Coat lapels for Design Online

As my final project for Design Online, the Guild's first attempt at an online course, I decided to design embroidery to go along the lapels of a woollen coat I made a couple of years ago. It is in Italian felted wool and I had always intended to embroider the lapels.

I began by adapting some floral motifs from Annette Rich's Australian Wildflower Embroidery, but decided this was too detailed and fussy for the wool coat.

I did want Australian flowers, and I wanted the design to blend a bit with the dark purple coat, so I went looking for plants that might work, Hardenbergia violacea seemed to fit the bill.   Its hanging habit and long, pointy leaves seemed ideal for the coat.   

I translated this into a drawing, adjusted it, traced it onto Solvi,                   .

and tacked the two Solvi strips to the lapels of the coat.I selected a range of wool threads in the colours of the design. I chose to use the Australian threads I bought at the beginning of 2020 for my bushfire embroidery. That embroidery topic got a bit overtaken by Covid, so I'm happy to use some of the threads here. They are mainly Mogear, with a bit of Cascade House.

I had originally planned to work this project every month at the Basics to Beyond class at the Guild, but once I got into it I didn't want to stop - and a month between sessions was going to end up confusing me. 

I tore some of the Solvi off as I progressed so I could see how it was working. Most of the Solvi tore off quite easily.

The rest came off  without any trouble when I dabbed it with water on a cotton ball.

I did need to use my wrist brace while stitching. There was no way to put it in a hoop, and I get RSI in my left wrist from holding work in the same position for lengthy periods.

I also manage to put a needle right through the nail on my index finger - the result of pushing the needle with my nail and unthinkingly pushing the wrong end!

The embroidery result, however, is pleasing.

I rather like the way the flowers flow down the coat as they do on the plant.                                                                  

It's a bit of a mad project, but I've had it in mind since I made the coat, and I'm pleased to have done it. 

I don't imagine I'll wear the coat this year, but hopefully it will be used next winter.