Hanukkah Gift Idea: DIY Embroidered Olive Oil Bag

Oil is central to the Hanukkah story: it's oil, after all, that facilitates the original Miracle of Light. So why not let it play a starring role in your Hanukkah gift-giving experiences, too? We're sharing how to create the easiest three-stitch embroidery pattern on a linen bag that can be used to wrap up a beautiful bottle of olive oil. Whether you want to send your Hanukkah party guests off with a thoughtful favor or are just in need of a sophisticated hostess gift, you'll want to check out this simple DIY.

Place Hoop

Place the inner hoop inside of the linen bag, and place the larger outer hoop on top of the bag, aligned with the inner hoop. Tighten the hoop, gently pulling the fabric to make sure it's taut and flat (try not to stretch it too much).

Draw Guide

Lightly draw three or more Stars of David (overlapping triangles) on a linen bag using a pencil; these will act as your embroidery guide.

Embroider

Thread your needle with a foot-long piece of embroidery floss in a color of your choosing, tying a knot at the end to secure. A total of three stitches will make up each triangle. Make your first stitch by threading the needle up through the back of the fabric inside of the linen bag, following the first triangular pencil shape you created, then make a straight stitch or "sewing stitch" back down into the fabric again at the adjacent corner of that triangle. To get to the next corner, use a backstitch, threading the needle up through the point at which you'd like the next stitch to end, then come back down right where the previous stitch landed. Make one more backstitch to get to the final corner, and that completes the first triangle.

Whenever a length of floss is finished, simply tie a knot in the back of your hoop and move on to a new piece of floss. You can also switch colors for each new triangle. Repeat the process for all six triangles (or all three stars) for a total of 18 stitches. Finally, carefully remove the embroidery hoop from the bag.

Time to Gift

Place a bottle of your favorite olive oil within the bag and pull the drawstrings to close (Image 1). Optionally, write a special message on a gift tag and tie to the bag (Image 2).