This is a sugar skull lady portrait and its one of the more intricate designs in the Halloween and Day of the Dead collection. She has a full rose flower crown sitting on top of her head with detailed petals and leaves, and her face has that beautiful Dia de los Muertos treatment with ornate linework filling the eye sockets and cheekbones. The whole face is done in that traditional calavera style where you can't quite tell if its sweet or unsettling and thats what makes it work. The linework is fine and the fills are dense, this is not a beginner project, but people who run it love how it comes out.
Grab the full size chart and stitch count details from the downloadable PDF. The level of detail in the rose crown and the facial linework suggests a fairly high stitch count design, so allow time and make sure your thread is loaded. I'd go with a medium to heavy cutaway on knits and fleece, tearaway only if you're on a very stable woven like denim or canvas. Hoop firmly and use an embroidery needle in the right weight for your thread count.
Left chest on a black tee or a structured denim jacket is where this really belongs. A friend of mine ran this on the back of a jean jacket and it came out looking like a hand-painted piece, it was genuinely stunning. You could also try this on the front of a canvas tote in dark navy or black, the rich colors in the rose crown pop really nicely against dark fabric.
Holler at me if the face linework colors aren't reading clearly on your machine and Ill sort it out 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.
- Left chest t-shirt or tank topLeft chest on a black fitted tee gives this portrait just enough space for the rose crown to sit above the bust line.
- Denim jacket back panelBack panel of a denim jacket is the most dramatic placement, the detail level rewards being seen at a larger size.
- Gothic-themed tote bagA black or deep navy canvas tote with this centered on the front makes a gothic-chic everyday bag for the alternative crowd.
- Halloween hoodie chestFront chest of a dark hoodie for Halloween season, the rose crown detail reads well even at smaller placement sizes.
- Hoop portrait wall artMounted in a large round hoop as portrait wall art, this makes a striking piece for a gothic or bohemian home decor style.
- Canvas zip pouch frontFront of a small canvas zip pouch in black or wine red makes a spooky-pretty pencil case or makeup bag.
- Day of the Dead themed pillowSewn onto a deep plum or black velvet pillow, this works as gothic living room decor that feels considered rather than kitschy.
Dimensions
9 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 2.32 × 3.50 in | 18,882 |
| 2.65 × 4.00 in | 21,903 |
| 2.98 × 4.50 in | 25,144 |
| 3.30 × 5.00 in | 28,456 |
| 3.63 × 5.50 in | 32,021 |
| 3.96 × 6.00 in | 35,638 |
| 4.29 × 6.50 in | 39,287 |
| 4.62 × 7.00 in | 43,209 |
| 4.95 × 7.50 in | 47,322 |
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.
