
UPDATE 4: Started on the back — and now I have a big decision to make
Hey r/visiblemending! Back with another update on the boro jacket saga.
So I’ve started working on the back and as you can see the sides are coming along in the same style as the front the boro patchwork and distressing is extending naturally around the jacket which I’m pretty happy with.
But now I’m stuck on the big empty center panel and I genuinely don’t know what to do with it 😅
I have two directions I’m considering:
Option 1 — Put an Our Lady of Guadalupe image in the center back. I love the idea of having that as a focal point and it would give the whole jacket a really strong identity. But I’m not sure how to execute it in the context of a boro piece without it looking out of place or forced.
Option 2 — Just boro the entire back the same way as the sides and front. Keep it consistent, let the textile work speak for itself, no central image.
Both feel right in different ways and I genuinely can’t decide. Has anyone done figurative imagery in a boro or sashiko piece before? Would love to hear thoughts from the community on this one 🙏