Samplers are hand embroidery patterns featuring a variety of embroidery stitches or motifs, borders or letters of the alphabet. Sometimes they're very traditional, other times they're modern. Some samplers create an image that incorporates many stitches, while others are much more freeform. This list gives you links to free sampler patterns to practice your embroidery.
Mod Embroidery Sampler
This modern take on an embroidery sampler brings a lot of sampler tradition while bringing fresh colors and motifs into the picture. The frame, a sweet phrase, and a few extra elements make this a great way to show off your stitches.
The Stitch Up shares this pattern without specific stitch instructions, but you'll see opportunities to use back stitch, chain stitch, satin stitch, french knots, buttonhole wheels (made with a blanket stitch) and more. Get creative as you make this mod sampler.
Vegetable Garden Sampler Pattern
This free sampler looks like a vegetable garden, but it's really an opportunity to learn or practice 11 different embroidery stitches. Each row uses one or more stitches to create a vegetable.
Specific colors and stitches are suggested, but you could easily adjust those to create your own personalized veggie garden sampler.
Heart Silhouette Sampler
Adventures in Making shares how to make this simple heart of decorative stitches that is perfect for beginners. Traditional samplers often have rows of embroidery stitches, but this uses that same idea to make a shape. It's a great example of how even basic lines of repeating stitches can make a strong impact.
You could even use this idea to make samplers for holidays or other special occasions.
Heart Silhouette Sampler from Adventures in Making
Stitch Love Turtle Sampler Pattern
This happy turtle has a decorative shell that is perfect for creating your own sampler. Instead of giving you a list of stitches that you should use, each section of the shell is an opportunity for you to choose the stitches you want to practice.
See if you can work in every one of these 15 stitches every embroiderer should learn.
Stitch Love Turtle Sampler Pattern from The Spruce
Bee Happy Sampler
This adorable sampler features flowers, honeycombs, and a sweet little bee. The pattern uses nine different stitches and will fit nicely in a small hoop. You'll find that this is a great design to stitch, even if you aren't looking for something just for practice.
In Nicole's Etsy shop, you'll also find other sampler patterns, including one with a hot air balloon and another with the princess and the pea atop a stack of mattresses.
Garden Path Sampler Frame
This sampler pattern started as a 'sampler-along' but while the stitchalong has ended, the pattern remains and it's ready for you to fill with stitches. The free pattern is only the outline of the garden, giving you the freedom to plant any stitches you like.
The areas within the pattern are perfect for learning and practicing detached stitches.
Life is Beautiful Spring Sampler
This sampler is as beautiful as its name suggests. While the pattern doesn't tell you what stitches to use where, it has large, clear photos so you can look at the example for inspiration.
Others have worked this pattern too, so if you search online for the Life is Beautiful sampler, you're likely to see what they've done and the stitches they've used. Of course, you can also use your own choice of stitches.
Design Your Own Sampler Pattern
Create your own sampler pattern using these steps. So many of the great sampler patterns that are available would have started with a system like this. By learning how to create your own sampler, you're ready to stitch up so many beautiful designs, while learning new stitches and not waiting to find the pattern that's just right.
Explore our range of Alphabet embroidery designs and embroidery fonts. Perfect for adding that personalized touch to your projects. Machine embroidery designs, applique embroidery, embroidery fonts, redwork designs, applique designs, embroidery patterns and free embroidery designs.
Hand Embroidery Alphabets Free Download For Windows
Getting Started
- Basic Stitches to Get Started
- Every Stitch You Should Know
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Methods for Transferring a Pattern
- How to Start & End a Thread
- Stabbing vs. Sewing
- Redwork Embroidery
- Intro to Jumbo Stitching
- How to Embroider With Ribbon
- Tinting With Crayons & Paint
- Sashiko Embroidery
- Katsuti Embroidery
- Swedish Huck Embroidery
- Free Patterns for Beginners
- Our Top Free Patterns
- Redwork Patterns to Try
- Full Alphabet Embroidery Pattern
- How to Embroider on T-Shirts
- How to Make Embroidered Patches
- How to Finish the Back of Your Hoop
- Ideas to Embellish Your Hoop
- Edge Finishing Ideas for Fabrics
- Combining Stitches for Borders
- Display Embroidery on Canvas
Personalize Your Embroidery Using Monograms
Alongside samplers, monograms are amongst the most classic embroidery motifs you'll find. You'll find them on handkerchiefs, shirt pockets or cuffs, hats, bags and more. Download and print free monogram patterns or create your own by following the easy tips below.
And why not? They are such an easy way to personalize a gift or something for yourself.
Monogram patterns come in all kinds of styles, ranging from simple and classic to flowery and ornate, and everything in between. Choosing a style is another great way to customize embroidery.
Sometimes monograms are stitched with a set of initials and other times with just one letter. Stitching three letters with the initial of the last name in the middle is a traditional (and somewhat formal) style. Embroidering first and last initials with french knot periods after each or stitching only one letter may look a little more relaxed and fun.
These free patterns are simple and quick to stitch, and while they are in a script type, they're casual enough for everyday use.
Monogram Alphabet Patterns
To access the full-size patterns, download the JPG and resize as desired. Printing the image sized to fit on a US Letter size page will give you monograms that are a little over 1' tall.
Use software or your printer's settings to adjust the size. There's no reason why you can't stitch a giant monogram!
Mark the letter(s) you're using on your fabric with the method of your choice, using water-soluble stabilizer or tracing paper for dark or thick fabrics.
For more delicate monograms, embroider with 2-3 strands using stem stitch. For a fuller look, try stitching with more strands or in a chunkier stitch like chain stitch. Whipped back stitch would also work well.
Using Fonts to Make Monograms
The letters in the free pattern are inspired by a free font called Euphoria Script and adapted to be more suitable for embroidery. Of course, you can do this yourself to create monogram patterns.
Type the letters you want to use and then print them out at the size you need. Place a piece of tracing paper over the printed monogram. Trace the outline of the letters.
In some cases that might mean tracing around the entire letter shape and filling in the letters with satin stitch. Other times, it's helpful to only trace a single line, even over thicker parts of the letters. This is your chance to make the letters exactly how you want them!
Customize the Monograms With Embellishments
If you want your monograms to be a little fancier, try enhancing them with more stitches.
This example incorporates a half lazy daisy with a french knot in the middle and some straight stitch leaves.
You could also add more flowers, a little row of french knots along one edge of the letter, or a few twinkle stars made with straight stitches. Of course, those are just a few ideas to get you started. Be as creative as you like!
Additionally, these letters would be beautiful within a simple or more complex border.
Free Printable Embroidery Alphabet Letters
- 6 Alphabet Patterns For Hand Embroidery. 6 Alphabet Patterns For Hand Embroidery. 'Buy the royalty-free stock vector image 'Sketch hand drawn alphabet black and white font letters' online All rights included High resolution vector.' 'fun fonts and doodles bullet journal' 'Sketch hand drawn alphabet black and white font letters.
- Embroidery alphabet downloads from EmbroideryDesigns.com make it easy and inexpensive to customize any project you are working on.