“If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I’d be picking roses for a lifetime.” 

– Swedish Proverb

Do you ever feel your life can be broken down into bag categories: hand, grocery, gym, kid’s sports, trash, lunch, work, cosmetic and travel? You can tell always tell where I’m going by which bag (or bags) I have on my arm. I have one for everything yet I still manage to forget my reusable shopping bags about 90% of the time! Do you ever find yourself paying for more when you have about a dozen in your trunk?! Sorry, Meghan Trainor, but it’s not all about that bass…it’s all about these bags! We can’t live without ‘em! 

Here’s one that is so adorable we daresay it’s UNFORGETTABLE! Our DIY Rose Embroidered Bag is the perfect project if you have already have some sewing skills or if this is your first dabble with a needle and thread. It makes for a super thoughtful gift-within-a-gift. Use instead of a store-bought, paper gift bag or wrap for a creative, sustainable alternative! The recipient will think of you whenever she carries it (and we’re pretty confident it’ll go to the top of her bag rotation)! 

Tools and Materials for DIY Rose Embroidered Bag:

– Canvas mini bag (or size of your choosing)

– Embroidery needle

– Embroidery thread

– Water soluble pen or tailor’s chalk

– Sharp scissors

– Needle threader 

This adorable embroidery pattern utilizes 3 beginner friendly stitches to create an impressive look.

Steps for DIY Rose Embroidered Bag

Stem Stitch Vine 

Video demonstration

Steps for Stem Stitch Vine:

Step 1: Draw your spiral design with water soluble pen or tailor’s chalk. Make sure you leave enough space for the leaves around the rose. 

Step 2: Start at the end closest to your rose. Create a simple stitch, following your design.

Step 3: For your next stitch, bring your needle up from next to the middle point of your first stitch. Your second stitch should start in the outer side of the curve of your spiral. To stitch down ahead, create a stitch that’s the same length as your first one. Make sure your stitch ends right on top of the line your marked for your design.

Step 4: For your third stitch, come up from the back of the fabric, next to the middle point of your previous stitch. You will see that your newest stitch will begin where your first stitch ended – just on the other side of your second stitch.

Step 5: Continue until you’ve stitched your entire spiral. This stitch is great for curves and circles, as the layered stitch make for a really smooth line. 

Step 6: Once your entire vine is completed, tie a knot on the back, and continue with your next vine.

Fishbone Stitch Leaf

Video demonstration

Out of the three stitches used in this design, the Fishbone Stitch is probably the most difficult, but it’s still beginner-friendly. While teaching this project to a mixed age group, I swapped out this stitch and replaced it with a felt applique leaf to save the little ones some headache. 

Follow these steps to create a Fishbone Stitch Leaf:

Step 1: Draw your pattern with water soluble pen or tailor’s chalk. You’ll need a leaf shape with one curved and one pointed end. Draw a straight line running from the pointed end to the middle of the curve.

Step 2: Create your first stitch by bringing up the needle from the pointed end of the leaf shape, and bringing it down along the middle line. 

Step 3: Start your second stitch by bringing up your needle from next to the beginning of the first stitch, following the outline of your leaf shape. Then, stitch down by crossing over the bottom of the first stitch. Make sure your second stitch ends a little bit lower than your first stitch did.

Step 4: For the third stitch, you’re going to replicate the second stitch on the opposite side, this time crossing over both your first and second stitch where they intersect.

Step 5: To continue, you’re going to repeat the previous two steps, switching back and forth between starting your stitches on the right and left. The crossing over the middle stitch will create the fishbone effect down through the middle of your leaf.

Step 6: As you’re progressing, your stitches will initially get longer and longer, and shorten suddenly towards the end. 

Step 7: You might run out of thread along the way – when you do, tie a knot on the back of the fabric, and start a new piece of string.

Step 8: Once you’ve covered your entire leaf design with stitches, you’re done! Tie a knot on the back of your fabric, and snip your excess thread off. 

Finish your next leaf, then move onto the rose!

Woven Wheel Stitch

Video demonstration

The Woven Wheel stitch, also known as the Wagon Wheel stitch is probably the easiest way to embroider a realistic looking rose. Use embroidery floss for a dainty look, or if you’re doing this with children, use a thicker yarn for quicker results.

Steps for Woven Wheel Stitch:

Step 1: Draw your design with a water soluble pen or tailor’s chalk. You need a center point, and a circle around it with a 1 inch diameter.

Step 2: Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end. Even when working with children, I prefer not to work on doubled up thread, as it looks a lot more elegant with just a single thread.

Step 3: Create 5 markings around the circumference of your circle, approximately an equal distance from each other.

Step 4: Come up from the back with your needle and stitch back down at one of the markings. Make sure you’re stitching a little bit over the edge of the circle to cover up the traced design. 

Step 5: Coming up from that same point in the middle, create another stitch to the next marking around the circle. Continue until you have a five-pointed star.

Step 6: Come up with your needle to the front of your fabric, as close to the middle as you can.

Step 7: Now you’re going to start weaving your rose. Work clockwise around the circle, guiding your needle over and under the “legs” of the five pointed star. Make sure that you don’t accidentally skip one of the legs.

Step 8: If you run out of thread, pull your needle down through the fabric, and tie a knot on the back. When I work with children, I have them tie a knot onto one of the long stitches on the back. Then cut a new length of thread, tie a knot on the end, and continue where you left off.

Step 9: As you progress and add more and more thread, your rose is going to get puffier. If all your thread is concentrated in the middle, and starts puckering up, that’s a sign that you are pulling on the thread too tight while weaving – this happens with children a lot. Just relax, make sure you’re only pulling strong enough so that you pull all your working thread through, and your rose will lay nice and flat.

Step 10: When the lines of the five pointed star are all completely hidden under your woven rose, you’re done! Stitch down onto the back of your fabric, tie a knot and you’re done!

You can combine these three stitches to create as complex or as simple of a design as you wish!

Is your DIY Rose Embroidered Bag in full bloom? Did you make it for yourself or for a friend? Show us their reaction! We can’t wait to see – please share with us on social media!