My post this month is – surprise – more stitching on my jacket. Last time I was unsure of what pattern or design to stitch on the side panels at the back of the jacket. I did think about a group of straight lines in a vague fan shape for these panels, but I wanted something that would be a little more challenging for me to do, and also, would be interesting to look at.

I saw a design that I liked very much from ‘The Green Wrapper’ on her Youtube channel – I have mentioned her work previously. I changed the pattern slightly and worked it on a 2.5cm grid, and then used a 5cm diameter circle, in a pattern, so that each circle interlocks with it’s neighbour. This interlocking of circles provides the final pattern.

I drew the grid, and circles with a Frixion pen; some circles are misplaced, and are clearly visible, but I did not risk removing them with the iron, for fear of removing too much of the correct marking, and having to repeat it all again. Luckily, I could clearly see the path of the pattern, and I added extra pen marks to assist. To draw the circles I used a small sherry glass, it was a touch under 5 cm diameter, but also just perfect! The two photos below show where I have made mistakes.

The next decision was to decide to use just one colour thread, or many colours. I went with the latter, and I did not think too much about the direction of each colour in the stitching. I used stranded embroidery floss, and a little wax to help ease it through the fabric.

Initially, I planned the pattern up to the armscye, but halfway through the stitching I decided to extend it up to the yoke. I do think it looks better having the pattern fill the space of the panel. The stitching is almost complete on this side, and I have removed the pen marks on the lower half of the panel with the iron, so that the pattern is more easily visible. The colours are not as bright in the photos as they are in real life, but I hope that you can see the pattern fairly well.

Now to decide what to put on to the other side panel, whether to do the same one, or find a different design.