How to Thread Paint Flowers

Thread painting is my favorite style of embroidery, and it’s also the technique I use the most for custom pet portraits. In this tutorial, I wanted to show you how to thread paint flowers. This is a beginner friendly tutorial and a great way to get started learning the technique.

I also highly recommend checking out my free essential guide to thread painting for beginners.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase a product through a link I’ve provided, I get a small commission at no extra charge to you. I only recommend products I would use and love!

The first tutorial I’d like to do is a beginner thread painting tutorial of how to embroider some pansy flowers. Pansies are a great flower to thread paint because they are multicolored and the petals are a relatively simple shape. This will allow you to practice blending colors together nicely!

Supplies You’ll Need

• embroidery hoop
• embroidery floss (DMC)
  • 310
  • 550
  • 553
  • 745
  • 904
  • 905
  • 3823
• fabric
• scissors
• something to transfer your pattern with (these markers or this clear stabilizer works well!)

We’ll only be using a few stitches for this if you’d like to see how to do them:

• short and long stitch
• satin stitch
• back stitch
• french knots

Embroidery Stencil

Thread Painting Flowers Video Tutorial

Thread Painting Tutorial [step by step photos]

Make satin stitches (straight stitches side by side one another) with 2 strands of the color 550 around the outside of the flower petals. Make sure your stitches are pointing towards the center of the flower. This will make it easier and make your stitches look smoother as you blend them together

Using 1 strand of color 553, make long and short stitches and overlap them with the dark purple color you just stitched. Make sure to keep the stitches super random. The more random the short and long stitches are in length, the more the colors will look “blended”

Now continue doing the same thing with 1 strand each of color 3823 and then color 310.

For the center of the flower, make satin stitches with 1 strand of color 725 .

Then make two french knots with 2 strands of color 3823 at the top of the yellow in the center.

For the flower at the top, make satin stitches with two strands of color 553.

Then, blend out the base of the flower with 1 strand of color 550.

Make some straight stitches with 2 strands of color 905.

Then make satin stitches on the outside of the leaves with color 905.

Blend together the center and outside of the leaf with 2 strands of color 904.

For the sprigs of leaves, use 2 strands of color 904. Back stitch the center stem and make straight stitches or satin stitches for the little leaves.

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, I’ll be making many more of these so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated of any specific kinds of plants or flowers you’d like to see stitched.

Floral Wreath Thread Painting Pattern

If you’d like to learn how to thread paint even more kinds of flowers, check out this thread paiting pattern.

More Thread Painting Tutorials

• Thread Painting For Beginners
• Painting With Thread: How To Make Realistic Embroidery
• How To Embroider Animal Fur
• How To Embroider Pet Portraits