Ive sold a bunch of these and the mallard is honestly one of the most-requested bird designs I do. Something about that teal head just pulls people in. The design shows a drake floating on calm water, facing right, with the reflection rippling underneath him in muted grey-blue. Thats the detail that makes it look finished on fabric rather than just a bird floating on nothing.
Its 14 colors, so yes, there are quite a lot of thread changes. But color 8 is black and it carries most of the outlines and feather separation lines. Thats what gives it that almost painterly look when its stitched out. The iridescent head comes from a dark navy base under the teal, so dont skip that swap or itll flatten out completely. Last autumn a customer texted photos of this on a dark olive canvas jacket and it looked genuinely stunning. The orange on the beak reads bold without being garish against that kind of earthy base.
Use a medium-weight cutaway if youre going on anything stretchy. On a stable woven a tearaway works, but firm it up well. The water reflection at the bottom has some longer fill sections and they shift if the backing isnt solid. Stitch a test run first if youre trying a new fabric combo. And pick a thread brand you trust for the teal head specifically, cheap thread loses the sheen and the whole colour story falls apart. Skip the bargain bin stuff on the head section, seriously.
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.
- Hunting jackets and camouflage capsLooks sharp on blaze orange or camo green hunting jackets, great conversation starter at the blind.
- Canvas tote bags for farmers markets or outdoor shopsNatural colourway works well on canvas or jute tote bags, no colour clashing to worry about.
- Children's backpacks and lunch bags with a wildlife themeKids love wildlife themes; the duck reads clearly even at smaller sizes on bags and lunchboxes.
- Framed hoop art for a lakehouse or cabin wallStitched on natural linen or cream cotton in a hoop, it looks like proper wall art for a cabin.
- Staff polos for wildlife reserves or nature centresWildlife reserves and bird sanctuaries use designs like this on staff polos and volunteer shirts.
- Patches for birding club vests or field jacketsThe detail level holds well as a 3-4 inch patch on a field jacket or birding vest pocket.
- Baby bibs and nursery items for outdoorsy familiesMallard pattern on a baby bib is a sweet touch for families who love the outdoors.
- Fishing tournament shirts and bucket hatsFishing and hunting clubs order this kind of thing every season for tournament merch.
Dimensions
9 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 3.50 × 2.83 in | 17,314 |
| 4.00 × 3.24 in | 20,276 |
| 4.49 × 3.64 in | 23,451 |
| 4.99 × 4.04 in | 26,605 |
| 5.49 × 4.45 in | 29,955 |
| 5.99 × 4.85 in | 33,325 |
| 6.49 × 5.26 in | 37,157 |
| 6.99 × 5.66 in | 40,818 |
| 7.49 × 6.07 in | 45,053 |
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.
