Big old woody-style station wagon, three-quarter front angle, roof rack loaded with surfboards pointing back. The car body is cream with a warm woodgrain panel on the door in tan and rust, those old estate car wood trim details that surf culture pulled straight from the 1950s. Three boards up top, different lengths, bound down with a luggage strap. Round headlights, chrome bumper suggestion in white satin, fat round tyres with simple hub details. Honestly one of those designs where you just look at it and it makes ya want to be somewhere warm.
Ten colours total: cream, tan, teal, coral, ochre, black, sand, sky blue, olive, and rust orange. Nine sizes from 2.8 inches wide up to 6.01, stitch counts run 13,828 to 38,565. The smaller sizes are suprisingly clean at 2.8 inch because the retro illustration style holds detail well at small scale, the outlines dont need much help. industry software handled the digitising and the woodgrain panel uses a light tatami fill with a directional angle that reads as grain texture.
In the last year the surf shop market has been one of my best for this one. A shop owner in Torquay ordered a 5-inch chest on twelve canvas tote bags for their summer pop-up and texted me afterwards suprised at how fast they sold off the display rail. She wanted something that felt local and vintage without being kitschy and thats the brief I was working to anyway. So it clicked. Retro surf is its own steady niche.
Stitch on natural canvas, mid teal or sage cotton for the best vintage vibe. Off-white and sand linen works aswell. Pop the 5-inch on a canvas tote or a canvas backpack. Flat surface. The 3-inch works on cap fronts and denim shirt pockets. Skip jersey or anything stretchy, bold outlines lose their crispness on stretch weave. Dont try it on fleece either.
Use a medium tearaway on stable cotton canvas, switch to light cutaway on anything with any give. Keep the hoop firm so the bobbin side sits clean. Text me if the roof rack boards stitch out with gaps between them and ill tighten the density on that section for you.
What people are using this design for
A starting point. The design works for plenty more than just this list, this is what folks have stitched it onto most.
- Surf shop summer tote bag rangeStitch the 5 inch design on thick canvas tote for a surf shop summer stock run, it reads as vintage without trying too hard.
- Retro beach apparel brand patchesEmbroider on a pre-cut canvas patch, back it with iron-on adhesive, and sell as a retro surf patch in a shop's accessories section.
- Canvas backpack and day bag embroideryPop a mid build on the front panel of a canvas backpack for a beach brand that wants a nostalgic road-trip feel.
- Cap front panel surf-themed embroideryRun the small 3-inch on a structured cap front for a surf or coastal lifestyle brand, the flat colour style stitches clean on cap fabric.
- Beach event and pop-up market merchUse on matching tees or tote bags for a beach market pop-up event where the vintage surf car theme fits the aesthetic.
- Coastal home decor cushion coversEmbroider the large size on a beige cotton cushion for a coastal living room or beach house interior with retro surf decor.
- Retro-themed camp or crew shirtsStitch on matching camp collar shirts for a crew, team, or surf camp with a retro 60s California road trip theme.
- Denim jacket chest or pocket patchEmbroider the 3-inch on a denim jacket chest pocket for a subtle vintage surf accent on casual streetwear.
Dimensions
9 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 2.80 × 3.49 in | 13,828 |
| 3.21 × 4.00 in | 16,397 |
| 3.61 × 4.50 in | 19,046 |
| 4.01 × 5.00 in | 22,118 |
| 4.41 × 5.50 in | 24,909 |
| 4.80 × 5.99 in | 27,955 |
| 5.22 × 6.49 in | 31,422 |
| 5.62 × 7.00 in | 34,774 |
| 6.01 × 7.50 in | 38,565 |
Files & Formats
Eight machine formats included in one zip. Whichever your machine reads, its in the pack.
Plus a color chart for thread matching. See full format guide.
Reviews
No reviews yet for this design. Be the first to share your make once you have stitched it. Tag us on Instagram and we will feature your work.
You may also like
Other designs from this collection you might love
Blue Flower Fairy Embroidery Design, Instant Do...
Cherry Blossom Branch Embroidery Design, Spring...
Frog Love Embroidery Design, Cute Valentine Fro...
Your Opinion Is Not Part of the Recipe Embroide...
Fustergluck Kitchen Rooster Embroidery Design, ...
Spring Floral Gnome Embroidery Design, Machine ...
Bee Farm Raw Honey Embroidery Design, Machine E...
Coastal Lighthouse Embroidery Design, Machine E...
Red Tulip Embroidery Design, Machine Embroidery...
Raven on Tree Embroidery Design, Machine Embroi...
Celestial Alpaca Embroidery Design, Machine Emb...
Dog High Five Embroidery Design, Machine Embroi...
Browse by category
Pick a theme, find the perfect design for your next project
About the artist
Reyazul Masud Riham, hand-drawing every design on this site
Every design on Re Embroidery is hand-digitized by one person. Each file gets sketched, color-matched, and stitch-tested on real fabric before it earns a place in the shop. No team. No auto-conversion from images. Just slow, deliberate work, sometimes three or four days per design.
That's the joy I work for.
The hard part is finding my designs re-uploaded and resold elsewhere. So when you buy from Re Embroidery, you're paying one real person for the file you're about to download. That matters.
