Kawaii Space - DMC Palette & Stitch Guide

DMC palette & hand embroidery guide

Kawaii Space

A cheerful cosmic hoop stitched on black fabric, filled with smiling planets, star friends, tiny moons, and scattered sparkle dots. The design is playful and beginner-friendly: a large turquoise planet anchors the center, an orange-yellow ringed planet glows on the right, a soft pink Saturn floats above, and small mint, blue, yellow, white, and blush motifs create the sweet kawaii galaxy around them.

Black fabric contrastCute planet facesPadded satin textureStarry French knots

Design color read

The reference image uses a dark, nearly black ground fabric that makes every pastel and candy-bright shade pop. The largest shape is a turquoise-blue kawaii planet with darker aqua shading along the lower edge and black stitched facial features. Around it are a warm yellow smiling moon or sun, a pale blue moon, mint star shapes, gold starbursts, tiny white constellations, pink cheeks, and two ringed planets: one blush pink at the top and one larger yellow-to-orange Saturn on the right.

Keep the palette clean and high contrast. The black fabric supplies most outlines naturally, so the embroidery should focus on bright fills, soft gradients, and raised starry texture.

Thread-count snapshot

Large planets: 2 strands for satin or long-and-short fill; 3 strands only for padded ring ridges.
Faces: 1 strand of black for mouths and small backstitch curves; 2 strands for solid eye satin dots.
Stars & starbursts: 2 strands for medium straight stitches; 1 strand for tiny sparkle marks.
French knots: 1-2 strands with one wrap for background dots so they stay rounded but not bulky.
Cheeks: 1 strand for delicate blush ovals, or 2 strands if the black fabric is showing through.

Suggested DMC palette

DMC 310 - Black

Eyes, smiles, and tiny mouth details. Also useful for reinforcing facial dots after planet fills are complete.

DMC B5200 - Snow White

Brightest sparkle points, star tips, and tiny highlights on eyes or rings if you want extra shine.

DMC 746 - Off White

Pale Saturn rings and softer white stars; warmer than B5200, so it looks cozy rather than icy.

DMC 3756 - Baby Blue Ultra Very Light

Pale moon highlights and cool white star accents that should not look stark against the dark fabric.

DMC 800 - Delft Blue Pale

Main pale blue moon fill and soft shading on tiny blue dots or comet puffs.

DMC 3846 - Bright Turquoise Light

Lightest strokes on the large central planet; place across the upper-left area and along glossy ridges.

DMC 3845 - Bright Turquoise Medium

Primary body color for the central planet and some small aqua dots. Great for smooth satin bands.

DMC 3844 - Bright Turquoise Dark

Lower-edge shading on the central planet and deeper grooves between long satin rows.

DMC 3843 - Electric Blue

Deepest blue accent under the big planet and for cool shadow where turquoise needs extra contrast.

DMC 955 - Nile Green Light

Mint star highlights and pale aqua star centers; keeps the small star friends soft and cute.

DMC 964 - Seagreen Light

Main fill for mint stars, small teal planets, and rounded cosmic dots.

DMC 818 - Baby Pink

Top pink planet highlights, blush cheeks, and soft ring highlights around the small Saturn.

DMC 3716 - Dusty Rose Very Light

Main pink planet fill and candy-colored cheeks on the kawaii faces.

DMC 604 - Cranberry Light

Deeper pink shadows on the top Saturn, cheek undersides, and tiny pink flower-like stars.

DMC 743 - Yellow Medium

Bright yellow star faces, sun highlights, and the lightest bands on the right ringed planet.

DMC 725 - Topaz Medium Light

Main warm yellow for starbursts and the smiling yellow moon or sun.

DMC 972 - Canary Deep

Golden shadow in stars and lower bands of yellow planets; gives the small motifs a toasted glow.

DMC 741 - Tangerine Medium

Orange transition bands on the right Saturn and tiny warm sparkle stitches.

DMC 947 - Burnt Orange

Deepest underside of the right ringed planet; use in short strokes so the orange stays lively.

DMC 318 - Steel Gray Light

Soft gray-white dots, tiny comets, and shadow edges on pale stars when white would be too bright.

Stitch suggestions

Padded satin stitch for planetsOutline each planet with split stitch, add a light padding layer, then satin stitch over it. The raised surface suits the plush kawaii style and keeps the round shapes smooth.

Long-and-short bands for gradientsUse curved rows across the large turquoise planet and the orange Saturn. Work from light at the top to deeper color at the bottom so the planets feel dimensional.

Stem stitch or whipped backstitch for ringsFor the Saturn rings, stitch a padded guideline first, then whip or satin over it in 746, 818, or 3716. This makes the ring look rounded and separate from the planet body.

Straight stitch starburstsUse evenly spaced straight stitches radiating from a center point. Start with the vertical and horizontal arms, then add diagonals for tidy six- or eight-point stars.

