New Project Start: Cottage of the Autumn Witch by Lola Crow
There’s something about starting a new cross-stitch project that never gets old—fresh fabric, a pile of floss, and a brand-new chart waiting for those first stitches. Our newest project is Cottage of the Autumn Witch by Lola Crow, and this one feels perfect for the fall stitching season.
The design immediately caught our attention with its cozy little witch’s cottage surrounded by pumpkins, greenery, fall foliage, a black cat, and plenty of tiny details to discover along the way. There are also some brighter colors mixed into the design that should really stand out once the stitching begins.
Choosing the Fabric
For this project, we’re stitching on Stormy Night 18-count Aida.
We spent some time considering the fabric choice because the background will have a big impact on the finished piece. Rather than using a lighter neutral fabric, we wanted something that would create more contrast with the design's colors.
Stormy Night provides a darker, moody background without overpowering the pattern. We think it fits the autumn-witch atmosphere of the design beautifully, but the biggest reason we chose it is contrast.
The pattern includes some wonderful whites, blues, greens, oranges, and other fall colors. Against the Stormy Night fabric, those colors should really pop. We’re especially excited to see how the white and brighter blue stitches look against the darker background. Sometimes changing the fabric can completely change the personality of a cross-stitch project, even when you use all of the called-for floss colors.
Sticking With the Called-For Colors
For the floss, we decided to keep things simple and use the DMC colors called for in the pattern.
With the fabric already providing a distinct background and plenty of contrast, we didn’t feel the need to change the floss palette. The original colors give Cottage of the Autumn Witch its mix of deep autumn shades, bright accents, and little highlights that bring the cottage and surrounding details to life. And seeing all of those colors together before the first stitch is one of our favorite parts of starting a new project.
Why 18-Count Aida?
We chose 18-count Aida for this project, which will give the finished piece a slightly smaller and more detailed appearance than stitching the same design on 14-count Aida.
The chart is 134 stitches wide by 101 stitches high, so on 18-count fabric, the stitched design will measure approximately 7.4 inches wide by 5.6 inches high before allowing additional fabric for finishing or framing. The smaller stitches should also work nicely with all of the detail packed into the cottage, plants, pumpkins, animals, and other elements throughout the pattern.
And Now the Stitching Begins
Everything is ready: Cottage of the Autumn Witch, the called-for floss colors, and our Stormy Night 18-count Aida.
Now comes the fun part—putting in those first stitches and watching the picture slowly emerge from the fabric.
We’ll be sharing progress as this project grows, including some of the techniques we use along the way and, eventually, the finished Cottage of the Autumn Witch.
We’re especially curious to see whether our fabric choice works the way we’re imagining. If it does, those whites and blues against Stormy Night may end up being some of our favorite parts of the entire piece.
Stay tuned. The Cottage of the Autumn Witch is officially underway.
Shop the Supplies
Looking for the floss for your next project? Browse our DMC embroidery floss selection online and search by floss number or color name—no digging through crowded store shelves to find the shade you need.
Need fabric for your next project? Browse our selection of Aida fabric in popular counts and cut sizes. Need a specific size? Contact us at Support@bloomfieldcraft.com about a custom fabric cut.
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