The shih tzu face is all about the fur and this one gets it right. Long strands radiating outward from the flat centre face, the tan and honey panels on top, grey-black outer fur going in every direction, white muzzle beard underneath. 7 colours and each one is doing a specific job to separate the fur zones and keep the face readable at any size.
What makes this tricky to digitise well is the directional underlay. The satin layers have to follow actual fur growth or the whole thing looks like a blob. professional embroidery software handled the density mapping and each colour zone has its own stitch angle, so on fabric you can see individual strand directions just like you can on the real dog. 9 sizes from 2.38 to 5.1 inches, so you can go detailed on a shirt pocket or scale up big on a tote.
And yes the eyes are small but they stitch clean. The black satin iris area is tight and the underlay keeps the white highlight visible even at 2.38 inches. Last month a customer wrote me saying she was nervous about the tiny eye detail and then sent a photo of her finished piece and it was absolutely perfect. Ive noticed that kind of worry comes up alot with portrait designs, but the digitising handles it.
Pair a dense cutaway with stretch or knit fabric. On woven cotton or denim go with medium cutaway and it holds fine. Hoop tight, keep grain straight. Add a light topping on any loop-pile or textured fabric so the fur outline stitches dont sink. Skip tear-away on this one, the fur density is too high and it wont pull clean. Ping me if youre unsure about sizing for a specific project and Ill resolve it fast.
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.
- Custom pet portrait tote bags and pouchesStitch onto a canvas tote or zip pouch and give it to a shih tzu owner who wants their dog on everything they own
- Dog owner birthday gifts stitched on a shirtEmbroider on a plain sweatshirt chest for a dog lover birthday gift that actually looks like their specific breed
- Personalised dog mum or dog dad apparelWorks on a cap or tee for anyone who calls themselves a dog mum or dog dad and isnt shy about it
- Pet memorial keepsake hoopsFrame a mid-size version in a plain hoop for a pet memorial keepsake that customer said made them cry in a good way
- Dog groomer or vet clinic merchandiseGreat for dog groomer aprons or clinic tote bags where breed recognition actually matters to clients
- Cotton bandanas and pet accessoriesStitch onto a cotton bandana at the 2.38 in size for a small gift thats genuinely breed-specific
- Wall art hoops as a breed-specific giftA 5-inch version framed and gifted to a shih tzu breeder or rescue volunteer makes a really thoughtful thank-you
Dimensions
9 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 2.38 × 3.50 in | 14,619 |
| 2.72 × 4.00 in | 17,112 |
| 3.06 × 4.50 in | 19,397 |
| 3.40 × 5.00 in | 22,212 |
| 3.74 × 5.50 in | 24,939 |
| 4.08 × 6.00 in | 27,904 |
| 4.42 × 6.50 in | 30,963 |
| 4.76 × 7.00 in | 34,152 |
| 5.10 × 7.50 in | 37,437 |
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.
