Decorative Pattern on Doily---A little progress

Steady Progress on My Decorative Embroidery Pattern (Inspired by the Ondori Book)

Lately, I’ve been carving out a little pocket of time each day — about half an hour — to continue working on this colorful decorative embroidery pattern. Even though my progress is slow, I’m genuinely happy with how steadily it’s coming along. Sometimes, small and consistent effort adds up beautifully over time, especially with a design as detailed and layered as this one.

The pattern I’m working on is inspired by the Ondori book Embroidery of Roses — a timeless Japanese embroidery guide known for its delicate floral motifs and elegant stitchwork. The Ondori books have always fascinated me; they combine traditional artistry with a graceful modern touch, and even their simplest designs carry a refined sense of balance and color. This particular motif captures that spirit perfectly — bold yet harmonious.

In my piece, I’ve been playing with vibrant color transitions — rich orange petals blending into cool blues and purples, framed by softer tones to give depth. The satin stitches are building up layer by layer, creating a soft sheen that catches the light beautifully. You can still see some of the pencil outlines in places — a little reminder that every embroidery project is a journey in stages.

Even with limited time each day, I find these short stitching sessions incredibly relaxing. They help me reconnect with the tactile joy of thread and fabric — the slow rhythm of each stitch feels meditative after a long day. Progress may be gradual, but every little bit adds a touch of color and satisfaction.

I’ll keep sharing updates as this pattern unfolds, and I hope it inspires you to pick up an unfinished piece or start a small daily embroidery habit of your own. A few quiet minutes with needle and thread can truly brighten the day. 

Here are the pictures!

Ondori books are available at the links below:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

Embroidery Details

• Pattern: Decorative floral design from Ondori – Embroidery of Roses

• Stitches Used: Satin stitch, long and short stitch, chain stitch and split stitch

• Threads: Cotton embroidery floss in orange, purple, blue, and light beige tones

• Fabric: Cream-colored cotton

Blooming Bookmark---Part 4

Sorry friends. I've been “out of action” for a while... I haven't had even a little spare time for over a month.

However, I found some time today to finish the tutorial.

Step 7: After we are done with the second row we are now going to start the third row which is also the final row. Thread one strand of the darkest shade of pink in your needle. Bring up your needle by splitting the center stitch of the second row and down at a point on the inner edge of the flower. Continue this on the left side and then the right side. Now you have completed shading petal no.1.
 

Step 8: Repeat Steps 5 thru 7 in all the petals. First Petals labeled as B, then C, and at last D.

Step 9: Fill in the center of the flower with french knots with different shades of threads of your choice. I used yellow and brown shades.

Voila! Your flower is done!

Step 10: We should now cut the flower out from the fabric. Make a slit from the edge of the fabric and toward the outer edge of the flower. Carefully cut the fabric on the edges making sure you don't run your scissors into the buttonhole stitches. This will spoil the whole thing.

Step 11: Follow the photos below to make a loop at the top of the flower.

Sew buttonhole stitch to cover the loop.

Insert a 8-inch long satin ribbon and make a knot at the loop. The ribbon should be of same length on both sides of the knot.

The blooming bookmark is ready now. You can use the flower in other creative ways too.


Did you like this tutorial? Please let me know through your comments.