The mallard head is a side profile portrait and the colour on this one is genuinely suprising when it stitches out. That iridescent teal-green crown shifts depending on the angle ya hold the fabric, almost like the real bird. Eleven colours total, and the feather work is really really layered. Golden shimmer highlights sit on top of the deep green base, its warm amber on the eye with a dark pupil, and the bill goes from pale yellow at the tip to a soft pink closer to the face. The neck band is a thin white stripe and below that the chest feathers go a rich russet brown with shorter satin strokes following the feather grain.
I drew this one with duck hunting outfitters in mind, kinda the classic wildlife portrait that goes on caps and vests. But I get messages from birdwatcher gift shops aswell, they use it for tote bags and framed pieces for their nature-loving customers. Nine sizes from 3.5 inches wide up to 7.5 wide. At the small end its a hat panel or chest pocket fit, at the large end the feather detail really opens up and ya can see every stitch layer properly.
The densest section is the crown where the teal and gold colours overlap. Wilcom digitised it so the underlay runs first, then the satin colour layers go over in short overlapping strokes to mimic real feather structure. Last year I had a hunting outfitter order a batch of 7.5-inch versions for their waxed canvas vests, they said customers kept asking if the duck head was a badge patch rather than embroidery. Stitch count runs from 19k on the smallest up to 55k at the top so its still a complex file, use a firm cutaway stabiliser and keep consistent bobbin tension through the crown or the layers can separate.
Looks best on dark fabric. Black canvas tote, olive waxed cotton cap, charcoal twill vest. The teal crown pops on dark backgrounds. Try it on khaki or tan for a more classic field-guide look. Skip white or cream because eleven colours on a pale base gets visually noisy and thats when the subtle golden highlights get lost.
Send me a message if the file doesnt load right or if the teal colour layer looks off on your machine and ill rebuild it clean.
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.
- Duck hunting club caps and hatsPop the 3.5-inch on the front panel of an olive or black cap for a duck hunting club gift.
- Hunting outfitter vest patchesStitch the 5-inch on a waxed cotton chest patch for a hunting outfitter vest or jacket.
- Birdwatcher gift shop tote bagsUse the 4-inch version on a dark canvas tote sold in a birdwatcher gift shop alongside field guides.
- Wildlife art framed hoop piecesHoop the 7.5-inch in a 9-inch frame on black linen for a wildlife art wall piece in a nature-themed room.
- Outdoor gear retailer branded apparelEmbroider on khaki twill shirts for an outdoor gear retailer's branded staff or promo apparel.
- Canvas field bag embroiderySew the medium size on a canvas field bag flap for a birding or hunting gift set.
- Waterfowl conservation fundraiser merchRun the design on tote bags and caps as premium merch for a waterfowl conservation fundraiser.
- Nature enthusiast canvas cushionsStitch the large version centred on a charcoal linen cushion for a nature lover's living room.
Dimensions
9 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 3.50 × 3.13 in | 19,607 |
| 4.00 × 3.58 in | 23,374 |
| 4.50 × 4.03 in | 27,129 |
| 5.00 × 4.48 in | 31,290 |
| 5.50 × 4.92 in | 35,567 |
| 6.00 × 5.37 in | 40,432 |
| 6.50 × 5.82 in | 44,789 |
| 7.00 × 6.27 in | 50,093 |
| 7.50 × 6.72 in | 55,232 |
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.