French knots for space dustScatter one-wrap knots in B5200, 746, 318, 725, and 964. Vary color and spacing so the sky feels twinkly rather than dotted in rows.

Backstitch faces after fillingWork the planet fills first, then add the eyes, smiles, and cheek ovals. This keeps the facial features crisp and prevents them from being distorted by later satin stitches.

Best order of work

Transfer the big planet circles, rings, main stars, and face placement with a light-colored transfer tool for dark fabric.

Stitch the largest planet fills first, starting with the central turquoise planet and then the two Saturn shapes.

Add small moons, star friends, and round mini planets, keeping their edges neat with split-stitch outlines.

Finish with starbursts, French knots, smiles, cheeks, and final white highlights.

Blending & shading guidance

Central turquoise planet

Use 3846 on the upper-left highlight area, 3845 through the middle, and 3844 or 3843 along the lower edge. To soften the transition, thread one strand of 3846 with one strand of 3845 for the light-middle band, then one strand of 3845 with one strand of 3844 for the shaded lower band. Keep the stitch direction gently curved so the planet reads round.

Warm Saturn planet

Build the right planet from 743 at the lightest top, through 725 and 972, into 741 and 947 at the bottom. Short horizontal or diagonal satin rows mimic the striped texture visible in the reference. Work the ring after the body so it sits clearly on top, using 746 with touches of 818 or 3716 for the soft pink-white edge.

Pink Saturn, moons, and stars

For the top pink planet, keep 818 on the lit edge, 3716 as the body, and 604 in the underside shadow. For pale moons, use 3756 and 800, adding a little 318 only where the curve needs definition. Yellow stars look best when 743 sits on the points and 725 or 972 is tucked near the center.

Texture suggestions

Let the satin rows show slightly on planets; the visible stitch ridges match the plush handmade look.
Pad only the large shapes and rings. Tiny stars become bulky if padded too much.
Alternate star sizes: large straight-stitch starbursts, small cross stars, and tiny French-knot dots.
Use a few mint motifs to cool down the strong yellow and orange areas.
Leave some black fabric showing between stars so the composition still feels like outer space.

Outlining details

On black fabric, heavy outlines are rarely needed. Use a split-stitch outline in a darker version of each object before filling: 3844 for the aqua planet, 947 for the orange Saturn, 604 for pink areas, 972 for yellow stars, and 964 for mint shapes. Use DMC 310 mainly for eyes and smiles. If a pale object needs definition, add a one-strand 318 shadow on the lower side instead of a black border.

Dark fabric tip: Place a light cloth or paper on your lap while stitching. It makes the holes in black fabric easier to see and reduces eye strain when working tiny star details.

Beginner-friendly practical tips

Use a white water-soluble pencil, chalk pencil, or dark-fabric transfer paper for the pattern lines.
Keep the fabric drum-tight in the hoop; satin planets look smoother when the ground fabric does not shift.
Use short floss lengths, especially with white and pale blue, because lint shows easily on black fabric.
Stitch facial features last, and check expression placement before knotting off. A tiny mouth curve changes the whole character.
When satin filling circles, stitch across the widest section first, then fill each side with gradually shorter stitches.
Roll or cover finished satin areas with clean tissue while working nearby stars to prevent fuzzing from your hand.

Black-fabric handling

Use clean hands and lint-roll the fabric before framing, because pale stitches pick up dark lint quickly. Avoid long thread carries behind white, mint, or pink areas if the fabric is thin; even on black fabric, carried threads can create bumps that show through padded satin. For the neatest back, anchor under nearby stitches and travel only behind filled shapes.

Optional sparkle idea: Replace a few B5200 or 725 star tips with DMC Light Effects E5200 or E3821 if you enjoy metallic thread. Use shorter lengths and a larger needle, because metallics need gentler handling.

Motif-by-motif stitch map

Big blue planet: padded satin or long-and-short fill; black satin eyes; backstitch smile; pink satin cheeks.
Right Saturn: long-and-short bands for the planet body; padded whipped backstitch or satin for the ring.
Top pink Saturn: small satin fill with a narrow whipped ring; keep shadows subtle so it stays pastel.
Yellow sun and stars: padded satin for smiling shapes, straight stitch for starbursts, and tone-on-tone gold shading.
Space dust: French knots, seed stitch, tiny crosses, and short straight stitches in white, gray, mint, gold, and blush.

Compact stitch plan

Large planets: split-stitch outline, light padding, then satin or long-and-short fill in turquoise, pink, yellow, and orange gradients. Rings: padded stem stitch, whipped backstitch, or narrow satin in 746, 818, and 3716. Faces: DMC 310 satin dots and backstitch smiles with 3716 or 604 cheeks. Stars: straight stitch, cross stitch, French knots, and seed stitch in 743, 725, 972, 955, 964, B5200, and 318. Finishing: add final white sparkle and trim any lint from the black fabric before framing.