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.
embroidery for ducks 
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.