Stormzy - Downloadable PDF

Stormzy Embroidery Pattern by Kre8iveshack – Downloadable PDF Summary

This Stormzy embroidery pattern, designed by Kre8iveshack and published by LoveCrafts, is a portrait embroidery project featuring the likeness of the acclaimed British artist Stormzy, stitched onto black cotton fabric. Available as a downloadable PDF, this design is rated as beginner difficulty, making it an accessible and rewarding introduction to figurative embroidery for those new to the craft. The finished piece is displayed in a classic 9-inch embroidery hoop, which also serves as the working frame during stitching.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a hoop art portrait embroidered onto black cotton fabric. The dark background gives the design a striking, high-contrast appearance, allowing the coloured and metallic threads to stand out vividly. Once complete, the embroidery hoop itself becomes the display frame, making this a ready-to-hang decorative piece ideal for the home or as a thoughtful handmade gift for fans of the artist.

Materials Required

• 9-inch embroidery hoop – used both as the working frame and the final display mount
• Black cotton fabric – cut approximately one inch larger than the hoop on all sides
• Baking paper – used as a transfer medium to trace and pin the Stormzy template directly onto the fabric
• Scissors, Sharpie pen, and pencil – for tracing and cutting
• Embroidery needle size 3 – used with finer, split thread for couching and detail work
• Embroidery needle size 24 – used with the full six strands of thread for laying thicker couching lines
• Needle threader – recommended as a helpful optional tool

DMC Embroidery Threads

• DMC E305 – Silver Black (metallic thread used for outlining and couching)
• DMC 909 – Green
• DMC 813 – Pastel Blue
• DMC 777 – Wine Red
• DMC 742 – Yellow

The pattern makes use of DMC six-strand embroidery floss, which is the industry standard for hand embroidery. A key technique throughout this pattern involves splitting the thread – separating the six individual strands to use fewer at a time, which allows for finer detail and greater control over stitch coverage and texture.

Stitches Used

Couching Stitch

Couching is a surface embroidery technique in which a thicker thread or bundle of threads is laid along the surface of the fabric and then secured in place with a finer thread stitched over the top. In this pattern, the size 24 needle is threaded with the full six strands of DMC E305 Silver Black thread (doubled), which is laid along the outline of the Stormzy portrait. The size 3 needle, threaded with a single strand (also doubled) of the same colour, is then used to couch – or anchor – the thicker thread down at regular intervals. This technique is worked directly over the baking paper template, which is pinned to the fabric, allowing the stitcher to follow the printed lines with precision before the paper is gently torn away. Couching is particularly effective for creating bold, defined outlines and curved lines that would be difficult to achieve with a standard running or back stitch alone.

Satin Stitch

Satin stitch is a filling stitch used to cover areas of fabric with smooth, closely packed parallel stitches that lie flat against the surface, creating a neat, almost satin-like sheen. In this pattern, satin stitch is used to fill in sections of the portrait with the various DMC thread colours – including the greens, blues, wine reds, and yellows – building up the tonal and colour detail of the design. The technique involves bringing the needle up on one side of a shape and down on the other, repeating in close rows until the fabric is fully covered. Working on