I mentioned my goldwork chrysanthemum from the Mary Jane Collection a while ago. I stopped for a while since the gold was giving me trouble, but Megan gave me some advice on plunging the gold through the fabric, so I’m trying again:
I had stopped work partway through the stem. When I picked it back up, though, I realized that I had decided to couch the stem down in front but wait to tie the gold down in back until I could do it all at once – what a horrific mess! I want a time machine so I can go back in time and slap myself. That was a terrible idea. Tie it down as you go along, folks. The stem looks good from the front though.
And here’s a close-up of the blossom. I couldn’t catch the sparkle in my photos today, but everything in this design really shines. I will also be outlining all the petals in gold. It’ll be gorgeous.
I’m pleased that Megan’s tips have encouraged you to continue with this. It is lovely and I suspect close to completion now. As a rule of thumb I don’t sink the tails until I have finished the gold work, loose tails on the back are a total nightmare. I am currently working on a piece were the embroidery is outlined with gold and it totally transforms the look of it. Have fun, I look forward to seeing it done.
I tend to sink threads in batches as I finish a section of work, and then tie them in very thoroughly at the back before moving on. You need to work out a routine that works for you, and that will at least partly depend on how long you can tolerate un-sunk ends on the front!
I think I had the worst of all worlds – a bunch of loose tails in the back but the section was still in progress! They really got in the way.
I tie each tail as I go, myself.