Short answer: Most embroidery designs fall into eight families: floral, animals and birds, names and initials, spiritual symbols, dark or gothic motifs, men's minimal designs, borders for blouses and dupattas, and art pieces. Pick the family first, then the size and placement. This page links our full guide for each.
"Embroidery designs" is the single most searched embroidery phrase in India, scoring 100 on Google Trends, ahead of "embroidery design" (65), "machine embroidery" (57) and "blouse embroidery" (49). We have stitched thousands of designs at our Bulandshahr studio. This is the map.
What India searches for
Google Trends search interest, India, 19 Oct 2021 to 19 Oct 2026.
The 8 design families (tap to open)
1. Floral
Roses, sunflowers, daisies, wildflowers. The most popular family by far, and the most forgiving. Satin petals, French knot centres, stem stitch stalks.
Guides: flower embroidery, floral motifs on tees, sunflower embroidery. Shop: floral embroidered t-shirts.
2. Animals and birds
Parrots, lions, cats, macaws. These show off thread painting, where shades blend like paint. Longest to stitch.
Guide: animal and bird embroidered tees. Shop: animal embroidered t-shirts.
3. Names, initials and dates
The most gifted family. Back stitch or satin lettering, sometimes wrapped in flowers.
Guides: 18 name lettering styles, letter designs A to Z, simple name designs, Hindi name embroidery. Shop: name and initial embroidery.
4. Spiritual and evil eye
Nazar, Om, lotus, hamsa. Small, symbolic, usually one or two colours.
Guide: what the symbols mean. Shop: spiritual and evil eye embroidery.
5. Gothic and dark
Moths, moons, spider webs, thorns, usually in white or silver on black.
Guide: gothic hand embroidery motifs. Shop: gothic embroidered t-shirts.
6. Men's designs
Small, placed and tone on tone. Chest motifs, pocket details, cuff initials.
Guides: embroidery designs for men, 12 designs for men's shirts, small designs for men's shirts. Shop: embroidered shirts for men.
7. Borders for blouses, kurtas and dupattas
Running stitch, chain stitch and mirror borders along necklines, sleeves and edges.
Guides: simple embroidery designs (blouse section), embroidery kurta, embroidery dupatta.
8. Art pieces
Hoop art, thread portraits and large statement backs.
Guides: embroidery art, embroidery hoop.
Choosing a design: size, stitch, time
| Size | Typical design | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 cm | Initial, heart, single flower | Left chest, cuff, cap, sock |
| 5 to 12 cm | Bouquet, bird, name | Centre chest, sleeve |
| 12 cm and over | Thread painted animal, scene | Front or back panel |
Placement rules: where embroidery should sit on a t-shirt. Thread colours: thread colour guide.
The 5 stitches behind almost every design
Video: Sarah Homfray Embroidery.
Designs our artisans stitch
Have your own idea? Order custom hand embroidery.
Questions
Which embroidery design is most popular?
Floral, by a wide margin, followed by names and initials for gifts.
Can I get my own design embroidered?
Yes. Send a drawing or idea through a custom order and we will tell you if it translates to thread. See ordering custom embroidery.
Written by the Vee Threads studio team in Bulandshahr, where women artisans have hand stitched more than 5,000 orders.
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