Late night embroidery: Chikankari Flour Sack Towel

I've decided it's time to whip up a couple of gift flour sack towels, so I've gone digging through my pattern books. I'm not done with the pattern for the new set yet, but I'd like to share the pattern I used for a towel about a year ago.

The pattern is from a book called Traditional Chikankari Embroidery Patterns of India. (I reproduce it here per the terms given in the book -- I can pretty much do what I want with the patterns non-commercially.) I don't have a photo of the finished product, but the colors are fairly accurate.

I stem stitched this in the corner of a flour sack towel -- except for the gridwork in the center, which I laid and couched. I (believe I) used two strands of cotton floss, in the following colors:

• DMC 333 (grape)
• DMC 470 (green)
• DMC 676 (light gold)
• DMC 680 (dark gold)
• Anchor 59 (dark pink -- think dark Barbie pink)

And, for your benefit, here's a large printable version in black and white, which magically grows when you soak it in water click it:

I performed the pattern transfer by tracing with a pencil, but I'm going to be ambitious with the next set and attempt a prick and pounce using vellum and Micron pens instead of pounce. I tried an iron-on pencil, but the lines were heavier than my stitches.

Enjoy!