Free Skull, Rose and Thistle Moon Wreath Hand Embroidery Pattern PDF
A central skull wears a crown of rust, cream and black roses beside a teal thistle. Opposing rust and blue-green crescents, wheat sprays, daisies and dark berries sit within an airy botanical wreath. This free skull, rose and thistle moon wreath hand embroidery pattern comes with printable outlines, a separate DMC color and stitch guide, and optional gridded references. Use the color preview to plan the finished look, then choose a labeled outline size for your project.
Advanced / 3-8 inch outlines / 16 suggested DMC colors
About This Skull, Rose and Thistle Moon Wreath Embroidery Pattern
Blue-green contours give the skull a cooler character than the surrounding wheat and roses. The two crescents balance each side without becoming a continuous border. The crown is compact above the forehead, while small leaves and grain heads extend outward into open fabric. Warm rust petals and gold centers connect the floral crown to the lower wreath, with black berry clusters providing small dark anchors.
The most demanding details are the skull anatomy, spiral rose centers and narrow wheat spikes. Plan those areas before dense fills: the colored reference shows their relative scale, while the outline locates their edges. Preserve the spaces between neighboring motifs so each part of the composition remains distinct.
Skull, Rose and Thistle Moon Wreath Embroidery Pattern Preview
This public preview is watermarked. The clean black-and-white outlines are inside the printable pattern PDF below.
What You'll Get
- An eight-page printable pattern PDF with a colored sample and clean outlines labeled 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 inches.
- A separate 16-color DMC guide with suggested stitches, motif-specific thread placement and stitching order.
- A two-page pixelized reference PDF with 150 x 150 and 200 x 200 image grids.
These are digital PDF resources. Fabric, floss, needles, hoops and a finished stitched piece are not included.
Recommended Hoop Size
The supplied stitch guide recommends 8 inches / 20 cm. The outline PDF includes pages labeled for 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8-inch hoops; a recommendation larger than 8 inches does not mean an additional outline size is included.
Use the larger outline for the skull anatomy, spiral rose centers and narrow wheat spikes. Smaller versions compress these details and may need a simplified stitch plan. The PDF is formatted on Letter paper and its printing note says to select fit to page. Measure the printed design before transferring it, because printer margins can change the finished dimensions.
Pattern Difficulty
Advanced, as labeled in the supplied guide. The skull anatomy, spiral rose centers and narrow wheat spikes require controlled spacing and clean edges, while the filled motifs need consistent stitch direction. Practice the relevant stitches on spare fabric before starting the detailed areas; this is not presented as a first-stitch beginner pattern.
Suggested DMC Colors
The supplied guide proposes 16 DMC colors, combining bone white and ecru, deep teal, rust rosewood, blush, muted olive and old gold. Treat this as a suggested palette rather than a guarantee that a screen or print preview exactly matches physical thread.
- DMC 924: blue-green skull lines and dark crescent.
- DMC 3858: rust rose petals.
- DMC 729: stars and daisy centers.
Check the complete thread-to-motif assignments and strand counts in the PDF, and compare important shades with your actual floss under your stitching light.
Recommended Embroidery Stitches
These stitch choices summarize the supplied guide's recommendations for this design. Follow the PDF for exact thread placement and strand counts.
- Long-and-short stitch: skull and crescent shading.
- Split stitch: skull contours and fine floral edges.
- Woven or spiral stitches: rosette roses.
- Fishbone stitch: sage and olive leaves.
- French knots: berries and flower centers.
How to Stitch This Pattern
This short sequence follows the design's structure; use the included guide alongside the full-size outline.
Step 1
Mark the skull, opposing crescents, crown roses, thistle and circular botanical path.
Step 2
Shade the skull in pale bone and teal-gray tones, preserving crisp teeth and dark sockets.
Step 3
Work the rosette crown and thistle, then build wheat stalks, daisy stems and vein-led foliage.
Step 4
Fill the crescents, add dark berry clusters and place the small gold stars without crowding the wreath.
Before finishing, inspect the skull anatomy, spiral rose centers and narrow wheat spikes, secure the thread ends and check for puckering. Remove transfer marks according to the marking product's instructions. See pattern transfer methods and finishing an embroidery hoop for the general techniques.
Download the Free Skull, Rose and Thistle Moon Wreath Embroidery Pattern
The three PDFs are available separately. The clean outlines are included in the main pattern PDF.
Printable pattern and clean outlines
Eight pages: a colored sample, printing information and outlines labeled for six hoop sizes.
2.2 MBDMC color and stitch guide
The supplied 16-color guide includes motif assignments, stitch suggestions and a stitching sequence.
2.1 MBOptional gridded visual reference
Two pages of image-based grids at 150 x 150 and 200 x 200 cells. This is separate from the hand-embroidery outline.
0.1 MBOptional Gridded Pattern
The pixelized PDF overlays a grid on the colored reference image. It includes versions labeled 150 x 150 and 200 x 200 stitches, with the following fabric-count dimensions printed in the file.
| Grid | 14-count Aida | 16-count Aida | 18-count Aida |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 x 150 | 27.2 cm / 10.7 in | 23.8 cm / 9.4 in | 21.2 cm / 8.3 in |
| 200 x 200 | 36.3 cm / 14.3 in | 31.8 cm / 12.5 in | 28.2 cm / 11.1 in |
These dimensions describe the grid, not the outline hoop sizes. The image grids are visual references; they do not provide a symbol-by-symbol DMC cross-stitch key. For ordinary surface hand embroidery, use the clean outline and the separate stitch guide instead.
Skull, Rose and Thistle Moon Wreath Embroidery Pattern FAQ
Is this a hand embroidery pattern?
Yes. The clean outlines and stitch guide are for surface hand embroidery. The gridded reference is a separate optional resource.
What hoop sizes are included?
The outline pages are labeled 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 inches. The stitch guide recommends 8 inches / 20 cm for this design. Measure your print before transferring.
Are DMC colors and stitch suggestions included?
Yes. The separate guide contains a 16-color suggested palette and motif-specific stitch instructions for Skull, Rose and Thistle Moon Wreath.
What skill level is this design?
The supplied guide labels it advanced. Allow time for the skull anatomy, spiral rose centers and narrow wheat spikes rather than treating it as a simple beginner outline.
Is this a machine embroidery file or a physical item?
No. These are downloadable PDFs, not machine-ready PES, DST or other stitch files. No physical item is shipped.