It’s that time of year when many of us – not all of us, true, but many of us – start to delve into seasonal stitching.

Because hand embroidery is a slow process, it makes sense to stitch a season or two ahead, depending on your project. But sometimes, seasonal changes dictate The Mood. For me, I know when that first autumn chill hits, I suddenly want to stitch anything and everything Autumn. And as the daylight hours shorten, I am prone to be inside earlier and ready to take evening handwork for longer stretches of time.

For me, autumn stitching doesn’t necessarily have to be on a particularly autumnal design; it might just be stitching with those autumn colors that I love so much! The vibrant palettes and the muted palettes of this time of year tug at my little autumn-loving heart strings with great ferocity! They are color palettes that I find hard to resist.

But for most stitchers, it’s more of a question of what to stitch. Once you have the design, you can pull your own favorite seasonal colors of threads out and put them to work.

Today, I’d like to share a collection of hand embroidery designs and embroidery projects that are autumn-themed, most of which you can find right here on Needle ‘n Thread for absolutely nothing. The designs work great on household linens, in small frames, for hoop art, accent pieces, and anywhere you can conceive of using embroidery. Maybe one of the designs will spark your interest and awaken that Autumn Mood in you, too!