads to the stitches.

I carefully sew 15 vertical stitches on the fabric, spaced approximately 3-4 mm apart, following a circular pattern.

To weave in a cone shape, I require a cone-shaped bead to support my warp threads. I craft this by taking a piece of aluminum foil from the kitchen and molding it with my fingers by compressing and shaping it.

I secure a sturdy knot at the end of my thread and pass the needle to the backside of the fabric. I leave the knot on the fabric's front side. Then, I bring the needle to the front of the fabric right through the center of the circularly arranged stitches.I pass my needle and thread through the aluminum bead, pulling the thread all the way through.

This action places the base of the cone bead against the fabric. Next, I insert a pin onto the top of the cone bead. This pin will serve as an anchor for the warp threads.

I pass my needle under two stitches on the fabric, pulling the thread through. Then, I thread the thread through the back of the pin, creating two strands. I repeat this process to create the remaining strands.

Finally, when I reach the 15th loop, I pass the thread only under this loop, pull the thread all the way through, wrap it around the pin one last time, and start weaving from the top.

After completing the weaving, I remove the stitches. I cut the knot that secures the weaving to the fabric and remove the pin. Then, I gently pull the woven cone away from the fabric, extracting the aluminum bead inside.

And there you have it, it's done.

It's time to breathe life into the characteristic long leaves of the daffodil using a long woven picot stitch.

Now, let me guide you through this process step by step. Please remember that we'll create this piece as a standalone woven element. Let's get started!

This time, I'm using small safety pins instead of making stitches on the fabric to secure the weaving.I place two small safety pins on the back of the fabric.

As you can see in the picture, about 5mm of the safety pin wires are visible from the front side of the fabric.

I begin just like I did with the others. I bring my needle and thread to the back of the fabric from a distant point on the fabric, leaving the knot at the end of the thread on the fabric's surface.

I bring my needle to the front of the fabric from a point to the left of the first safety pin wire, leaving a gap about as wide as the distance between the two safety pins.

I thread the thread through the back of the safety pin's head, moving my needle from right to left behind it, passing under the two safety pin wires, and pulling the thread all the way through. Finally, I thread the thread through the back of the pin's head.

Now, I have all 3 strands ready to start weaving.

Using the warp threads I've created, I start weaving. I continue weaving carefully to create a neat weave until I reach the base of the picot.

Once I finish weaving and reach the base of the picot, I easily remove the safety pins from the fabric.

I cut the knot on the front side of the fabric, and then the woven piece remains in my hand, ready to use.

Now that I've completed the pieces to create daffodil flowers, I can show you how to incorporate them into my embroidery work.

I've prepared enough flowers and leaves for my design, and here I go, starting to assemble them.

I'm securing my linen fabric on the embroidery hoop, making sure it's nice and taut. I begin by embroidering the flower stems first. As you can see, I'm working with a whipped backstitch technique. I'm trying something a bit different here.

Typically, whipped stitches are done by passing the needle through each stitch once. I, on the other hand, pass my needle through the same stitch three times.

This results in a more raised and textured stitch compared to the regular one.

I complete the stems and continue by embroidering the beautiful purple grape hyacinth flowers, which will create a stunning contrast with the daffodils. I'm creating these using French knot stitches.

I am now beginning to sew my yellow daffodil flowers into their designated spots on the embroidery design. The leftover thread tails from weaving the flowers are still hanging from the center of the flowers, and I haven't cut or discarded them so far.

This is because I will now use these threads to attach the flowers to the fabric.

I'm creating additional stitches using a single strand of the same yellow thread to ensure that the flower is securely attached to the fabric.

I'm also positioning the daffodil's corona in the same manner, placing it at the center of the flower and using a fine thread of the same color to create stitches that will keep it securely in place on the fabric.

I have a little trick for creating the stamen in the center of the flower.

I thread my needle with a single strand of yellow thread. Then, leaving a bit of a tail at the end of the thread, I hold both the thread's end and the needle with my right hand, while using my left hand to wrap the thread around the middle of the needle 5-6 times,

and then I grasp this thread wrap with my fingers and pull the needle through it.

I pull the two ends of the thread in opposite directions, creating a large knot in the center.

I make another small knot just about 8-9 mm below this knot. The distance between the large and small knots will determine the length of the stamen.

I cut the thread at the top end of the large knot and insert my needle into the center of the daffodil's corona, bringing it to the back of the fabric.

I slowly pull the thread from below. When the small knot catches onto the fabric and secures the thread, I stop pulling. I bring my needle up through the fabric once more and then back to the back, creating a stitch that securely holds the stamen in place.

When I added the stamens, my flowers started to truly resemble daffodils, don't you think?

I start sewing the leaves next to my daffodil flowers. To attach the picot's base to the fabric, I use the leftover threads from the weaving, which hang from both ends of its base.

I adjust the curved positions of these long leaves to fit the composition, and when satisfied with their placement, I secure them to the fabric with discreet stitches using thread of the same color, ensuring that the stitches remain invisible.

Finally, I want to bring to life the soil where the daffodils are growing. To achieve the look of a pebbled soil surface in the simplest way, I create large French knot stitches.

I use a multi-colors variegated thread in shades of brown that I had on hand and make large and small French knots along the ground.

Adding small tufts of grass in between added a nice texture.

And there you have it, the final result.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure which term perfectly describes this technique

—whether it's free-standing or standalone.

But what truly matters is the heartwarming experience of crafting a design, delicately assembling needle-woven leaves, flowers, and petals.It's much like solving a delightful puzzle, offering both joy and relaxation.

Feel free to give this technique a shot in your embroidery projects—it's all about having fun and exploring your creative side! Whether you decide to dive in or not, remember it's your creative journey, and there are no wrong choices here. So, enjoy the process and see where it takes you.

I hope this tutorial has filled you with inspiration and happiness and I genuinely hope you won't feel like your time here was in vain.

That's all for today.

Happy stitching!

I've uploaded the creation process of this design in two parts on my YouTube channel. In the first part, I demonstrated the needle weaving techniques for creating the leaves and flower pieces, and in the second part, I showed how to design using these woven pieces. If you'd like to watch, you can access the videos through the links below: