Standing upright on a small rocky outcrop, head tilted up and to the left like its listening for something. Its a king penguin, not an emperor, you can tell by the proportion since the body is slimmer and the yellow chest patch starts high on the neck, grading downward into orange before fading into the cream-white front. That yellow-orange gradient on the chest uses careful fill direction changes across 3 or 4 colour layers, the kind of shading that takes real digitising time to get right.
The back and head sit in dense black, but its not flat black, lines run through it at a slight angle that give the feather mass some direction and depth. Same technique on the flippers, which press close to the body on both sides. The front section isnt plain white either, pale blue-grey shadow fills on the left side and lower sections show the roundness of the body, the way the light falls off at the edges. My partner spotted this one when I was testing it and said it looks like it came off a wildlife postcard, which I took as a good sign.
The rocky base is a few dark grey irregular shapes at the feet, just enough to ground the bird without adding extra complexity. Without it the penguin looks like it floats. The beak is orange, short and pointed, with a small dark nostril shape at the base. Eye is a single small black satin circle. I get wildlife fans and penguin lovers ordering this one year round, and it tends to spike every june around world penguin day.
Ten colours, 21,633 stitches at the smallest size and 53,027 at the full 7.51 by 7.31 inch, one of the higher stitch counts in this range. Density runs at 966 per square inch. Use a heavyweight cutaway stabiliser and a sharp needle, size 75/11 or 80/12, to push through the dense sections without shredding the top thread. Works best on firm fabrics: canvas, twill, drill cotton, structured fleece. Avoid anything that stretches sideways during hooping or the upright posture of the bird goes off plumb.
Dm the shop if the black sections feel too heavy on your thread or if a shade needs swapping out, and Ill swap a thread shade.
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.
- Canvas tote or book bag for a wildlife or natural history loverStitch the 5-inch on a natural canvas tote and the engraving-style detail reads like a field guide print you can carry around
- Structured denim jacket chest or back panel placementPlace the 7-inch on the back of a structured denim jacket so the fine line work and shading show clearly at full size
- Framed hoop art for a study, library or childs bedroomStretch the finished piece in a 10-inch hoop and hang it as framed wall art in a study or kids nature-themed bedroom
- Kids fleece hoodie chest with the 4-inch versionUse the 4-inch on the chest of a kids fleece hoodie in white or pale grey so the black and yellow patch stand out crisply
- Antarctic or ocean-theme cushion cover in navy or cream fabricCenter the 6-inch on a navy or cream cushion cover for a coastal or Antarctic wildlife room theme
- School bag or backpack patch for a nature science themeStitch onto a patch blank and attach to a school backpack as part of a wildlife series alongside other bird designs
- Wildlife series tote pairing with other bird and animal designsPair the 4-inch penguin with a matching puffin or albatross design on a tote for a coordinated seabird collection
- Cotton sweatshirt or crew neck chest placement in the 5-inch sizeEmbroider the 5-inch on the chest of a white or grey crew neck sweatshirt for a wearable wildlife art piece
Dimensions
5 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 3.51 × 3.41 in | 21,633 |
| 4.51 × 4.38 in | 28,987 |
| 5.51 × 5.36 in | 36,533 |
| 6.51 × 6.33 in | 44,573 |
| 7.51 × 7.31 in | 53,027 |
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.
