A Baker’s Dozen Plus one: Hand-Embroidered Touches for Your Kitchen
Hand embroidery doesn’t have to live only on heirloom linens or framed samplers. Some of the most delightful stitches can show up in the heart of the home—the kitchen. Everyday pieces like aprons, napkins, or even a jar wrap become more meaningful with just a bit of thread and imagination.
This post offers a baker’s dozen (thirteen!) small embroidery motifs designed especially for the kitchen, along with practical ways to use them and multiple methods for transferring your design to fabric.
Why Embroidery Belongs in the Kitchen
The kitchen has always been a place where beauty and usefulness meet. Adding embroidered touches ties the work of our hands to the art of homemaking: a stitched wheat stalk on a bread towel, a steaming loaf on an apron pocket, or herbs embroidered on napkins. These little touches make everyday tools feel personal and memorable.
A Baker’s Dozen (+1) of Kitchen Motifs
Here are thirteen small designs you can mix, match, and adapt:
Loaf of bread with steam curls
Measuring spoons tied with ribbon
Coffee cup with rising steam
Bunch of herbs (thyme, rosemary, or sage)
Mason jar with fruit
Rolling pin and whisk
Slice of pie with lattice crust
Teapot and teacup
Wheat stalks bundled with twine
Honey jar with dipper
Crowing rooster
Cheese wedge and grapes
Wreath with flowers
Three carrots
How to Use Them
Napkins: Stitch a tiny motif in the corner for seasonal table settings.
Table Runner: Scatter motifs along the border or ends.
Apron: Add a cheerful design on the pocket or bib.
Jar Wraps: Embroider a strip of fabric, wrap it around a jar, and use it as a utensil holder.
Bread Cloth: Embroider one corner of a tea towel used to wrap loaves.
Pot Holders or Hot Pads: Stitch on cotton, then quilt over heatproof batting.
Transferring the Artwork to Fabric
Getting your chosen motif onto fabric is half the fun. Different methods work for different projects, so here are several to try:
Lightbox or Window Method – Tape the pattern to a window (or use a lightbox), lay fabric on top, and trace with a water-soluble pen.
Iron-On Transfer Pen – Trace the design on paper with a special pen, then iron the reverse side onto fabric.
Printable Transfer Paper – Products like Jolee’s Boutique Easy Image Iron-On Transfer Paper let you print your design and iron it directly onto fabric.
Freezer Paper + Printer – Iron fabric onto freezer paper to stabilize it, then feed it through your inkjet printer (size-limited to your printer’s max paper).
Carbon/Graphite Paper – Place between design and fabric, trace over the lines, and the design transfers underneath. (Homemade graphite paper can be made by rubbing pencil on scrap paper.)
Water-Soluble Stabilizer – Print design directly onto stabilizer sheets, stitch through both, then wash away the stabilizer.
Tissue Paper Method – Trace the design onto tissue paper, pin it to fabric, stitch right through, and tear away the tissue afterward.
Freehand – Lightly sketch with an erasable pen or chalk pencil directly on fabric for an organic, hand-drawn look.
Stitches You’ll Use Most
Most of these motifs can be created with three beginner-friendly stitches:
Stem stitch for curves and vines
Satin stitch for filling small areas
Backstitch for outlines
Bring needle up at 1, down at 2. Bring needle up at 3 (ahead of 2), then down again at 1. Repeat, always stitching back into the last hole.
Stem Stitch
Bring needle up at 1, down at 2. Bring needle up halfway back at 3, keeping thread always to the same side of the line. Bring the needle back down at 4. Repeat.
Satin Stitch
Bring needle up at 1, down at 2 across shape. Bring needle up right next to 1, down right next to 2. Keep stitches parallel, close together.
Conclusion
A baker’s dozen embroidery motifs are more than decoration—they’re stories stitched into everyday life. Napkins, aprons, bread cloths, and jars all become keepsakes with a little thread and time. However you transfer and stitch them, these kitchen touches will remind you daily that beauty and usefulness belong together.
Want more embroidery ideas? Read 5 Ways to Create a Beautiful Fall Table.