I made this Chinese dragon back in march after a bunch of requests from people doing lunar new year projects and Asian-inspired apparel. The density on this one is 1,252, higher than my usual animal designs, because six colours and nine sizes meant I had to pack the scale areas tightly or they'd look patchy, and the bobbin tension needs to be spot-on or the underlayer shows through the scale fills. Its a lil more technical than a simple 2-colour design so read the thread change notes carefully before you start.
Seven sizes run from 3.51 inches wide up to 6.5 inches, and stitches go from 13,956 up to 27,435. Ive tested the full size range and the smallest is the trickiest, the mouth detail and whiskers get really dense at 3.51 inches so use a lightweight mesh wash stabiliser under the topping on anything with texture. The larger sizes at 5 or 6.5 inches give ya room for the scales to breathe and look their best.
Stitch this on a flat woven fabric like cotton or polyester twill rather than stretchy jersey, the satin scale fills need a stable base or they'll pucker. Use a firm cutaway stabiliser and slow the machine down for colour changes, theres six thread swaps and rushing through em causes misalignment on the body curves. One customer ordered this in the 6.5-inch size for a kimono-style jacket back panel and shared the snap, came out truly clean with navy thread on black silk-look polyester. Pair it with a solid-colour base fabric rather than a print so the scale detail reads without competing with the background.
Ping me if you want a custom colour variation or run into anything unexpected with the file.
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.
- Kimono jacket or robe back panelUse the 6.5-inch design centred on a jacket back, stitch on polyester twill with firm cutaway and slow speed for scale detail.
- Lunar new year celebration toteThe 5-inch size works on a red or gold canvas tote bag front, pair with gold or black thread for a festive look.
- Asian-inspired throw pillow coverStitch the 5-in centred on navy or red cotton pillow cover using cutaway stabiliser for crisp scale definition.
- Mythology fan baseball cap frontUse the 3.51-inch size on a structured cap front panel, back with firm tearaway on woven caps or cutaway on soft ones.
- Fantasy gaming apparel chest piecethe 4.5 chest on a black polyester gaming tee looks bold, use grey or teal thread for the scale highlights.
- Chinese restaurant staff uniform sleeveCentre the 5-in centred on sleeve or cuff panel, stitch on durable polyester twill with medium cutaway backing.
- Martial arts club event hoodie backThe 6.5-inch size fills a hoodie back well, use cutaway on the fleece and topping film to prevent stitch sinking.
Dimensions
7 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 3.51 × 1.81 in | 13,956 |
| 4.00 × 2.07 in | 16,033 |
| 4.50 × 2.33 in | 18,304 |
| 4.99 × 2.59 in | 20,404 |
| 5.49 × 2.84 in | 22,708 |
| 6.01 × 3.11 in | 24,983 |
| 6.50 × 3.37 in | 27,435 |
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.
