How to Embroider Hearts [5 Different Ways]

Hearts are one of those shapes that seem pretty simple, but they can actually be a bit challenging to stitch uniformly and nicely. This post will show you how to embroider hearts 5 different ways that look great and are relatively easy to get right every time!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase an item.

How To Hand Embroider A Heart

Supplies You’ll Need

• embroidery hoop
• embroidery needle
• embroidery floss – I recommend DMC
• a fabric pen or marker
• embroidery scissors
• cotton or linen fabric

I like to place my fabric in the hoop and hand draw little heart shapes directly onto the fabric using a fabric pen or marker that is removable either by water or heat. That way, if you mess up one of the heart shapes, it’s easy to fix!

How To Embroider A Heart Outline

The first and easiest way to embroider a heart is simply by stitching the outline. You can make these hearts as big or small as you would like when outlining them.

There are a few great outline stitches that you can use for this, which include:

• split stitch (this is the stitch I used in the photo above)
• back stitch
• stem stitch
• chain stitch

Work your way around the outline of the heart, making small stitches as you go. The smaller the length of the stitches are, the easier it will be to make the curves of the heart smooth.

Embroider A Small Heart

Lazy Daisy Stitch

Another super simple way to embroider a small heart is by making two lazy daisy stitches (also known as detached chain stitches) that slightly fan out. Make one stitch at a slight diagonal and then make another stitch at a slight diagonal the opposite way. The bottom of both stitches should touch and/or share the same hole.

Satin Stitch

The next way you can embroider a small heart is by filling it in with satin stitches. There are two approaches that I find work well this way. The first is by starting at the bottom point and filling in the heart from left to right. These stitches should all share the same hole at the bottom point and will slightly overlap one another.

The next way allows for a bit of a neater looking heart. First, split stitch the outline of the heart using 2-3 strands of floss. Then make horizontal satin stitches over top of the outline. The outline will help to keep the edges of your stitches more in line with one another, which will help make them look neater in appearance! Work your way down the entire heart until it is filled in all the way.

How To Embroider Large Hearts

For a larger design that you want to fill in, the satin stitch may not be the best choice of an embroidery stitch. This is because the stitches can sag when they are stitched over large areas of the fabric. Instead, I recommend filling the entire shape in with another fill stitch, such as the long and short stitch.

Heart Embroidery Patterns

Here are a few embroidery patterns that feature even more creative ways to embroider hearts!