Japanese Crane Embroidery Design, Instant Download

This one came together as a kind of japanese woodblock print impression, the sort of image youve probably seen on vintage silk scarves or old lacquerware. Its a single crane standing in still water, completely silhouetted in black, with a big filled red sun disc sitting right behind the body. Below the waterline there is a reflected version of the whole scene, the crane legs and the bottom curve of the sun all rippling out in looser horizontal fill that makes the water look genuinely liquid.

Two colours so the thread changes are minimal. The red circle uses tight satin fill at 423 density, which gives it that smooth almost-printed look. The black silhouette is clean and graphic. 8 sizes from 3.51 up to 7 inches wide, stitches running 5,603 at the smallest up to 14,418 at the largest. Use a medium-weight cutaway for anything on stretch fabric. On stable woven cotton a light tearaway works fine for the small to mid sizes. Skip heavyweight cutaway on the smallest sizes or the hoop registration gets fiddly. The reflection section at the bottom runs low-density so pull compensation matters more there, dont rush that section on a dense base fabric.

And because the whole piece is just red and black on white, fabric choice is the whole look. Natural linen reads very different from bright white quilting cotton. One customer ordered the 5-inch version for a set of kitchen napkins in off-white linen and the combination made the red sun look almost printed. Worth considering if youre after something that doesnt scream embroidery from across the room. Stitch it on charcoal linen with the same red thread and that solar disc glows against the dark ground completely differently.

Holler if a file needs adjusting.