I love Fox & Rabbit materials....they come in such wonderful colours & are easy to work with. The Elephant Run shade is considerably lighter than in the sample shown. It is more of a medium/dark grey. Due to the difference between the sample & the actual material, this material would not work for my project, so I have put it away for future use & ordered Black Swan, which is much darker. As always, postage was swift. Ribbon Rose is my go to shop for all my needlework needs.