DMC Cherries - PAT2017 - Downloadable PDF

DMC Cherries Embroidery Pattern (PAT2017) – Free Downloadable PDF

The DMC Cherries embroidery pattern (PAT2017) is a charming botanical design from the DMC Library collection, available as a free downloadable PDF. The pattern depicts a cluster of ripe cherries — known in French as cerises — complete with stems and foliage, making it an ideal decorative motif for embroidery hoops, textile art, clothing embellishment, or home décor projects.

What Is Being Made

This pattern guides the embroiderer through recreating a detailed cherry motif in thread on fabric. The finished piece captures the rich, rounded forms of cherries alongside their stems and leaves, rendered with careful shading and colour variation to give the design a lifelike, illustrative quality. The design is suited to framing as wall art, applying to tote bags, decorating cushion covers, or personalising garments.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty. It is best suited to embroiderers who are already comfortable with basic stitches and are ready to explore more nuanced colour blending and shading techniques. Beginners who have completed a few smaller projects may also find it an achievable and rewarding next step.

Techniques and Stitches Used

The DMC Cherries pattern employs a range of classic hand embroidery techniques that bring depth and texture to the cherry motif. The pattern includes a detailed technical chart and colour guide diagram to assist with stitch placement and thread colour selection. Typical techniques used in DMC botanical embroidery designs of this style include:

• Satin stitch – used to fill the rounded bodies of the cherries with smooth, solid colour coverage
• Long and short stitch – employed for blending and shading, giving the cherries their characteristic dimensional, lifelike appearance
• Stem stitch or outline stitch – used to define the cherry stems and create clean, flowing linear details
• Leaf and foliage stitching – techniques applied to render the leaves with natural shading and vein detail

The pattern references specific stitch zones using a colour guide with coded sections (including references such as A1, A2, B5, C3, D4, E1, E7, E8, and F6), allowing the embroiderer to follow the design systematically and achieve consistent, accurate results.

Colour Palette and Thread References

The design makes use of a carefully curated multi-colour palette to capture the natural tones of ripe cherries, stems, and leaves. The colour guide included in the PDF references DMC thread colours across multiple code groupings, covering deep reds and crimsons for the cherry fruit, warm greens for the foliage, and neutral or brown tones for the stems. Using genuine DMC stranded cotton embroidery floss is recommended to achieve the colour accuracy shown in the pattern's colour diagram.

Materials Required

• DMC stranded cotton embroidery floss in the colours specified within the pattern's colour guide (codes referenced include groups A, B, C, D, E, and F)
• An embroidery needle (needle size is referenced within the pattern's tool kit/fournitures section of the instructions)
• Embroidery fabric – an even-weave or plain-weave fabric appropriate for surface embroidery
• An embroidery hoop to keep the fabric taut during stitching
• Scissors and any standard embroidery toolkit items

Pattern Format and Accessibility

The DMC Cherries PAT2017 pattern is provided as a free downloadable PDF directly from the DMC Library — Bibliothèque DMC. The PDF includes a full-colour reference diagram, a technical stitch chart, and step-by-step instructions presented in both English and French (cerises). This bilingual format reflects DMC's global reach and commitment to making quality embroidery education accessible to crafters worldwide.

Finished pieces can be shared with the DMC community using the hashtags #dmcthreads, #dmcemb