Laverne Cox - Downloadable PDF

Laverne Cox Embroidery Pattern – Designed by Anna Laviniere for LoveCrafts

This downloadable PDF embroidery pattern by designer Anna Laviniere, published by LoveCrafts, guides stitchers through creating a detailed portrait of Laverne Cox. Rated as a beginner level project, it is an accessible yet rewarding introduction to portrait embroidery, combining multiple classic hand embroidery techniques to build texture, depth, and colour in a finished hoop-ready piece.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is an embroidered portrait of Laverne Cox, designed to be displayed within a 5-inch embroidery hoop. The pattern is worked on white fabric and uses a combination of thread and seed beads to create a richly textured, decorative artwork suitable for framing or display as a finished hoop piece. The design is supplied as a traceable pattern outline within the PDF.

Materials Required

• DMC Embroidery Threads in the following shade numbers: 310, 444, 699, 701, and 3837
• Size 4 and Size 9 embroidery needles – different needle sizes allow for working with varying thread weights and bead application
• White fabric – cut approximately one inch larger all around than the hoop
• Mill Hill Seed Beads – small decorative beads used to add dimension and sparkle to the embroidered design
• 5-inch embroidery hoop – used both to keep the fabric taut during stitching and as the display frame for the finished piece
• Water erasable pen (or pencil) – for tracing the pattern outline onto the fabric before stitching begins

Techniques Used

The pattern begins with a fabric tracing technique in which the printed pattern outline is transferred onto the white fabric using a light source such as a lightbox, computer screen, or window. A particularly useful tip included in the instructions is to trace the design in the well – placing the front of the hoop toward the light source and tracing on the underside – which helps keep the fabric taut and reduces slipping during the transfer process.

Once the design is traced, stitchers work through the portrait using a selection of traditional hand embroidery techniques. Portrait embroidery in this style typically involves layering stitches to build up areas of colour and create the illusion of shading, skin texture, hair, and clothing detail.

Stitches Used

• Running stitch – one of the most fundamental embroidery stitches, created by passing the needle in and out of the fabric at regular intervals to form a dashed line; often used for outlines and detail work
• French knot – a classic embroidery stitch formed by wrapping the thread around the needle before inserting it back into the fabric, creating a small raised dot of texture; commonly used for fine detail, eyes, and decorative accents
• Satin stitch – smooth, closely packed parallel stitches that fill a shape completely, creating a solid, lustrous surface ideal for bold areas of flat colour
• Long and short stitch – an advanced filling technique that uses alternating long and short stitches to blend colours seamlessly and replicate the gradual tonal transitions seen in realistic portrait embroidery
• Split stitch – a versatile outline and filling stitch in which each new stitch splits the tail of the previous one, creating a smooth, rope-like line that is excellent for facial contours and fine details

Pattern Format and Accessibility

The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF, making it immediately accessible after purchase with no waiting time for physical delivery. The PDF includes the full pattern outline for tracing, step-by-step instructions, and a materials list. As a beginner-rated design, it is well suited to those who are new to embroidery or to portrait stitching, while still offering enough variety in its stitch selection to engage and develop skills progressively. The incorporation of Mill Hill Seed Beads alongside traditional thread work adds an extra dimension that makes the finished piece particularly eye-catching.