Autumn 2026: A Letter From Bonnie

By: Bonnie Christine

Story Adapted From Pattern Magazine – Volume 6

Pattern Magazine is Bonnie Christine's quarterly print and digital publication for surface pattern designers, artists, and creative entrepreneurs who believe that how you live shapes what you make. This letter opens Volume 6, Marking the Moment, the autumn 2026 issue.

Autumn catches us in its arms, reminding us to be present: to pause our whirlwind adventuring and sunshine-filled play, and to intentionally notice.

As the year comes to a close, this honeycomb season unfolds around us. The Smoky Mountains become a palette of golden yellows and burnt oranges. And with each turning leaf, my pace slows.

I step back into routine, eager for the steadiness that structure brings, and aware that my creativity needs these quieter months too. It needs thoughtful pattern-making, detailed linework, and studio documentation as much as the carefree adventuring and sunshine-gathering of the season before.

As my kids, Ollie and Bear, return to school, I return to my analog studio. I am greeted by my bookshelf lined with antique art books, papers layered with sketches, and moodboards adorned with paint swatches and satin ribbons.

I begin marking the moments of the months that came before ... a swish of my paintbrush, a line on the page, a scan of a fern I found hiking the Appalachian Trail. I trace over my pencil sketches with ink and organize my tools and paints, getting my hands messy as I go.

My mark-making returns easily.

I have found in my creative journey that autumn and analog go hand in hand. It is a time of holiday traditions, of family recipe cards passed down through generations, and of letters penned by hand and mailed to dear friends.

This season is filled with stories and rich moments. And I long to document them and lean in, fully present: to create ornaments we’ll remember and place cards for the family table, to design my very own gift wrap, and to thoughtfully arrange each present under our tree.

Autumn invites us to document by hand and layer with heart. As an artist, a creative, or a mother, how will you mark the moments this season brings?

With love,
Bonnie

Wanting More?

Read the full Autumn issue, Volume 6 of Pattern Magazine, Marking the Moment.