Floral Bouquet - PDF

Floral Bouquet Cross Stitch Pattern – KDS #1647 by Kooler Design Studio

The Floral Bouquet is a charted cross stitch embroidery design created by Barbara Baatz Hillman and published by Kooler Design Studio, Inc. under design number KDS #1647. Originally released in 2013, this pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is part of the Kooler Classic Charts collection. It is rated at an intermediate difficulty level, making it an excellent project for stitchers who are comfortable with basic counted cross stitch and are ready to take on a more detailed, multi-color composition.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a large, decorative floral bouquet design intended as a finished embroidery piece suitable for framing, display, or use as a decorative accent in the home. The subject matter — a lush arrangement of flowers — lends itself beautifully to traditional needlework décor. With a stitch count of 159 stitches wide by 159 stitches high, the finished piece is a substantial square composition that rewards careful, patient stitching with a richly detailed result.

Finished Size and Fabric Count Options

One of the practical strengths of this pattern is its flexibility across different fabric counts. The chart provides finished design dimensions for multiple Aida counts:

• 14 Count Aida: approximately 11¼ inches wide by 11¼ inches high
• 16 Count Aida: approximately 9⅞ inches wide by 9⅞ inches high
• 18 Count Aida: approximately 8⅞ inches wide by 8⅞ inches high

As is standard practice in counted cross stitch, the pattern recommends adding 4 to 6 inches to each measurement when cutting the fabric, ensuring adequate border for framing or finishing. The primary fabric specified in the pattern is 14 Count White Aida, which provides a clean, bright background that allows the floral colors to stand out with clarity and contrast.

Techniques Used

This design employs two core counted embroidery techniques that together create both the filled color areas and the refined detail work:

• Full Cross Stitches: The primary technique used to fill in the floral bouquet design. Each full cross stitch is formed by two diagonal stitches crossing at the center, worked over one square of Aida fabric. These stitches build up the color, shape, and overall composition of the bouquet.
• Backstitch: Used for outlining, defining edges, and adding fine detail to the design. Backstitch creates crisp, continuous lines that give the floral elements a polished, illustrated quality and help separate individual blooms, leaves, and stems within the composition.

Counted cross stitch as a craft involves following a gridded chart where each symbol corresponds to a specific thread color. The stitcher works methodically across the fabric, placing each stitch in the correct position to recreate the charted image. The combination of full stitches for coverage and backstitch for detail is a hallmark of intermediate-level cross stitch design, requiring the stitcher to manage multiple thread colors and transition smoothly between techniques.

Stitches Used

• Full Cross Stitch – worked with 3 strands of embroidery floss for solid, well-covered color areas
• Backstitch – worked with 1 strand of embroidery floss for fine outlines and detail lines

The use of 3 strands for full stitches on 14 Count Aida is a standard and well-established approach that produces good coverage without the fabric becoming stiff or overly dense. Reducing to a single strand for backstitching keeps the outlines delicate and precise, which is especially important in a floral subject where petal edges and stem curves benefit from fine, graceful lines.

Materials Referenced

The pattern references the following materials for completing the design:

• Fabric: 14 Count White Aida (other counts supported as noted above)
• Thread: Embroidery floss — the pattern includes a full Floss