Fall Embroidery Ideas to Cozy Up Your Wardrobe
Introduction
There's a particular moment every year when the air changes and you suddenly want to be wearing a big jumper and holding something warm. That's my favorite time to stitch!
Autumn is genuinely the best season for embroidery. The colors are gorgeous, the projects are cozy, and there's something lovely about sitting with a hoop while it's grey outside.
Our Cozy Fall wash away stickers are made for exactly this. There are 12 designs – a hedgehog, a squirrel, a mug of hot cocoa, a woolly beanie, a teapot, an acorn, a pumpkin, a maple leaf, cozy socks, an autumn leaf, autumn florals, and a toadstool. They're pre-printed, so there's no tracing required! You peel, stick, stitch, and rinse the sticker away in water.
This blog will cover:
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Cozy wardrobe projects
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Autumn home touches
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Choosing your fall color palette
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Which stitches to use
Cozy wardrobe projects
Sweatshirts and jumpers: This is the obvious one and it's obvious for a reason. A little acorn or a maple leaf on the chest of a plain sweatshirt turns it into something you'll reach for constantly. Just check the knit isn't too stretchy – a firmer sweatshirt fabric is much easier to work with than a loose knit.
Denim jackets: A hedgehog on a pocket, or a scattering of autumn leaves across a shoulder. Denim is a joy to stitch on and it holds up to years of wear.
Beanies and scarves: Small designs work best here. The woolly hat design on an actual woolly hat is quite pleasing.
Cozy socks: Yes, really! The socks design on a pair of socks is very funny and very sweet. Keep it small and use a stabilizer, since socks stretch.
Autumn touches for your home
Kitchen towels: The teapot and hot cocoa designs are perfect here. A set of two makes a lovely gift for someone who's just moved house.
Cushion covers: Toadstools and autumn florals look gorgeous on a linen cushion, and they're an easy way to change the feel of a room (without buying anything new!)
A hoop for the wall: If you'd rather keep it as art, the squirrel or the toadstool framed in a wooden hoop makes a beautiful seasonal piece.
Table linen: Autumn leaves scattered across the corner of a napkin or a runner is a really lovely touch if you're hosting!
Choosing your fall color palette
This is the fun part, and honestly it's what makes an autumn project feel autumnal.
The classic palette: rust, mustard, burnt orange, deep green, cream. You genuinely can't go wrong with these five!
For something softer: dusty pink, sage, oatmeal and a warm brown. Lovely for florals and for anything you want to feel gentle rather than bold.
For something richer: plum, deep teal, ochre and chocolate brown. These look gorgeous on cream or oatmeal fabric.
A tip: pick three or four colors and use them across several designs rather than giving each design its own palette. A set of projects in the same colors looks intentional and pulls a whole wardrobe together!
Lastly, think about your background fabric. Mustard, rust and forest green sweatshirts are everywhere in autumn, and a cream or oatmeal design on top of them looks stunning!
Which stitches should I use?
Each design is a blank canvas, so the stitches are up to you:
Back stitch for outlines – the teapot, the mug, the beanie. Solid and forgiving!
Satin stitch for filling smaller shapes like acorns and toadstool caps, or maple leaves. Smooth and lovely!
Fishbone stitch for the leaves. It creates a natural center vein so a leaf looks structured rather than just filled in – it was made for this pack!
Long and short stitch for the squirrel. Because you stagger the stitch lengths, you can blend two or three shades of rust and gold into each other – which is exactly how you get that soft, realistic fur look on a bushy tail.
Chain stitch for the hedgehog's scarf. Worked in rows, it builds up into a lovely ridged texture that genuinely looks knitted – so much dimension for such a simple stitch!
French knots for berries, for texture on the florals, or for little bubbles rising off the hot cocoa.
Before you start...
A couple of quick practical things:
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Pre-wash new clothing so it doesn't shrink around your design later.
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Use colorfast thread – your finished piece gets rinsed in water. Ours are colorfast.
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Check you can reach the back of wherever you're placing the design.
There's more in our 5 Top Tips for Using Wash Away Stickers blog.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a whole autumn's worth of cozy stitching!
This is my favorite season to stitch in, and I think it's because the projects suit the mood so well. There's no rush to any of it. You put something warm on, you find a comfortable chair, and you slowly turn a plain sweatshirt into your favorite one.
With 12 designs in the pack there's plenty to keep you going right through to the first frost. Enjoy!
What's next?
The Cozy Fall Wash Away Stickers Pack has all 12 designs, and every pack comes with step-by-step video instructions covering how to use the stickers and how to embroider onto clothing.
Feeling seasonal? The Halloween Magic pack pairs beautifully with it – or bundle and save with Hedgie's Cozy Corner Bundle.
P.S. If you're after a fall project with everything included, our Personalized Fall Handkerchiefs Beginner Kit makes a gorgeous handmade gift – two lace-edged cotton handkerchiefs, autumn florals, and the recipient's initials.
