A few weeks ago, when we talked about the whole Christmas in July thing, I asked about seasonal stitching.
Do you stitch seasonal things during that particular season, or do you stitch ahead of a season? I’ve always been lured into seasonal embroidery during any particular season or just shortly ahead of it, when I’m Really Yearning for a change of seasons.
I must be yearning for Autumn! Over the weekend, I put a little time into testing out some embroidery designs that I’ve been doodling around with for a while. They’re simple designs, but pretty, and great for relaxing with some stitching during the chillier evenings of Fall.
In the US, pumpkins are quintessentially Autumn. I don’t know that we could conceive of Autumn in this country without this round squash figuring into the picture somehow.
So of course, all my ideas for embroidering autumnal designs ended up with a featured pumpkin. Though I do like pumpkins, there are other aspects of Autumn that I like even better – so I may have to make some adjustments in that regard.
Fall just isn’t Fall without the various intensities of color in the leaves as they progress through the anticipated change that marks the season.
This leaf needs a bit of a do-over. The central veins need some attention, if nothing else. They’re a bit bulky.
When I started playing with designs for Autumn, I jotted down natural elements that I associate with the season. These included things like pumpkins, leaves, apples, blue skies, golden wheat, and acorns.
Some of them aren’t quite feasible for incorporating into this type of embroidery design. But others are – and I’m particularly keen to add acorns and wheat to the mix. Ideas are brewing!
So that was my fun weekend stitching – you’ll see these designs again when they’re polished up and ready for you to stitch them, too!
Coming Up
Stay tuned later this week for the Big Announcement on The Leafy Tree kit & e-book bundle, which will be available very soon here on Needle ‘n Thread – if all continues as planned. I’ve had a few little hiccups, but I’ll be pushing hard to make it available to you later this week.
Also, there’s a new book coming out on the market soon – it’s not out just yet, but when it is, it’s going to be huge. It’s embroidery, of course, but it’s also… happiness, between two hard covers! It’s such a great little book! I can’t wait to show it to you!
Hope your Monday’s happy and the week ahead is perfectly swell!
Bonjour,
C’est la première fois que je vous laisse un commentaire pourtant je vous suis très régulièrement.Brodeuse passionnée depuis de nombreuses années (et prof de broderie ponctuellement), j’apprécie beaucoup vos articles toujours clairs, pédagogiques et surtout très enrichissants en ce qui concerne la culture de notre passion commune.
Aujourd’hui, je laisse ce commentaire pour vous dire combien la nouvelle de la sortie de ce livre me réjouit !!!
Amicalement,
Pascale
Sorry but I don’t speak english….
Thanks so much for your kind comment!
I do enjoy stitching ahead of the seasons. I just finished off a pink bicycle with flowers in the basket and then went to Christmas stitching. But autumn is my favorite season of all time, and I’m itching to stitch a pumpkin or two (or twenty)!! I really like the glimpse you’ve shared of your current project. Can’t wait to see the whole thing! 🙂
I share your love of the fall season and its colors. May I ask what fabric you’re using? Thank you.
Hi, Karen – this is on a flour sack towel!
Hi Mary.
Fall is my favorite season so I was very happy to see your pumpkin!! I look forward to seeing your finished piece.
Mary in NYC
I like to stitch Halloween designs around this time. We start settling into our blue skies blast furnace summer weather pattern and I start wishing for Autumn.
I enjoy seasonal stitching, but tend to get caught up in whatever I’m working on. Sometimes the urge to complete my current project is stronger than my desire to stitch something seasonal. At the moment I’m on a big project that seems likely to take me forever, so I may well take a break for some seasonal smalls. Just got a towel set and am feeling inspired to practice the stitches I’ll need to work on those.
Dear Mary,
I’m curious to know what kind of pen/pencil you used for drawing your design on the linen? Thank you for your help. Kindly, ~Jaime Lyn
For people working up transfers at home, I recommend Sublime Stitching’s fine-tipped iron on transfer pens, which work great, as long as you plan to cover the embroidery lines completely. Otherwise, there are many other ways you can transfer a design – you’ll find a lot of them mentioned here in this article, and also in the comments following the article: https://needlenthread.wpengine.com/2010/09/beginning-embroidery-design-transfer.html
Your pumpkin and leaves and the swirls look lovely! I can’t wait till it comes out so I can stitch it: Autumn is my favorite seson for decorating!! 🙂 Hugs, H
Hi Mary, I really like your fall pumpkin! I’m looking forward to working on it. I was thinking that I was sorry to see the flourish on the bottom of the pumpkin go. If you left it there you could have the wheat coming from behind the pumpkin toward the center. Sorry to be a back seat driver, but I could just see it done this way!!
Thanks so very much for all you do for us!!
Maggie
Hmmm… The design hasn’t actually changed. I just added the wheat to it. ?? So I’m not sure what’s missing. The flourish is still there – it was never below the pumpkin, but just to the left of it. 🙂
On my goodness Mary, you’re right!! We haven’t even seen the project yet! I’m looking forward to it though. I’m ready for fall after this Georgia summer.
Wow. Love the lovely and consistent hand work.
Thank you for such a lovely newsletter, I enjoy all your information, I am in my 70’s and only started sewing and doing little embroidery in the last ten years, no chance as a child or young adult. So I love reading any thing on embroidery. Keep up the good work
This is so pretty and makes me wish for autumn right now. It’s hot weather in August for California but this inspires me with the beautiful colors and design. Looking forward to you sending this template out.
I am really looking forward to having this pattern to work on! It is beautiful!
I love this pattern! Being an old Kansas girl myself, I love the wheat and I was born in October so I love pumpkins! What can I say, the pattern is perfect! When and where can I get it?? Thanks for all the beautiful things you show us! Your work is exquisite! You are my embroidery hero!! 🙂
Hi, Beth – thanks for your enthusiastic comment! 🙂 I plan on releasing this in September, so keep an eye out for it!
Mary, when will the e-book be posted for the Pumpkin, Leaves & a Little Wheat
Hi, Alice – As soon as it can be! I’m working on it! 🙂 It will probably be the first half of next week, but I might be able to get it out by the end of this week.
Just started to embroider again and found you on Pentrest. Love your articles and the way you do your embroidery. You do very beautiful work.
Thanks, Shirley! 🙂