Where to place embroidery if you wear a hijab

Check where your scarf really falls

Scarf styles vary a lot, so look at yourself rather than at a rule. Put on a kameez you already wear, style your scarf as you usually do, and stand side on to a mirror. Note the lowest point of the scarf at the front, how far it covers the shoulders and whether it sits over the upper back.

A neatly wrapped hijab often covers the neck and the top of the chest only. A longer khimar or a wide dupatta worn over the head and shoulders can reach the bust or below, and covers the sleeve heads too. If you change between styles, plan for the one that covers most.

Placements that stay on show

These areas are rarely covered by a scarf, and each can carry anything from a fine line of thread to fuller work. The general guide to embroidery placement explains how each zone reads; here is how they work with a hijab.

• Lower sleeves and cuffs. Your hands are always in view, so a worked cuff or a band above it gets noticed. On full sleeves the work can climb towards the elbow on the outer arm.
• The lower front panel. A motif or panel that starts below the bust line sits below most scarves and draws the eye down the length of the kameez.
• The hem or daman. A border at the hem is always visible, and on a long kameez it balances the length nicely.
• The side slits. Work tracing the edges of the side slits shows when you walk and stays clear of the scarf altogether.
• The trouser hem. A little matching work at the ankle ties the outfit together from top to bottom.

Pins, brooches and snags

Where the scarf touches the kameez, texture matters as much as looks. Raised metallic thread, beads and sequins under a scarf pin can catch the scarf fabric, pull threads in chiffon or jersey and loosen the stitching on the kameez. A pin pushed through the scarf near the shoulder also tends to land on whatever embroidery is there.

If you want some detail near the neck, keep it flat and smooth: fine thread work, tonal colours or a neat piped edge rather than anything raised. Leave the area where you usually pin plain, and let the scarf slide freely over it.

Asking for a hijab-friendly layout

In your quote notes, say that you wear a hijab and roughly where it falls, for example “scarf covers to mid chest, so please keep the neckline simple and put the detail on the sleeves and hem”. Choose an embroidery level that suits the occasion; the three levels are explained here. Our modest dressing guide covers sleeves and lengths that go with this kind of layout.

Embroidery is added on outfits we stitch, or on your own fabric or garment through custom embroidery. Describe the look or send a photo when you start a design quote, and we confirm what is possible on your fabric and design in the written quote.