Maple leaf draft

I was doodling around this morning, and came up with this potential draft for the newly-reworked Autumn Splendor:

And here it is without the lines:

I haven’t decided yet which I like best – the diagonal lines give a pleasing “grid” to it, I think, but the leaves without the lines look freer and more flowing.  I think I will weave up both and see which I like more.

(This is done up in 3-1 broken twills.  I could have used 4-1 satins, but I wanted less contrast in the pattern, to make it a bit subtler.)

Meanwhile, I have realized that there’s really no reason the collar has to be leather, and there’s actually a good reason to make it of something else: leather is a royal pain to sew, and I think it would be nice to do some embroidery on the collar – tracework of leaves, in gold, I think.  A green silk charmeuse would be Just Right.

I’m amused with how this warp has metamorphosed into an Art Project, as opposed to the quick-and-dirty projects I was going to make; but you knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?