Amsterdam, Netherlands

A pink façade on an Amsterdam canal, with the striped café awnings, bicycles leaning against the railing and blossoming branches framing the whole scene. The design is full of small details — window frames, street lamps, railings — worked in backstitch, which is added at the end over the cross stitch to outline the shapes.

The fabric is larger than the stitched area, leaving the margin you need for a hoop or frame (the frame is not included). At 16 squares per inch the stitches are small: work in good light and use a magnifier if you find it helpful. Once finished, the piece looks well framed, on its own or alongside other city views.