I’ve finally managed to collate an autumnal collection of smalls, just in time for November. Last night I finished another autumn freebie, this time by Thea Dueck, it was released on her facebook page (Victoria Sampler Chat Group) she’s a new designer to me so it was nice to try a little design first. It was released over 4 weeks, bit by bit, but I didn’t discover it until the end, so I just stitched it all at once….

Isn’t it pretty? There’s no thread key, you can choose whatever threads you wish, which is great, but it also means you have to think and also means that maybe some things would have been better in a different colour…like the two bottom oak leaves which disappear into the pumpkin, hence the extra back-stitching! I love how the borders and the letters have worked in the variegated threads.

It took me a while to decide on fabrics to make it up with, I haven’t got a huge selection of browns. I found a gorgeous one which colourwise matched perfectly, but it was too busy. My thought with this one was to have it as a narrow border with a darker brown next to it. Having stitched it on and added the ric-rac, I decided it was enough.

Once the front was done I could stitch the back on, stuff it and slip stitch the end. I think it’s really pretty. I really must get better at checking things for loose threads before I photograph them! By the way, the gorgeous wool you can see behind was woven less than two miles from my home at Marton Mills. I’ve just discovered that twice a year they have a pop up factory sale so I’ve three more lengths in my stash! I think there’s a concerted effort to push Yorkshire wool as the quality product it has always been, Abraham Moon in Guiseley have cornered a niche corner of the market with their beautiful tweeds and Fabworks (a fabric shop in Dewsbury) have recently released their ‘Made in Huddersfield’ range of gorgeous tweeds. It’s nice to think fabric I’m wearing was made just a few miles away.

If you fancy trying one of Theas designs she’s just started a Christmas stitch-a-long on her facebook page.