I don’t seem to be able to give up the idea of using metallic gilding foil in embroidery. When it works, it looks wonderful, and gives an effect that nothing else quite matches. On the other hand, it can be a technical nightmare to work with, flaking off from the fabric when you least expect it. I keep telling myself to forget it and get on with other things, but I keep being drawn back to it. In some designs, such as re-creations of Celtic and Pictish art, it gives the effect of old gold that works like nothing else to gives these ancient designs a feeling of antiquity and mystery
I’ve come a long way in working out the technical details of how best to apply the gold to the fabric, and although even now it doesn’t always work, the results are better than they used to be. Here’s an example of red-gold gilt foil used where it has a real effect – on a Pictish design taken from one of the ancient carved stones near where we live. As usual, the effect of the metallic gold doesn’t really come through on the scan, but it looks wonderful on the original
A Pictish serpent from Aberdeenshire, appliqued with gilded fabric