If you asked me what part of the coat construction has given me the most angst it was the absolute last bit of labor. The inseam pockets required a bit of embroidery to secure the top and bottom of the opening. This would be easy. I'll embroider one of those cool little woven arrows that you see on Western shirts and tailored clothing from the Thirties. Can't be hard, right? Well, those woven little arrows weren't hard at all but they just looked like jumbled threads on this heavy coating. Rip it out! Ok, let's try just a plain embroidered arrow. It was a bit better but far from nice. it was very difficult to get even edges with the bulky wool, once again! Here's one of them:
This certainly won't do. Next procrastination set in. Then I hit again and decided maybe just a simple rectangle would do. Better but not better enough.
As I went to try again one more time I couldn't find what I knew was the last bit of black floss and I wanted to finish this dang thing. Then I thought, does my machine make arrows? Well, Howdy do, it does, all in a line. I have a button I can push to give me just one unit of the design. I got together a seamed sample with the same layers as the coat pockets and gave it a shot. Wonderful! I was ready and couldn't believe how well this worked. Here is the first one I made on the coat:
Nice tight arrow with a little center interest but not lined up! Try again! I realized that the arrow was a half inch wide so the next one , after I ripped out this one, was measured out and a pin put exactly where the first stitch would go down. Stand up to get a good look down through the presser foot to line that needle up and give it the gas.
The rest of them came out perfectly and I was done in no time. Thank heavens I lost that black floss. This is a much better resolution.
Now all I need is a good press and de-linting and it will be photo time, hopefully today. We have had a bald eagle around our property lately circling our land for three days in a row last week. Friday I took a dirt road shortcut near home to get to work and I find him circling about a mile from our house. This afternoon our plan is to jump in the car with the camera and see if we can find him/her and get a pic. Males and Females look very much alike so we are not sure which it is. Hubby also saw an adolescent last week. They are mostly brown for about 3-4 years but HUGE, so their is a nesting family nearby. Crossing our fingers that we get some more visits from these majestic winged creatures....Bunny
This certainly won't do. Next procrastination set in. Then I hit again and decided maybe just a simple rectangle would do. Better but not better enough.
As I went to try again one more time I couldn't find what I knew was the last bit of black floss and I wanted to finish this dang thing. Then I thought, does my machine make arrows? Well, Howdy do, it does, all in a line. I have a button I can push to give me just one unit of the design. I got together a seamed sample with the same layers as the coat pockets and gave it a shot. Wonderful! I was ready and couldn't believe how well this worked. Here is the first one I made on the coat:
Nice tight arrow with a little center interest but not lined up! Try again! I realized that the arrow was a half inch wide so the next one , after I ripped out this one, was measured out and a pin put exactly where the first stitch would go down. Stand up to get a good look down through the presser foot to line that needle up and give it the gas.
The rest of them came out perfectly and I was done in no time. Thank heavens I lost that black floss. This is a much better resolution.
Now all I need is a good press and de-linting and it will be photo time, hopefully today. We have had a bald eagle around our property lately circling our land for three days in a row last week. Friday I took a dirt road shortcut near home to get to work and I find him circling about a mile from our house. This afternoon our plan is to jump in the car with the camera and see if we can find him/her and get a pic. Males and Females look very much alike so we are not sure which it is. Hubby also saw an adolescent last week. They are mostly brown for about 3-4 years but HUGE, so their is a nesting family nearby. Crossing our fingers that we get some more visits from these majestic winged creatures....Bunny
That's what I need to do. Keep trying until I get it how I want it instead of good enough. Great work! We have a huge brownish predator bird hanging around our woods...it almost looks like an owl, but I know it's not. Love the big birds. I hope you get a picture of yours.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice touch!
ReplyDeletePerfect little arrow, little details like this make the coat unique. Hope you get the eagle pic!
ReplyDeletePerfect, these details make the difference.
ReplyDeleteA fantastic detail....that frustration might have just put me over the edge. :)~Teri
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely detail, something almost no one will notice but you. And us of course.
ReplyDeleteIf you have eagles around be careful of your small pets, they are easily taken by eagles. Thank goodness I don't have first hand experience of this, but I know people who have.
Thanks for sharing this part of the journey. It's a great reminder that we should all strive for the absolute best we can do, even when "good enough" looks pretty good. :) And now you've got me wondering if my own machine will do anything as cool as this!
ReplyDeleteUgh! The thought of digging out those not-good-enough arrows! Kudos to you for persisting and prevailing. The final product looks perfect.
ReplyDeleteI must check to see if my machine has an arrow in the embroidery tools.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!! I will copy this feature, no doubt about that!!
ReplyDeleteWell, howdy do!!!, it's perfect. Who would have thought?!! I love hand stitched anything, but I guess this proves that sometimes the machine is a good thing ;)
ReplyDeleteYou are so patient, Bunny. However, it really paid off and the result is perfection!
ReplyDeleteWhat a darling touch to make it even more professional looking. Why don't we use the decorative features on our machines more often...Lord knows we paid enough for them...ha ha.
ReplyDeleteThat's my goal right there. Keep working at it until it's good, not just good enough. I have one of those machines that does many stitch patterns I never use. I'm reevaluating that opinion this morning. Patience pays! Good work!
ReplyDeleteWow! This is such a beautiful and functional detail. You’re such a great teacher. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you can photograph some of the family soon.
Love it! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSo gorgeous! That is a coat to be proud of. I wanted to ask you if padding out Miss Dumdum/Graciela was worth all the work you put into it? Has it been a big aid in fitting?
ReplyDeleteThank you, everyone, for all the comments on my little angst arrows. I have off Friday so that looks like it will make a great picture taking day. I am making a leather/wool sash to belt around the coat.
ReplyDeleteMiss Dumdum is a great help in making my garments. I am still a firm believer in making muslins and taking pics of them to get a good view on the adjustments made. But I use Miss DD a lot for placing collars, trims, shoulder pads, etc. She is a big help but IMO nothing beats a muslin and a camera.
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ReplyDeleteBunny, your coat is just gorgeous. You have done a wonderful job on it as you usually do. Love all the details you have shared on your blog.your ring is beautiful. So happy for you that you are niw able to wear it and be reminded of your parents everytime you look down and see the ring.:)
ReplyDelete