My vacation fund tends to get used for school tuition, so it looks like Italy, Sydney, or San Francisco will stay on my travel bucket list for a bit longer. In the meantime, I can dream about them while I make Christmas gifts, using these stunning DIY embroidery patterns from Satsuma Street featuring skylines of the world’s greatest cities.
Artist Jody Rice (out of sunny LA) fits the landmarks of cities from Tokyo to Amsterdam to our own favorite, New York City, into one pattern. Love these names–Pretty Little Barcelona, Pretty Little London, and so on, all around the world–and their modern, bright color scheme that gives them a somewhat magical quality.
If you’re a DIY newbie, cross stitch is the place to start because the stitches are so simple; you just make an X with embroidery floss. You can find easy to follow cross stitch tutorials on YouTube, and the artist includes a PDF of basic cross stitches with your pattern purchase. So even if you’re not especially crafty, this is a project you really can do, and it will turn out beautifully, I promise.
These hoops are hip—embroidery hoop art is a fun trend right now—with a somewhat retro travel feel, which would make them perfect for a kid’s wall, mom’s kitchen, even your best friend’s office, if you’re looking for a gift with a super personal touch that won’t take you a ton of time to make. I’m hoping someday soon I’ll be able to make one of these pieces of embroidery hoop art for my family with a note attached saying we’re hopping on a plane to visit Rome or Paris. It’s the time of year to dream big, so I’m going for it.
You can find Satsuma Street’s DIY embroidery patterns on Etsy for $6 each, or 3 for $15. And for more bright handmade ideas, check out these cool DIY gift ideas for a homemade holiday in the Cool Mom Picks Holiday Gift Guide.
