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How I Turned a Simple “LOVE” Pattern into an Everyday Embroidery Project
When you first start embroidering, you want to show off your work: on a wall, on a shelf, somewhere other people can see it and where you can keep admiring what you made.
But not every piece needs to be on display.
Once you have a few projects under your belt, or just not many empty walls and shelves, it stops making sense to keep everything out.
And you can't exactly invite everyone over just to show them what you've been working on. Sometimes you want to share your embroidery with friends or family, but photos don't always capture the stitches, the texture, or the detail. It's a completely different experience when you can hold the piece in your hands and see the embroidery up close, naturally, without making a big deal of it.
For me, some projects belong in a hoop, a frame, on a wall or a shelf once they're finished. They carry a feeling or an intention that calls for that kind of spot.
Others don't. This project was never meant to hang on a wall. It's meant to become something you use and show off in a subtle way, as a piece you stitched yourself.
The idea comes from Valentine's Day, but love is universal. That's why I want it to be something for everyday life. A tote bag is practical: you can take it grocery shopping, to the coffee shop, or even to the beach. And your hand embroidery goes with you whenever you want to use it and show it off.
Instead of staying at home, it comes along with you and gets shown off with pride. When the people around you notice it, you can share your work in the most natural way and say: I made this!
Embroidery stops being just something pretty to hang on the wall. It becomes a way to turn simple, even slightly boring pieces into something more interesting, personal, and original.
The Design
At first glance, this is a simple design: a composition of letters and a symbol.
The goal is to make it truly beginner-friendly. That's why the entire piece uses just one stitch: the stem stitch. Even if you've never embroidered before, you can start here without juggling several techniques at once.
The challenge is in the number of strands you use. With just one stitch, the result changes when you work with one, two, three, or more strands. The letters take on different thicknesses and the design starts to gain depth. It stays easy to stitch, but looks far more detailed than it is.
At its heart, this project is a hands-on exercise: it helps you master one stitch, see how the number of strands changes the result, and create an original piece without getting hung up on everything being perfect or perfectly straight.
Why a Tote Bag
For this project, I chose to embroider something that already exists instead of making one more piece to put away. A tote bag is the perfect base: it's ready-made, with no sewing or finishing needed at the end. You make your last stitch, take off the hoop, and it's ready to head out the door with you.
The cotton (natural or white) helps too. It's stable, durable, and washable, so it holds up to everyday use and keeps the stitches in place. The light background makes the black and red stand out, with no need to fill in the space around them.
A quick heads-up: if you're new to embroidery, the hoop isn't optional. Since the tote bag is already sewn shut, the hoop holds only the area you're stitching, keeps you from accidentally catching the other side of the bag, and makes it easier to control your stitch tension. Especially when you're just starting out, this makes all the difference: it helps you avoid missed stitches and stitches that are too tight or too loose, and gives you a more balanced finish.
Start Embroidering with the LOVE Tote Bag Kit
If this is your first embroidery project, chances are you only have the sewing basics at home: a needle, some sewing thread, and a pair of scissors. That's not quite enough to embroider, and hunting down each supply separately can be just enough to make you put the project off.
So I've gathered everything you need to make your first stitch into one kit: a cotton tote bag with the LOVE design pre-printed, black and red embroidery thread on two wooden pins, a set of needles, a 6-inch beech embroidery hoop, scissors or thread snips, and an exclusive pre-printed cotton canvas to practice Stem Stitch. The digital Stitch & Color Guide is sent by email with your purchase.
No transferring the design, no choosing threads, no figuring out which needle to use. Just open the box, put on the hoop, and start.
And since everything arrives in a personalized wooden box, the kit also makes a lovely gift for anyone who wants to learn to embroider. The kit is available for €35 until 31 October 2026, then €49.
Get the LOVE Digital Stitch & Color Guide
If you already have a tote bag and embroidery supplies at home (floss, a needle, and a hoop), the LOVE Digital Stitch & Color Guide lets you stitch the design with your own materials. The PDF is €0.99 until 31 October 2026, then €4.99, and is sent by email with your purchase.
The file includes the full-size design, ready to print and transfer onto your tote bag. Then just put on your hoop and pick your floss. I used red and black, but you can stitch this pattern in your favorite colors.
Show Me Your Tote Bag
When you finish, I'd love to see how it turned out.
Share a photo on Instagram or Pinterest with
#mariasembroideryatelier or #mariasembroidery.
Everyone takes the same pattern and makes it their own, and that's what makes every tote bag one of a kind.
