Blackwork Flower Patterns - Each With Their Own Story

Carol Leather — designer, teacher and author with 50+ years of needlework experience, who can still remember the trials of being a beginner. 

Explore our collection of unique, story-driven blackwork flower patterns. Instantly downloadable and designed for a beautifully clear and relaxing stitching experience, so you can start creating tonight.

Each design you'll find here isn't just a chart; it's a story, a memory, and a guaranteed peaceful escape. With meticulously clear instructions that have been tested and loved by fellow stitchers, you can finally relax, trust the process, and watch something beautiful bloom under your needle.

Blackwork Rose Confident Beginner

£3.75 Instant PDF download
A single blackwork rose design by Carol Leather

A stunning needlework design that lets you craft a timeless floral masterpiece. Add a touch of elegance to your collection and start your next meaningful project today by purchasing the Blackwork Rose.

Skill Level: Confident Beginner

Stitch count: 121w x 158h

Design size: 8.6 × 11.3 in on 14 ct

Fabric: 14 count Aida or 28 count evenweave is recommended.

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Some gifts whisper rather than shout. A single rose, simple, sincere, can say everything. Blackwork Rose captures that tender moment in thread: a graceful stem, one poised leaf and a perfectly formed bloom, ready to celebrate an anniversary, a wedding, or the quiet romance of everyday life.

Designed for relaxing, mindful stitching, this piece uses classic blackwork texture to build depth and shimmer. Work it in dramatic black accented with a touch of gold metallic for timeless elegance, or choose the romantic red-and-green palette for a heirloom keepsake with vintage charm.

Whether you’re a confident beginner exploring blackwork or a seasoned stitcher craving a soothing project, Blackwork Rose rewards you with a striking finish that frames beautifully and stays meaningful for decades, long after real petals have fallen.

Highlight: Two classic colourways for instant impact, dramatic black with gold, or romantic red and green.

Our Stitchers Say It Best:

"This was an absolute joy to stitch. The chart was so clear and easy to follow, I never felt lost. I’m so proud of my finished rose and have already framed it!"
A finished blackwork rose stitched in red and green thread. — Enid F., Stitched in red and green

Blackwork Fuchsia Advanced

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Embroidery of a single fuchsia flower with a leaf, designed in shaded blackwork style

Bring a touch of garden magic to your creations with this exquisite Blackwork Fuchsia design. Perfect for adding elegance and charm, this piece invites you to explore the art of blackwork shading with its intricate details and timeless beauty.

Skill Level: Advanced

Stitch count: 110w x 182h

Design size: 13.0 x 7.9 in on 14 ct

Fabric: 14 count Aida or 28 count evenweave is recommended.

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“What are you doing?!” my mother gasped as she came into the garden. I was caught red-handed, plucking the fuchsias from her prized bush.

“Making fairies,” I explained. “But they had too many legs, so I fixed them.”

She paused. Looked closely. And then… smiled.

That moment stayed with me, right down to designing this pattern. Whether you see them as fairies or ballerinas (like my niece does), this design is for those who believe in garden magic.

The composition features a single, bloom rendered in classic blackwork fills. Subtle shading builds gentle depth, while optional gold seed beads add a playful glint, like sunlight caught on a dancer’s hem.

A Beautiful Finish:

Close-up detail of the stitched blackwork fuchsia. — Beautifully stitched by M.E. Cattrall, Lancashire, UK

Blackwork Water LilyAdvanced

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A simple, elegant shaded blaackwork water lily in monochrome with a touch of gold

Remember the hush of a still pond. The way light skims across the surface, how a single lily opens as if time itself has slowed? This design captures that quiet magic in thread, inviting you to pause, breathe, and savour the beauty right in front of you.

Skill Level: Advanced

Stitch count: 159w x 79h

Design size: 11 3/8 × 5 5/8 in on 14ct Aida or 28 (over 2 threads)

Add to Cart - £3.75

This elegant design centres on a single water lily and lily pad, rendered in refined blackwork fills that create gentle, painterly shading.

Thoughtful linework and optional gold accents evoke sunlight on water, while subtle fill patterns bring depth without overwhelming the eye. It’s a soothing stitch with satisfying detail, perfect for settling into a peaceful rhythm.

Whether framed for a calm corner or gifted to someone who loves still, contemplative spaces, this piece becomes a timeless keepsake. From the first stitch to the final backstitch, you’ll watch a tranquil bloom unfold, quiet art for a quieter life.

Blackwork IrisesConfident Beginner

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Victorian kitchen blackwork scene with a cook and a cat eyeing a mouse — ‘Mischief in Store’ blackwork + cross stitch pattern

In Greek mythology, Iris was the messenger who bridged earth and sk, her path painting the heavens with colour. Blackwork Irises captures that same uplift: three elegant blooms and two tender leaves rendered in delicate line and luminous detail, inviting a moment of calm with every stitch.

Skill Level: Confident Beginner

Stitch count: 107w x 141h

Design size: 10 × 7.5 inches on 14 ct

Fabric: 14 count Aida or 28 count evenweave is recommended.

Add to Cart - £3.75

Designed for confident beginners, this pattern uses simple, mindful rhythms to create extraordinary depth.

Classic blackwork fills and fine backstitching shape each petal, while a touch of metallic gold glints at the flower centers, like sunlight after rain. The result is a piece that feels both painterly and precise: a gentle nod to masters of light and color, translated to thread.

Whether gifted to encourage a friend, commemorate a milestone, or grace your own wall, this is a keepsake that endures, timeless in style, meaningful in spirit, and a pleasure to stitch from first outline to final shimmer.

Elizabeth's Rose BellpullConfident Beginner

£3.75 Instant PDF download
Victorian kitchen blackwork scene with a cook and a cat eyeing a mouse — ‘Mischief in Store’ blackwork + cross stitch pattern

When Her Majesty the Queen Mother turned ninety, a beautiful pink rose was named in her honour. That quiet gesture of admiration sparked this design, a bellpull that lets you stitch an elegant story of grace, warmth, and steadfast strength.

Skill Level: Confident Beginner

Stitch count: 58w x 243h

Design size: 4 x 17.5 in at 14 ct

Fabric: 14 count Aida or 28 count evenweve is recommended.

Colour palette: DMC 498 and 500

Add to Cart - £3.75

Arranged as a classic vertical sampler, the piece unfolds block by block, each introducing a fresh blackwork fill to keep your needle dancing.

The refined two-colour palette evokes rose and leaf, striking against crisp white fabric and suiting both Aida and evenweave/linen. Worked in backstitch or double running stitch, it’s comfortably within reach for a confident beginner yet satisfying for seasoned stitchers.

Slim and poised, this bellpull brings timeless charm to a hallway or sitting room and makes a heartfelt way to honour someone special, or your own love of tradition.

The model was stitched on 14 count white Aida, and finished into a bellpull to hang on the wall.

Highlighted Feature: A new blackwork fill in every block keeps the stitching engaging and delightfully varied.


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