October – Autumn Colours & Cosy Creations
A Note from the Garden Room
October arrives with a different kind of light.
The bright days of summer have faded, and the sunshine that finds its way inside, the Garden Room seems softer and more golden. Outside, the garden is becoming a patchwork of colour. Green giving way to russet, amber, copper and deep autumnal reds.
There are still sunflowers to be seen along the garden path, but now they sit amongst seed heads, fading flowers and the first fallen leaves.
Inside, the Garden Room feels cosier.
The knitted throw has become a permanent fixture, cushions have gathered richer autumn colours and there is nearly always a warm mug of tea somewhere nearby. Little collections from the garden are beginning to find their way indoors. Leaves, berries, seed heads, conkers and perhaps the occasional tiny pumpkin.
And the worktable is busier than ever.
October has become a month of making.
My autumn designs are beginning to turn into Christmas and Halloween cards, and I’ve been having great fun bringing some of my more playful ideas to life. Pumpkins, witches, cauldrons and woodland characters are appearing amongst the leaves and autumn flowers.
But Halloween is only part of the story.
I’m also thinking about new autumnal fabric designs, rich leaves, woodland birds, toadstools and the beautiful colours that appear everywhere at this time of year.
There are knitted bags to sort and finish, cushions to organise, and new snoods taking shape for the colder days ahead.
It seems there is always something waiting to be made in the Garden Room.
From the Worktable
October is definitely a month for having several projects on the go at once! One moment I’m working on a new card design and the next I’m thinking about fabric, knitting or embroidery.
The worktable becomes a colourful jumble of ideas. Threads sit beside sketches. Fabric samples lie beside knitted pieces. A pair of scissors disappears beneath a pile of papers, while a half-finished project waits patiently for its turn.
I rather like it this way.
Creativity rarely happens in a perfectly tidy straight line. One idea often leads to another.
A little autumn leaf painted for a card might become part of a fabric design.
A colour discovered in a knitted bag might inspire a cushion.
A woodland bird might find its way onto a greeting card, a textile panel or perhaps something completely unexpected.
October is a month for following those little ideas and seeing where they lead.
Halloween in the Garden Room
There is something rather enjoyable about making Halloween designs.
I don’t think Halloween has to be frightening. I much prefer the magical, slightly whimsical side of it . Pumpkins, moonlit skies, little witches, woodland creatures, mysterious bottles and glowing lanterns.
My own Halloween cards have been growing from my autumn artwork, giving some of my designs a completely different character.
The Garden Room seems the perfect place for them.
As the afternoons grow darker, the little lamps and candles begin to glow, and suddenly a pumpkin or a tiny black cat doesn’t seem out of place at all.
It is the season for a little imagination.
Autumn Fabrics
I’ve also been thinking about new autumnal fabric designs.There are so many wonderful colours to work with at this time of year.Burnished orange.Mustard yellow.Rust and copper.Mossy greens.Berry reds.Soft browns and warm creams.
And then there are the patterns themselves, fallen leaves, woodland birds, mushrooms, pumpkins, berries and seed heads.
I can already imagine these becoming little pieces of fabric art, cards, journals and slow-stitched projects.
Perhaps October is when some of these ideas will begin on paper, ready to become something more in the months ahead.
From Knitting to Creating
There are knitted bags to sort through, cushions to organise and snoods to make.The cooler weather always seems to awaken a different kind of creativity.
Knitting becomes something practical as well as beautiful. A warm snood can begin with nothing more than a skein of yarn and an idea. A cushion can bring colour and texture to a room. A handmade bag can become a useful everyday companion.
I love that these things are made slowly. They carry the marks of the maker. The stitches, the texture, the little imperfections that make something handmade feel special. In a world where so much is made to be quickly replaced, there is still something rather wonderful about making something to keep.
October Collections
The Garden Room is becoming a place for gathering autumn. A few leaves on the worktable. A basket of little pumpkins.Seed heads in an old jug.Warm fabrics folded ready for another project.Knitting waiting for the next stitch.Cards spread out ready to be finished.Threads and ribbons gathered in little pots.
And somewhere amongst it all, another new idea waiting to be discovered.October feels full of possibility.
A Little October Thought
“Gather the colours of the season, follow the ideas that spark joy, and make something worth keeping.”
The garden is changing.The light is changing.And the Garden Room is changing with it.But the making continues.One card.One stitch.One thread.One knitted row.
One new idea at a time.
October is a month for autumn colours, cosy creations and letting imagination wander.