Monday, December 15, 2008

Yee Haw!


I made this jacket back in 1996 out of black Pendelton wool. On the back is a hand-embroidered a cactus from my own design . The cactus flowers are done with silk-ribbon embroidery and the spines of the cactus are accented with beads. Note the cowgirl "smile" pockets. I practiced making a basic straight welt pocket. Once I had mastered that, I designed a curved welt pocket. I practiced on scrap fabric until I got it to look right. It took about 15 tries! The next obstacle was to figure out how to embroider the little arrow that goes each end of the pocket. I lived in Sonoma at the time and there was a very upscale western shop called Rodeo. I would go in there and examine the arrows on the western shirts, then go home and try it. It took about 5 or 6 trips back and forth until I finally figured out how to make them. I entered this jacket in the Sonoma County Fair that year and won 2nd place. The lining didn't hang well enough for a blue ribbon. I guess by the time I got the jacket done, I had no patience left for the lining!

1 comment:

TerBear said...

I am consistently amazed by your talent and perseverance. You are so versatile. 15 tries! I would have given up after a few. To be totally honest, I doubt that I would have even tried to tackle such a tricky jacket.

I would love to see close-up photos of the pockets and the embroidery. The ribbon flowers add a nice touch. Perhaps I'll get to see the jacket in person. I would love that!

:-) Terri