A floral bookmark is a small project with room to practise a few useful embroidery stitches. Start with one stem, a pair of leaves and a simple flower. Work on a larger piece of fabric, then cut the bookmark after stitching so the hoop has enough fabric to grip.
Gather your materials
- A 4–6-inch embroidery hoop and a suitable embroidery needle
- Cotton or linen fabric, about 10 × 10 inches (25 × 25 cm)
- Embroidery floss in your chosen colours
- A washable fabric marker, scissors and matching sewing thread
- Thin felt for backing, approximately 3 × 8 inches (7.5 × 20 cm)
Test the marker on a scrap and follow its removal instructions. Our craft preparation tips cover choosing materials and setting up a comfortable workspace.
1. Mark the bookmark and design
Mark a 3 × 8-inch rectangle in the centre of your fabric as the finished bookmark outline. Keep the embroidery at least ¼ inch inside it. Sketch a small flower, stem and leaves. Put the fabric in the hoop so the area you are stitching is taut; reposition the hoop as you work.
2. Prepare the thread
Cut about 18 inches of floss and separate two or three strands. Thread the needle. Secure the starting thread on the back, keeping knots and thread tails small so the bookmark does not become bulky.
3. Stitch the stem
For backstitch, bring the needle up a short distance along the line, then take it down at the starting point. Bring it up the same distance further along and stitch back into the end of the previous stitch. Repeat with short, even stitches.
4. Add leaves and petals
Fill a small leaf or petal with satin stitch: make parallel stitches from one edge of the shape to the other, placing them close together without pulling the fabric tight. Keep the shapes small for your first attempt. You can outline a flower in backstitch instead if filling it feels fiddly.
5. Finish the centre
A few small straight stitches make an easy flower centre. French knots are optional. Keep your first design simple, then practise decorative stitches separately before adding them to a larger project.
6. Remove the markings and finish the edges
Take the fabric out of the hoop, remove the marker according to its instructions and let the fabric dry. Cut around the bookmark outline with an extra ¼ inch on every side. Turn that allowance to the back. Place the felt backing over the folded edges and hand stitch it in place with small stitches around the perimeter.
Keep the bookmark flat
Trim loose thread tails and check that the back is tidy. If you press the fabric, use a setting suitable for the materials and press gently from the back on a towel so you do not flatten raised stitches.
For a gift set, pair it with a handmade drawstring bag. You can also try a reversible fabric tote or browse our craft project collection.