SKILL LEVEL

Some experience of embroidery will enable you to expand your skillset and create more complex or detailed pieces. We recommend that beginners attend our Surface Stitches Workshop before this workshop. 

SKILLS

  Design Inspiration and ideas.

Exploring substrates (textiles/fabrics) to support embroidery.

Drawing and transferring a design onto fabric.

Knowledge of gold embroidery threads and metals and their design uses.

Knowledge of the variety of needles, stitching techniques and threads used in goldwork and metal embroidery techniques.

Exploring line, padded shapes, and texture with goldwork stitching techniques.

Completion of goldwork samples.

What is Goldwork Embroidery?

Goldwork is a luxurious and ornate embroidery technique using metallic threads to create intricate designs. The technique has been used for centuries to embellish clothing, furnishings and religious items.

Goldwork Techniques

• Couching: this is the primary technique used in goldwork embroidery. It involves stitching down a thicker thread, usually made of metal, onto the fabric surface using a thinner thread. The couching thread is typically invisible, while the thicker thread creates a raised surface.

• Padding: is used to create depth and texture in the design. A variety of materials such as felt, string or even cardboard can be used as padding. It is placed underneath the area to be embroidered and secured with stitches.

• Laid work: this technique involves laying down a long piece of thread on the fabric surface and stitching it down at regular intervals to create a design. It is often used to create lines, borders or geometric shapes.

• Cutwork: is a technique that involves removing sections of fabric to create a design. This technique is pared with metal threads to create intricate shapes and patterns.

• Or Nué: is a technique that involves stitching metal threads onto a fabric surface in a specific pattern. The pattern is then filled in with coloured threads to create a shaded effect.

• Chipping: involves cutting small pieces of metal threads and attaching them to the fabric surface to create a textured effect.

Goldwork embroidery requires patience and precision! The materials used are delicate and require careful handling. It’s a technique that has been passed down through generations and continues to be practised today by skilled sewists.