Cute Mermaid Embroidery Design, Fantasy Machine Embroidery Pattern, Instant Download

Small dainty mermaid sitting cross-legged inside a wide leaf-scroll base that fans out like a decorative cartouche. The hair is what takes your eye first. Long wavy strands rendered in thin parallel run stitches that flow off to the right, a small flower clip catching it at the crown. Face is simple and sweet, eyes closed, little rosy cheeks. Shes holding a starfish with both arms, tight to her chest like its something she found and decided to keep.

The botanical base underneath her is actually pretty intricate. Paired leaf fronds curve out on both sides, stems branching into smaller sprigs, the whole thing dotted with tiny accent marks like an old botanical print. At the very bottom the tail curls down into it, scales done in a small hatched pattern that reads fine and delicate at full size. Tiny hearts float in the negative space on either side of her and theres a few little curl marks scattered in the background. The whole piece has the feel of something someone drew in a journal and then decided to stitch.

Two colours only: black carries everything except a few small pink elements. Stop 1 is pink for the starfish, hearts and the flower clip, then everything else is stop 2 in black. One colour change. Stitch counts go from 6,100 on the smallest up to 8,400 on the 6-inch, so even the large is a light-density project that stitches out quick. Five sizes from 3.62 inches wide up to 5.43 inches wide. Use a light to medium cutaway on knit or stretch fabric. Tear-away works on woven cotton or linen. Use a water-soluble topping on any fabric with a visible texture, the fine hair stitches especially will sink into terry or waffle weave without it.

Stitch on white, ivory or very pale mint and the black linework reads like a proper illustration. Pale blush also works nicely and the pink accents feel warmer against it, less stark then pure white. Skip any fabric darker than a mid tone, the fine black linework needs contrast. One customer needed the 5-inch last winter for ivory cotton onesies going out as baby shower gifts and said the hair strand detail held perfectly even at that size. Dm me if the tail scale area looks muddy, thats usually a needle size thing and its an easy fix.