Leopard Paw Print Embroidery Design, Instant Download

Worked up this paw print with the leopard spots baked right into the fill rather than sitting on top like a printed graphic. The whole paw shape is outlined in a thick black satin border, kinda like an applique edge but its all stitched, no fabric pieces involved. Inside, the orange base fill goes down first, then the brown irregular oval spots layer over with their own directional stitching, and the black outline finishes each toe pad separately. Three colour changes, 3 stops in the sequence, and each layer has to sit flat before the next one goes in.

Wilcom EmbroideryStudio handled the spot placement so theyre not just randomly scattered, they follow the curves of the pad shapes which is what makes it look realy considered rather than like someone just threw a texture at it. At 37,602 stitches for the 7-inch version and a density of 791, this is a heavy-coverage design. Use a medium to heavy cutaway stabiliser, the density wont give you grief on most woven fabrics but on stretch you need that firm base. The 3-inch small size still holds the spot detail at 13,730 stitches, its probably the most impressive version at small scale.

One customer hooped the 5-in run for a black fleece zip-up last winter, sent me a photo, and honestly the orange against black fleece is kinda the perfect combo for this one. The spots pop out clearly even on the textured fleece surface. Add a water-soluble topping when stitching on any pile or textured surface to stop the spots sinking.

Stitch on tote bags, cosmetic pouches, zip cases, baseball caps, back pockets on denim. Skip very thin fabrics at the large size, the bobbin thread will pull through. Best on medium to heavy wovens and denim. Use a 40wt thread for the spot details to keep edges crisp.