PUMPKIN CROSS STITCH by Gwendolyn Sheppard

Today, we’re delighted to welcome AuriKid Gwendolyn Sheppard back to Auribuzz. We absolutely adore having a chance to showcase her work. We love her style and have truly enjoyed following along with her creative journey!

Gwen’s debut collection, Spool-en-dids, featured 10 delightfully bright colors of our Aurifloss, her preferred thread for stitching, which she’s now been doing for half of her life! Her second collection, Woodland Spool-en-dids, debuted at Fall Market last year and featured 10 small spools of 12wt thread.

Gwen’s mom, Wendy Sheppard, is also an Aurifil Designer and they are quite the mother-daughter duo. We can’t say for sure if creativity is genetic, but seeing Wendy and Gwen create together makes us pretty certain that it is. We see wonderful things in the future for this talented young lady!

HUGE thanks to both Gwen and Wendy for making today’s post possible — we’re thrilled to showcase Gwen’s work and to celebrate her dedication to such a wonderful craft.

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Hello, this is Gwen Sheppard again! I am a happy Aurikid.

Since I was last here, two of my original designs are officially published! The charts for these two Christmas ornaments are in Just Cross Stitch December 2020 issue.

Last autumn, Aurifil released my second thread collection, Woodland Spool-en-dids. It is a collection of ten 12wt spools in fall colors and I really love to do hand embroidery using the these threads.

During breaks working on my large stitching pieces, I work on what my Mom calls “trinket” stitching. They are just small, really quick and easy projects. Earlier this year, I cross-stitched a Flower Basket pillow ornament that I gave to my 5^th grade teacher. If you missed the free design (my original), you can go HERE to download the chart.

To celebrate Thanksgiving with my stitching friends, I am serving up another cross-stitched trinket project.

This time, I cross stitched, NOT with Aurifloss, but rather with the Woodland Spool-en-dids 12wt spools. Cross stitching with the 12wt threads is not something I have done, so it’s like an experiment for a 6^th grade Science Project. I used colors 1104, 2145 and 2345.

Here are my conclusions:

1. I like it – normally when I stitch with Aurifloss, I have to separate the strands and regroup them for stitching.I also usually condition my floss to keep the knots from forming.  But with the 12wt, I can stitch with the threads straight from the spool.
2. I do have to use a Chenille needle (size 22) which has a larger eye to stitch because the thread is heavier than the strands of floss.

3. I cross-stitched over 16ct aida fabric with 1 strand of 12wt thread.The thread covers the aida squares nicely.

My Mom finished my trinket stitching into little pillows to add to our fall centerpiece for our dining room.  It was really fun to see them having such a dignified position in the house.

I am sharing the chart here if you would like to stitch up pumpkins as favors to your Thanksgiving guests! Simply click here or on the button below for your FREE pdf!

But… before I go, I would like to show you a couple of progress pictures on my Little Princess dollhouse stitching.

There are no people in the original dollhouse chart.  So I added on my own Miss Minchin and a scullery maid to the original design.  Their clothes are based on research I did on what Victorian women wore for their stations in life.

It’s been so fun adding my own touches to the original dollhouse design.  And I am saving up all my thread scraps for when the birds build their nest next year!

Thank you for letting me chattering on here today – till next time, and Happy Thanksgiving!

We have to offer a HUGE thank you to both Gwen and Wendy for sharing such a wonderful and festive project with us. Happy Holidays!!

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THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
Woodland Spool-en-dids
10 Small Spools, 100% Cotton 12wt
2115, 1104, 2882, 2345, 4241
3910, 2021, 1133, 2145, 5018

To view this info on our website, click here. For purchasing, please contact your local Aurifil Dealer.

GWEN SHEPPARD

Gwen is the daughter of Aurifil Designer Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring. She started stitching with her mom 5 years ago and is already an incredibly skilled cross-stitcher. She stitched a magnificent sampler using threads from her AuriKids collection, a piece that we were honored to showcase in our booth Fall International Quilt Market in 2017. Gwen is just getting started on her creative journey and is turning her attention to quilting.

ABOUT WENDY
Website — Instagram

Originally from Southeast Asia, Wendy came to the US for her tertiary education.  After her degrees in Chemical Engineering, she worked in research in a wind tunnel for a spell.  Nowadays, she is a stay/work-at-home Mom to a 7 year old.  Wendy’s designs have been featured in major quilting publications, both home and abroad.  She is also an author for Landauer Publishing, as well as an online quilting instructor.  She is passionate about encouraging quilters to enjoy their quilting journey.  During her free time, she loves to read history, and indulges in hand needlework.