The dog days of summer are here! It’s the perfect time to start stitching a new embroidery project that celebrates long sunny days and warm summer nights. EGA has dozens of free patterns in the Free Projects Library, 60+ projects available to EGA members in the Petite Projects Library (join us to access for free!), and several online Needlework Galleries to find inspiration for your next summer project.
Let’s take a look at some of your favorite projects that celebrate summer!
Plumeria
Dianne Stauber’s Stumpwork Plumeria is perfect for beginners to Stumpwork. Each petal is worked individually, then bound together to form the flower. Embroiderers can turn their Stumpwork Plumerias into a brooch, barrette, or decorative gift topper.
Landscape Series
The Landscape Series by Karen Wojahn includes near identical canvas embroidery landscapes—the only difference between each piece is in the season it represents. If you’re interested in marking the passage of time through embroidery, this is a great project to make. Start now with Summer (featured at the top in the above image), then proceed by stitching Fall, Winter, and Spring as the seasons progress!
Day in Eden Creekside
Marilu Morency’s “Day in Eden Creekside” captures the soporific effect of a drowsy summer day. Marilu was inspired by California flora when she stitched this dreamy piece, which she hopes will “transport each viewer to a place of peace.” She created the fabric with a printing press, which casts a pleasing, watercolor effect across the landscape.
Tropical Days in Crazy Quilting
EGA Member-At-Large Lisa Buckley designed the Tropical Days in Crazy Quilting project for the EGA Stitch-a-Long group. If you haven’t joined the EGA Stitch-a-Long group on Facebook, it’s a great place to join others in stitching free projects!
Tropical Days may have originally been created in January 2025 to pull stitchers out of the winter doldrums, but it’s also the perfect summer project. Go stash diving, pull out your brightest fabrics and embellishments, and stitch a unique tropical scene.
Tudor Rose
Designed by Maggie Fraser, Tudor Rose invites crewel enthusiasts to polish their crewel work skills. An intermediate design, Tudor Rose features outline stitch, fishbone stitch, coral knot, fly stitch, french knots, and detached buttonhole bars, with detailed instructions for each stitch.
Pollywog Pond – Unveiling
Diane Smith’s Pollywog Pog – Unveiling “evokes the scent of rich loam and wintered cattails, reconstructing a childhood wetland as a tactile microcosm on ceramic-glazed canvas.” Diane’s “polymorphic craftism” demands close examination and rewards scrutiny with something new each time the piece is viewed—look for the butterflies, wildflowers, grasses, a golden sun, and a piece of honeycomb.
Textural Terrarium
Channel desert vibes with MCreativeJ’s Textural Terrarium. This beguiling project features a whopping 16 different surface embroidery stitches and techniques, and includes finishing instructions to take you from first stitch to final, fully backed piece. Melissa of MCreativeJ has included video instructions as well—ifyou’re new to surface embroidery, this is a great place to start!
Daisy Paisley
Summer is a great time to learn a new embroidery technique! Daisy Paisley is an International Brazilian embroidery project worked in rayon thread. Designed by Judy Borreson Caruso, Daisy Paisley features detailed instructions for creating the various stitches in the design. Beginners to Brazilian embroidery should start here!
Persistent Debris
Going to the beach this summer? Keep Ashley Mathis’ Persistent Debris in the back of your mind. She created this piece while visiting a beach, where she picked up all the litter she came across. Her goal was to “contrast a beautiful landscape with the upsetting clutter of the literal trash [she] had gathered.” That trash is featured in the piece above.
We love how Persistent Debris both shines a necessary light on the damaging effects of pollution on the environment, while also removing some of that pollution and giving it new life as art. Consider creating your own Persistent Debris art piece when you visit the beach this season!
Surface Embroidery 3D Koi Fish Pond
Dianne Stauber’s Surface Embroidery 3D Koi Fish Pond looks far more complex than it actually is. All you need is 3 embroidery hoops, 3 pieces of colored tulle, and an assortment of colored embroidery floss. Each layer of tulle is stitched separately with a different design, then bound together to create the three-dimensional effect. This is a great surface embroidery project to play with and add your own unique elements, like colored sequins or spangles for a glittering water effect.
Flower Dance on Paper
Want to try something totally different this summer? Have you ever stitched on paper? Linda Leone’s Flower Dance on Paper explores paper stitching techniques with simple surface embroidery stitches. She adds a butterfly to her dandelion fluff design, but embroiderers can stash dive to add their own twist. Using the paper stitching techniques outlined here, it’s easy to create your own card design for an upcoming birthday or special occasion.
Serenity
Karen Meier’s Serenity combines “painting, a collage of hand dyed fabrics, and hand stitch mark making” to create an ideal, peaceful landscape. Complete with a watercolor sky, flourishing wildflowers, sun-kissed mountains, and a vivid valley teeming with life, Serenity is another piece that rewards closer inspection. Click here to see a detailed view revealing the tactile layers Karen created with various fabrics, materials, and surface embroidery.
Blackwork Honeycomb Needlebook
The Steady Thread’s Blackwork Honeycomb Needlebook might be the perfect summer project! It includes 7 different Blackwork motifs—great for stretching and polishing Blackwork skills—in a honeycomb arrangement, alongside buzzing Blackwork bees and inside a chained border. Stitch just the design, or follow her full instructions to create a functional needlebook.
We hope you enjoyed this roundup of embroidery patterns and inspiring projects for summer! Remember to visit the Free Projects Library, the Petite Projects Library, and our Needlework Galleries for even more inspiration.
