Anchor Peacock Table Linen - 0022500-00001-11 - Downloadable PDF

Anchor Peacock Table Linen Embroidery Pattern by Cathy Eliot – Free Downloadable PDF

The Anchor Peacock Table Linen is a beautifully detailed freestyle embroidery pattern designed by Cathy Eliot and published by Anchor in association with Quail Publishing Limited. Available as a free downloadable PDF, this intermediate-level project transforms a plain coloured table runner and two matching napkins into an elegant, nature-inspired textile set. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an ideal next step for embroiderers who are comfortable with basic stitches and ready to explore more expressive, painterly needlework.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a coordinated table linen set consisting of one table runner and two napkins. The designs are placed at the corners of each piece, with the napkins featuring simplified versions of the motifs used on the runner. The pattern includes five individual motifs in total, and the designer encourages embroiderers to mix and match these designs freely. For example, a set of napkins embroidered exclusively with the fern motif would make a charming standalone project. Each of the five motifs draws from the natural world, creating a cohesive botanical and wildlife theme across the full linen set.

The Five Embroidery Designs

1. Peacock

The centrepiece motif of the collection, the Peacock design, is worked in a rich palette of Anchor Stranded Cotton shades including #1037, #0120, #0401, #1012, and #0398. This motif uses a combination of outline stem stitch, filling chain stitch, split stitch, seed stitch, and fly stitch, allowing the embroiderer to capture the iridescent, layered quality of a peacock's plumage through varied thread directions and stitch textures.

2. Oranges and Lemons

A vibrant citrus-themed motif worked in warm and zesty tones using Anchor Stranded Cotton shades #0876, #0843, #1002, and #0293. This design brings a fresh, cheerful energy to the table linen and is well suited to corner placement on both the runner and napkins.

3. Lily Pads

The Lily Pads motif is stitched in cool, watery greens and blues using shades #1074, #0293, and #0158. It incorporates satin stitch and French knots, techniques that together create smooth, filled shapes contrasted with delicate textural accents — ideal for depicting the rounded forms of floating lily pads.

4. Ferns

The Ferns motif is worked in two shades of green — #0876 and #0216 — using Anchor Stranded Cotton. Its elegant, feathery form makes it particularly versatile, and Cathy Eliot specifically suggests that the fern design could be used on its own across a full set of napkins for a refined, botanical look.

5. Roses

The Roses motif is stitched in warm pinks and complementary tones using shades #0876, #1026, and #1021. This classic floral design incorporates woven wheel stitch, one of the most beloved techniques in freestyle embroidery for creating full, rounded rose blooms with a three-dimensional quality.

Embroidery Techniques and Stitches Used

This pattern is a wonderful showcase of freestyle embroidery, a style of needlework in which designs are worked freehand onto fabric rather than following a counted grid. Freestyle embroidery allows for expressive, illustrative results and is particularly well suited to floral and nature-inspired subjects. The following stitches are used across the five motifs:

• Split stitch – a versatile outline stitch that creates a smooth, rope-like line, often used for fine detail and outlines
• Stem stitch – a classic embroidery stitch worked in a slightly overlapping spiral, ideal for curved lines such as stems and outlines