An Embroidered Collar

This has turned out to be a great little project and has wildly exceeded my expectations. Begun on a whim and finished within a week, it just makes me smile when I look at it. I have to confess, it has been an idea that has been swirling around in my mind for a few weeks since I saw one of the presenters of Glastonbury on the TV, wearing a plain shirt with a heavily embroidered collar. It looked fabulous and even though I only saw it for a few moments, it sunk into my subconscious. Then two weeks ago, I decided to have a real clear out in my wardrobe. One of the things I wasn’t sure about was this cardigan, bought in Sainsbury’s on the sale rail at a much reduced price, last year. I haven’t worn it much because it makes me feel a bit old and frumpy. I was drawn to it because of the colour (I love cream knitwear and jackets - totally impractical of course!) and I thought the covered buttons were rather smart…and they are…but there was something about it that just didn’t quite make me love it. For sure, I do now!

I decided I had nothing to lose by attempting to embroider the collar. I was a bit concerned because of course it wouldn’t fit in a hoop and was stretchy knitted fabric. It is 100% acrylic, so I had no idea how it would hold the stitching. I thought about using some iron interfacing underneath the collar, but was worried this would look odd and stiff when the rest of the garment was so soft. In the end, I thought I would just go for it.

In selecting my colours, I chose a pretty palette of greens, yellows and some tan and coral shades to make it pop. There was some thought it this. I have some lovely coral beads that belonged to my Mum and some vintage amber beads too and I love to wear them both especially in summer and autumn. I also have a vintage silk scarf that is a favourite and a lovely warm colour Ally Capellino bag that is fun to use in the warmer months, so planned that the embroidery would tie all these elements together.

The threads I used are perle cotton #12 from Paintbox threads, with a few silk variegated ones that I have collected along the way to add some extra texture and sheen. In order to create the dense floral pattern, I just decided to stitch floral motifs up against one another in a random fashion, making sure that the colours were reasonable evenly distributed. It seemed to work and what’s more holding the collar in my hand meant that I could master the stitch tension on each motif, keeping it flat on the stretchy parts. As I worked, the threads added strength and structure to the collar without stiffness. I was so surprised how it both looked and felt and delighted with the first quarter. The whole cardigan was suddenly transformed into a garment that would probably cost a fortune to buy.

It didn’t take me all that long to work around and it was such a joy to see how the variegated threads blended so well with the solid colours to produce a little wildflower garden.

The whole feel of this cardigan now, is of a vintage style jacket. It looks wonderfully smart and with all the right accessories it is just fabulous to wear. I really thinking that some smart wool trousers with turn ups would be the perfect autumn pairing for this now.

I have no idea how it will wash and wear, but I can’t see why it should be a problem if I treat it as a delicate item. In fact it doesn’t really feel that delicate at all and I just know it will be worn and loved for a long time to come. Not bad for a supermarket find…and of course, it has set a whole new set of ideas in motion. Stay tuned!