Sue Spargo's Peacock is a showpiece block, a strutting bird worked in layered wool, cotton, velvet, and ribbon against a softly pieced gray ground that is then filled edge to edge with hand embroidery. The peacock's chartreuse body, beaded topknot, and fanned tail of jewel-toned “eye” feathers sit on a background textured with seed stitching, French knots, and tiny English paper-pieced hexagon flowers. It is an advanced sampler-style piece, and one of her most striking single designs at 20 inches square.

What the Pattern Includes

This listing is for the printed paper pattern only. Wool, fabric, thread, and embellishments are not included.

The pattern covers construction of the 20-inch Peacock block: full-size appliqué templates, fabric and color guidance for the wool, cotton, velvet, and ribbon pieces, and diagrams for the suggested textural background stitching and embellishment placement. How you finish the block is up to you, whether as a framed piece, a pillow, or the centerpiece of a larger quilt. The embroidery stitches themselves are taught separately: the Creative Stitching book (sold separately) is the companion reference for working and placing each stitch.

What You'll Need

The block is built on a hand-dyed wool background layered with neutral cottons, linen, dupioni silk, and velvet, with ribbon and rick rack worked into the surface. The peacock combines hand-dyed wool, cotton prints, and velvet appliqué in greens, magenta, red, purple, and teal, with hexagon papers for three small flowers and an assortment of perle cotton, beads, and threads for the embroidery and embellishment. The pattern back lists every fabric, ribbon, and color by name. Creative Stitching covers how to work each stitch.

Perfect For

• Experienced stitchers who want a rich, mixed-media appliqué and embroidery showpiece
• Fans of Sue Spargo's signature layered wool and dense surface stitching
• A single statement block to frame, make into a pillow, or set into a larger project
• Anyone building skills in combining wool, cotton, velvet, and ribbon with hand embroidery

Why You'll Love This Pattern

The Peacock is iconic Sue Spargo, and it earns its reputation. Between the layered wool, cotton, velvet, and ribbon and the densely stitched background, a single block becomes a sampler of techniques, and there is room to make it your own with every bead, knot, and feather. It rewards slow, absorbing handwork.

It is also flexible. Because the pattern covers the block rather than a finished item, you decide where it ends up, framed on a wall, made into a pillow, or set as the centerpiece of a larger quilt. Paired with Creative Stitching as a stitch reference, it is a satisfying way to stretch your appliqué and embroidery skills on one beautiful project.

Product Details

• Brand: Sue Spargo Folk Art Quilts
• Item #: SS886
• Designer: Sue Spargo
• Category: Quilting Pattern (single block)
• Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced (mixed-media appliqué with extensive hand embroidery; no skill level printed on the pattern)
• Technique: Wool, cotton, velvet, and ribbon appliqué; English paper-pieced hexagons; hand embroidery and beading
• Finished Size: 20" x 20" block
• Format: Printed Paper Pattern; appliqué templates and stitch placement diagrams included
• Creative Stitching (sold separately) is required for the embroidery stitch instruction
• Made in the United States