Obsession

Here it is January 18th and I'm just getting to my first blog post for 2012.  I had a wonderfully relaxing time over the holidays and hit the ground running at the start of the new year.  I've had lots of administrative things to take care of, but I have managed to finish another jacket to share.

I call this one Obsession - because I just couldn't stop working on it.  When I started I planned to make a vest.  It was going to be a quick project, probably something for myself.  I decided to do the couching by hand so I'd have something to work on at home when I was watching movies with my family.  I put two different yarns together and did a herringbone stitch over the top.  I loved the look and kept adding more lines of it.  Here's a detail so you can sort of see the couching.

Then in the process of sorting out my fabrics I found a nice linen that worked well with the other fabrics that I'd started with and suddenly I had enough to make a jacket instead of a vest.  That meant more stitching to work on, so I spent my holidays as a couching potato. (Sorry I just couldn't resist!)

I used a nice striped fabric for the lining instead of the typical plain fabric.  It's a bit heavier but I love the way the colors coordinate.  It adds a some heft to the jacket making it perfect for cooler weather.  With the neutral colors and the combination of plain and embroidered fabrics it should be a very versatile addition to someone's wardrobe.

Here's the back.  (My photography skills are not the greatest.  I don't know why but the colors didn't come out as well on this one even though I shot it in just the same place and with the same settings--I think.)