Coastal & Nautical Series · Vintage L.L. Bean Medium Tote · One of One
Paddle out. Stay out. A single wave rises across the front panel, stitched tall and set right between the handles like a window cut straight onto the coast. The face of the wave is worked in layer after layer of blue thread, deep ocean at the base lifting into bright aqua at the lip, every curl and streak of water running in its own direction. Cream foam breaks off the shoulder and rolls across the bottom edge, spilling past the frame like it couldn't be contained. Up top, a lone surfer in red trunks crouches low on a long board, riding the line just ahead of the break. It's the last set of the day, and he's not paddling in yet.
Around it, the patches that pile up after a summer chasing swells:
A California Surf Riders badge in teal and gold, palm trees leaning over a rolling wave
A Chasing Sunsets cloud in sunset orange, for every evening spent waiting on the water
A Pier 22, Co. Rd. 9 marker in cream and navy, the turn-off only the locals know
A crest topped with a golden shell over a cresting wave, like something pinned to a lifeguard tower
A red arched banner, straight off an old beach club jacket
A gold-stitched curl, a little flash of sun on the water
The details
One of One: this arrangement will not be stitched again
Vintage L.L. Bean medium boat tote in natural canvas with tan trim and reinforced handles
Seven original embroidered pieces, hand-placed and stitched down in our Charlotte studio
