Anchor Jungle Design - ANC0003-71 - Downloadable PDF

Anchor Jungle Design ANC0003-71 by Sew Botanical – Free Embroidery PDF Pattern

The Anchor Jungle Design ANC0003-71 is a free downloadable embroidery pattern designed by Sew Botanical and published by Anchor via AnchorCrafts.com. Released in 2020, this charming botanical design brings lush, tropical foliage to life on fabric, making it a wonderful project for anyone who loves nature-inspired needlework. The pattern is rated Easy, making it an ideal starting point for beginner embroiderers while still offering enough detail to satisfy those with a little more experience.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a jungle-themed embroidery design featuring tropical foliage elements, including leafy branches and large statement leaves reminiscent of Monstera plants. The finished piece is intended to be worked on calico fabric and would suit a hoop display, framed artwork, or as an embellishment on a textile project. The design is worked within a 5-inch (Ø 5") hoop, making it a compact and manageable piece perfect for a weekend crafting session.

Design Elements Covered

• Leafy Branch (Right): Features a brown stem worked first, followed by irregularly shaped leaves. The technique mirrors the approach used for Monstera-style leaves, beginning with the longest stitch from the tip of the leaf to the base, then working down each side in turn.
• Monstera-style leaves: Large, irregular tropical leaf shapes that are filled using straight stitches, following the natural contours of the drawn design.
• Stems and branches: Worked in warm brown tones to ground the botanical composition and provide structure for the leaf elements.

Techniques Used

This pattern introduces embroiderers to several foundational hand embroidery techniques that are widely used in botanical and nature-themed needlework:

• Wbs (Whipped Back Stitch): Used for the brown stems, this technique involves working a back stitch foundation and then weaving or whipping a second thread through the stitches without piercing the fabric. It creates a smooth, rope-like line that is ideal for depicting branches and stems with a slightly raised, polished finish.
• SS (Satin Stitch): Used to fill the leaves with smooth, parallel stitches that lie flat against the fabric. Satin stitch is one of the most classic embroidery filling techniques and gives a clean, solid coverage of colour. For the irregular leaf shapes in this design, the pattern advises beginning with the longest stitch first and then working outward to each side, which helps maintain even tension and a neat finish.

Stitches Used

• Whipped Back Stitch – for stems and branches
• Satin Stitch – for leaf and foliage filling

Materials Required

Thread

The design uses Anchor Stranded Cotton in 8m skeins. All elements are worked using 3 strands of thread rather than the full 6 strands, so each length of thread must be split before beginning. The full palette includes the following Anchor thread colours:

• 00403, 00262, 00887, 001007, 00245, 00277, 00214, 00268, 00358, 00861, 00266, 00386

Notably, colour 358 is used for the brown stems and colour 861 is used for the leaves on the leafy branch section, both worked with 3 strands.

Fabric

The recommended fabric is calico – a medium weight, close-weave fabric that provides an excellent, stable base for embroidery stitches and is easy to transfer designs onto.

Needles

The pattern calls for Darning Needles in sizes 1–5, which have a blunt tip and a large eye suitable for threading multiple strands of embroidery cotton.

Additional Supplies

• Scissors – for cutting thread