Things were looking a bit too blue so I found a scrap of fabric my daughter had dyed that had the pinks and purples she favored as a young one. I'm continuing to block in the shapes on the back of the jacket which is requiring some discipline, since I really want to get on with the decorative stitching.
I revisited the Cooper-Hewitt website to look more at their Make Do and Mend images.
Darning Sampler, 1836; silk embroidery, cotton foundation; 24.1 x 23.5 cm (9 1/2 x 9 1/4 in.); Bequest of Gertrude M. Oppenheimer; 1981-28-208
The ladies of the day went to great lengths to make the work decorative, or to at least blend in quite well. I imagine they were practicing these patterns so that they could patch fabrics so that the patches would hardly show. Very inspiring!