The branch itself is the main event. It runs mostly horizontal, thicker at the centre, then splits into maybe a dozen thinner offshoots going up and down. And at every single twig end theres a little red heart. The hearts near the thick base are a bit bigger, maybe 8-10mm, and they get gradually smaller as the twigs get finer toward the outer edges. Its that tapering that makes it look natural rather than forced. The black branch has alot of texture in the satin stitch, a slight roughness to the column edges that looks intentional, it reads as bark.
Punched through Wilcom to keep control over the branch column widths, which taper from about 4mm at the thick centre down to under 1mm at the outer twigs. That kind of variable-width satin is fiddly to get right because the underlay has to shift with it. The density sits at 365, a midpoint, so the thread has enough body to give the black depth without making the branch stiff. Use cutaway stabiliser, not tearaway, the branch runs across alot of the hoop and small hearts at the twig ends will pull on tearaway.
Two colours only: black and red, they dont get more classic than that for a valentine theme. The red hearts are fully saturated satin fill, quite short stitch lengths on the smaller ones so they come out dense and not sparse. A customer asked me if the tiny hearts at the outer tips stitch cleanly at the small 3.5 size, they do, though I recommend a 65/9 needle for the finest twigs on woven cotton.
Its a landscape orientation design so it sits well along a hem, a towel edge, or centred on a pillowcase. Hoop snug and use a smooth tight-weave stabiliser backing, a loose one lets the long branch column wander. Stitch it on natural linen or cream cotton and that black satin column work takes on a real japanese woodblock print quality.
Skip polyester thread for this one if you can, cotton or rayon thread keeps the sheen softer on those branch columns. Add a tack stitch around the outer hoop perimeter if your fabric is lightweight so nothing shifts mid-run.
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.
- Linen pillowcase border or centre motifThe landscape shape runs naturally along a pillowcase hem or sits as a centred motif on the pillowcase face at the larger sizes
- Valentine's Day table runner embroideryAt 7.5 inches wide it spans most of a standard table runner width, a pair of them facing opposite directions looks deliberate
- Cotton tea towel hem decorationOn a white flour-sack cotton towel the black branch and red hearts are clean and simple, a good christmas or valentine gift
- Framed art in a 8x6 inch frameStretched on a 9x7 linen canvas in a frame it looks like a printmaking piece rather than an embroidery
- Denim shirt cuff or back yoke panelThe petite 3.5 sits cleanly on a denim shirt back yoke without being too large for the panel area
- Tote bag side panelOn the side panel of a canvas tote the landscape shape fills the space without needing rotation
- Fabric greeting card insertStitched on a fabric square and mounted inside a card it makes a proper handmade keepsake
Dimensions
5 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 3.50 × 2.13 in | 6,025 |
| 4.50 × 2.74 in | 7,571 |
| 5.50 × 3.35 in | 9,171 |
| 6.50 × 3.95 in | 10,754 |
| 7.50 × 4.56 in | 12,480 |
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.
