Three bees are doing the one job you wouldnt wish on anyone: threading a needle. One bee hangs off the top of the needle, front legs braced, working the thread through the eye. Another grips the shaft side-on, basically acting as a stabiliser so the first one doesnt drop it. The third bee sits at the bottom near where the red thread curls away in a loose loop, probably waiting to do the actual stitching once everyone else sorts themselves out.
Its got a retro cartoon feel, the kind of illustration youd find on an old sewing tin from the 1970s. Thick black outlines, flat orange fills for the bee bodies, olive-toned wings with visible vein detail, and a metallic grey needle running diagonally across the whole composition. Red thread is the accent and it gives the design warmth against what would otherwise be a cool palette.
7 colours and 9 sizes from 3.5 7.5 in upper wide. Density is light to medium at 509 stitches per square inch so it stitches out reasonably quick even at the large end, 22k stitches max. Use a standard cutaway on woven fabric, tearaway works fine on firm cotton. The thick outlines hold really well so its forgiving on home machines with a bit of tension variation. Hoop it steady and dont rush the needle fill or the metallic-look grey goes patchy.
Every person who sews finds this immediately funny. I get messages from customers about this one more than almost anything else in the shop, and last month a customer sent me a photo of it framed above her sewing machine and honestly it looked like it was always meant to be there. Stitch it on a project bag, a studio tote, a framed hoop above the machine, it works in all of em. Send me the print over the help page if the thread sequence needs reordering and Ill clean up the path order.
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.
- Embroidery or sewing project bag front panelStitch the large version on the front of a zippered project bag and any sewist carrying it will get asked about it within about five minutes
- Gift for a sewist or craft room enthusiastMount it in a wide wooden hoop and give it as a birthday gift to someone who sews, theres no better gift for the workroom wall than something that makes you laugh
- Framed hoop above a sewing machineFrame the finished hoop above the sewing station for a bit of personality in what can otherwise be a pretty functional looking room
- Canvas pouch for thread and notions storageUse the 5-inch on a flat canvas pouch for storing thread spools and bobbins, the subject matter matches the contents
- Quilters tote bag statement stitchStitch the medium chest piece on a quilters tote to mark it as belonging to someone who takes their craft seriously but doesnt take themselves too seriously
- Craft fair vendor apron decorationAdd it to a craft fair vendor apron so shoppers have a conversation starter the second they walk up to the table
- Kids sewing class tee shirt designA smaller size on a plain white tee is a good project for a kids beginner sewing class because the subject is immediately relatable
- Studio pinboard patch or decorative hoopBack it as a felt patch and pin it to a studio pinboard alongside other sewing humour pieces for a themed display wall
Dimensions
9 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 3.50 × 2.79 in | 9,665 |
| 4.00 × 3.18 in | 11,054 |
| 4.50 × 3.58 in | 12,486 |
| 5.00 × 3.98 in | 14,088 |
| 5.50 × 4.37 in | 15,653 |
| 6.00 × 4.77 in | 17,336 |
| 6.50 × 5.17 in | 19,113 |
| 7.00 × 5.56 in | 20,880 |
| 7.50 × 5.96 in | 22,751 |
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.
