Green Leather Tote Bag with Red & Green Cypress Tree Tatreez

Green leather, with a row of cypress trees stitched in red and green standing upright across the front. Roomy enough for a laptop and a day's carry. Cross-stitch cannot draw a curve, so each tree is built from small stepped squares, and that soft serrated edge is the hand of the work showing through.

It comes from Turathuna, a Palestinian leather workshop where every stitch is set by hand.

Keep it out of standing water and let it dry slowly if it is caught in the rain. Feed the leather once or twice a year, and clean the embroidery gently rather than washing it.