Anchor Toucan Hoop - 0022500-00001-06 - Downloadable PDF

Anchor Toucan Hoop – Embroidery Pattern by Heather Nugent (Design No. 0022500-00001-06)

The Anchor Toucan Hoop is a free, downloadable PDF embroidery pattern designed by Heather Nugent and published under the Anchor brand by Quail Publishing Limited. Rated as an intermediate level project, this design features a vibrant toucan motif worked in counted cross stitch and presented within an embroidery hoop that is itself incorporated as a decorative element of the finished piece. The result is a striking, frame-ready textile artwork ideal for home décor or as a handmade gift.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a hoop art piece depicting a toucan, one of the most colourful and recognisable birds in the natural world. The design is worked on fabric stretched within an embroidery hoop, and in a distinctive finishing touch, the hoop itself is wrapped in coloured threads that coordinate with the colours used in the embroidery. This technique transforms the functional hoop into an integral part of the composition, eliminating the need for a separate frame and giving the piece a polished, contemporary look straight from the hoop.

Techniques Used

• Cross Stitch: The primary technique used throughout this design is cross stitch, a counted embroidery method in which X-shaped stitches are formed on an even-weave or aida fabric by following a charted grid. Each stitch covers one or more fabric threads and is counted from the centre of the design outwards, ensuring accurate placement and symmetry.
• Centred Working Method: The pattern instructs stitchers to start from the centre of the fabric and work outwards, a standard cross stitch practice that keeps the design centred within the hoop and prevents misalignment.
• Thread Securing: Threads are secured at the back of the fabric rather than knotted on the front, maintaining a neat reverse and preventing lumps or shadows showing through the fabric.
• Hoop Wrapping: A decorative finishing technique in which the inner or outer ring of the embroidery hoop is wrapped with coloured stranded cotton threads selected to complement or match the palette of the embroidered design. This elevates the presentation of the finished piece and is a hallmark of modern hoop art.

Stitches Used

• Cross Stitch – the sole embroidery stitch specified in the pattern, used to build up the entire toucan image through a grid of counted X-shaped stitches worked in multiple thread colours.

Materials – Threads and Needle

The pattern calls for Anchor Stranded Cotton (Art. No. 4635000), a premium six-strand embroidery floss available in 10-metre skeins. Stranded cotton is the most widely used embroidery thread, prized for its smooth sheen, consistent twist, and the ability to separate individual strands for finer or bolder coverage. The toucan design uses a generous palette of 25 individual colour shades, reflecting the naturally vivid plumage and tropical setting of the subject. The full list of Anchor thread colours required is as follows:

• 0001, 0027, 0028, 0035, 0070, 0087, 0089, 0164, 0238, 0239, 0245, 0254, 0255, 0293, 0297, 0303, 0305, 0316, 0359, 0403, 0410, 0433, 1090, 1092, 1098

One skein of each colour is required. This broad spectrum of shades — spanning deep blacks and neutrals through to bright yellows, oranges, reds, and greens — allows for rich shading and the characteristic bold contrasts of a toucan's beak and feathers.

The recommended needle is a round end embroidery needle, size 24. A round-tipped (also called tapestry) needle is standard for counted cross stitch, as its blunt point passes cleanly through the holes in the fabric weave without splitting the threads, making it easier to maintain an even stitch tension across the design.

Skill Level and Pattern Format

This pattern is graded intermediate, making it well suited to embroiderers who are comfortable with counted cross stitch and