Single koi fish mid-leap, body arching upward with the tail curling down and the mouth open at the top. Classic japanese good luck pose, the kind you see on woodblock prints and traditional fabric art. The digitising ran each scale individually so you can actually see them rather than a generic fish-texture fill.
6 colours: deep orange-red body, white belly, black for the scale outlines and eye, gold on the flowing fins, teal-blue water splash at the base, and navy for the deeper shadow sections. Directional satin stitching on the body follows the curve of the fish so the scales catch light the way real koi scales do. Fins use a looser satin column. The water splash at the bottom uses short dense stitches that feel almost like foam.
Comes in 5 sizes, 3.5 inches wide at the smallest up to 7.5 inches. Stitch count range is 9,558 to 22,809 which puts the large version firmly in the complex category. Cutaway stabiliser is a must on any size if youre stitching this on a jacket or bag. Use topping on velvet or any pile fabric so those fine scale lines dont sink into the weave.
One customer sent me a photo last december, they stitched the 7.5 inch version on the back of a black varsity jacket and it was honestly one of the best finished pieces ive seen from a home machine. Also works great on canvas tote bags, denim, and dark cotton shirts.
Use a tearaway only if youre working with very heavy canvas and the small sizes. For everything else, cutaway. Message me if you need a replacement file or if the download doesnt complete.
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.
- Varsity jacket back panelThe 7.5 inch version on the back of a black varsity or bomber jacket makes a dramatic traditional Japanese statement.
- Dark denim jacket chest or backOn dark denim the orange-red and gold of the koi contrast strongly for a clean wearable graphic result.
- Canvas tote bagCentred on a canvas or natural cotton tote the design adds a distinctive Japanese art feel to a plain bag.
- Japanese themed wall hoop artHooped in a 10 inch wooden frame on black linen this becomes a bold piece of Japanese-inspired wall decor.
- Cotton shirt back designA mid-size version on the back of a plain cotton shirt reads more subtle but still catches attention from across the room.
- Silk or satin kimono-style wrapThe 3.5 inch size works on a silk or satin fabric as a decorative chest panel detail on a loose wrap or kimono-style top.
Dimensions
5 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 3.50 × 3.44 in | 9,558 |
| 4.50 × 4.43 in | 12,610 |
| 5.50 × 5.41 in | 15,870 |
| 6.50 × 6.39 in | 19,174 |
| 7.50 × 7.38 in | 22,809 |
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.
