Its a bust portrait of a woman with a full natural afro, the big hair volume taking up roughly the top two thirds of the design space. Aviator sunglasses sit across the mid-face, the lenses done with a crosshatch reflective fill that actually reads like glass rather than two flat ovals. Head is at a slight tilt, chin a touch forward, expression cool and composed. Four colours: dark brown for the main hair fill and the deeper shadow zones on the face, mid brown for lighter hair sections and skin tones, light grey for the glasses lens sheen, and black for the outline runs and fine linework details.
The afro is the real technical bit. Instead of a single fill, dozens of small curved satin segments point in different directions, which gives that three-dimensional volume instead of looking like a solid flat blob. Curls at the perimeter are short looped stitches so the halo edge stays textured and irregular. Face and neck use a light short-fill with directional shading, not photorealistic but convincingly solid. The jacket collar below is in quick sketch lines, which keeps the focus up on the face and curls where it belongs.
82,840 stitches on the largest 7.18 by 7.5 inch version. Use a medium-weight cutaway stabiliser, slow down through the dense afro sections, and keep hooping firm because the curl layers build up and pull as they go. Add topping on jersey or any stretch fabric so the fine linework doesnt sink into the weave. Stitch on white, cream or pale linen for the sharpest contrast.
Its been popular on black tote bags, jacket backs, natural-hair themed cushions, tees, and framed hoops as wall art. I had a customer last spring who ordered five of these in different sizes for a wall installation at a pop-up shop celebrating Black natural hair, and they looked amazing mounted and framed. The dark monochrome palette works on white, cream, nude, pale grey, and light denim. Skip very dark fabric because the dark brown fills lose contrast. Message the shop if the hair sections come out patchy or the glasses fill looks muddy and Ill find a thread substitute that handles the sheen better.
What people are using this design for
A starting point. The design works for plenty more than just this list, this is what folks have stitched it onto most.
- Black canvas tote bag as a fashion statement pieceStitch the large version on a navy canvas tote where the dark-on-dark palette gives a tonal print effect that looks genuinely high-end
- Jacket back panel on a denim or leather jacketCentre on the denim jacket back yoke in the six-inch size and the portrait reads clearly from a distance with good contrast on indigo
- Natural-hair or afro-pride themed cushion coverEmbroider the medium on a flax linen cushion cover and the warm brown tones look naturally at home in a neutral bedroom
- Framed hoop art on a bedroom or studio wallMount in a ten-inch hoop backed with cream or nude cotton, float it on a dark mat, frame it, and it holds up as a proper portrait piece
- White or cream tee front chest designPlace the four-inch on a white tee chest pocket area for a wearable design that avoids the usual mass-market look
- Cosmetics or makeup bag personalisationStitch the small size on a black or tan zip pouch for a makeup or skincare bag that doubles as a tribute to natural beauty
- Portrait patch for a bag or backpackWork on a felt base, trim close to the outline, and sew onto a bag strap or backpack as a layered patch detail
- Cultural celebration or Black History Month giftEmbroider on a pillow or tote as a gift during natural hair celebrations, cultural months or any event centred around Black identity and pride
Dimensions
9 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 3.35 × 3.51 in | 34,377 |
| 3.83 × 4.01 in | 39,458 |
| 4.31 × 4.51 in | 44,911 |
| 4.79 × 5.01 in | 51,203 |
| 5.27 × 5.51 in | 56,878 |
| 5.75 × 6.01 in | 63,003 |
| 6.22 × 6.51 in | 69,691 |
| 6.70 × 7.01 in | 76,387 |
| 7.18 × 7.50 in | 82,840 |
Files & Formats
Eight machine formats included in one zip. Whichever your machine reads, its in the pack.
Plus a color chart for thread matching. See full format guide.
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About the artist
Reyazul Masud Riham, hand-drawing every design on this site
Every design on Re Embroidery is hand-digitized by one person. Each file gets sketched, color-matched, and stitch-tested on real fabric before it earns a place in the shop. No team. No auto-conversion from images. Just slow, deliberate work, sometimes three or four days per design.
That's the joy I work for.
The hard part is finding my designs re-uploaded and resold elsewhere. So when you buy from Re Embroidery, you're paying one real person for the file you're about to download. That matters.
