Birds in Autumn Part 1
Autumn is a busy time for our native birds. Food is plentiful and winter is ahead, so building up some reserves is paramount. Summer visitors fly off to warmer climes, but many species over-winter in Britain and shelter in our still plentiful woodlands, or visit the gardens of the many thousands who choose to feed them inreturn for their fleeting company. Featured in the first of this new series of bell pulls are representatives of seven bird species that stay here with us and enjoy the autumn feast.

Swirling Marble
The thread is new and inviting, the fabric is quality and the stitches are old favourites; this has to be irresistible to all lovers of Stitchery. Simply trace the smooth lines onto the fabric and away you go. No need to change the colour of the thread, it will change for you, making every embroidery different from every other. make a useful cushion with delicate design and colours.

Blackwork Seashells
Fan-shaped scallop shells and spiral-shaped whelk or conch shells make lovely ornaments for a bathroom. They've also been seen throughout history: scallop shells were used to decorate buildings in ancient Pompeii, and whelk shells were used as weapons by native American Indians. You can capture their beautiful patterns in Blackwork with these designs. They'll make evocative pictures to hang on the wall - taking you straight to the seashore.

Welsh Corgi
It is still the Jubilee year and what better way to celebrate the Queen's reign than with a picture of her trademark pet? A Pembroke Welsh Corgi like this one was given to Her Majesty in 1933 by her father - and the dogs have been her trusted companions ever since. There are so many theories as to Pembrokes' breed history. They can probably be traced back as far as the 9th or 10th century, when Scandinavian raiders brought their dogs with them to the British Isles. Corgi's faxy faces and personalities certainly bear similarities to Swedish Vallhund. In this design the many colour changes reflect the sheen on a Corgi's thick coat. Spend a couple of weeks stitching and you'll have your very own pet - fit for a Queen!

Blue Heaven
A dressing table doesn't need to be purely functional. A pretty hardanger mat like this makes a perfect centerpiece with a detailed and intricate pattern - for yourself or for a guest. Although several types of stitch are involved, the design grows very fast and is rewarding to stitch. The variagated Watercolours and Wildflowers Caron threads change the design from a subtle blue to a mauve through to a pink - soothing shades to complement any bedroom.

A Handful of Threads
All of us have leftover threads and, over the course of time, we get to have quite a collection of them. It is at this time of year too that many of us think about stitching Christmas cards for as many people as we can. In addition there are often wonderfully inviting threads for sale in the shops or at shows and I thought some more ideas for using them, and leftovers generally, might be useful. First I devised a simple design, then took a handful of threads that were around to stitch the design in a number of ways. Provided the thickness of thread you choose is appropriate for the fabric and stitch (and bear in mind that combining threads can make up the thickness you might need) these embroideries can use all sorts of threads and each can easily be stitched in an evening.