Make this exquisite goldwork Christmas decoration

Please read instructions carefully before commencing the embroidery.

Equipment required

• 20cm/8in ring, or square frame, preferably freestanding to allow the use of both hands
• Old scissors (the metal threads can damage the blades),preferably fine pointed
• Beeswax
• No 10 crewel or sharps needle (very fine)
• No 18 or 20 chenille needle (large enough to take the check thread)
• Velvet board (a piece of card covered with cotton velvet)
• Ruler
• Tracing paper
• White tailor’s chalk pencil
• Black felt tip pen or fine permanent marker
• Sellotape
• Flat-ended tweezers
• Chopstick or knitting needle

Materials required

• 28cm/11in square of purple silk dupion fabric
• 15cm/6in square of matching silk brocade
• 28cm/11in square of calico square or 15cm/6in of iron-on backing paper
• 5cm/2in square gold coloured felt
• 4cm/1½in square metallic gold kid
• 40cm/16in gilt bright check purl no 6
• 1m/40in gilt super pearl purl (super pp)
• 1m/40in gold coloured check thread no 7
• old gold coloured sewing thread (eg Gutermann 488)
• metallic gold sewing thread (eg Madeira heavy metal)
• 40cm/16in gilt 6s twist
• skein of gold lamé thread
• handful of toy stuffi ng or wadding
• 25cm/10in gold coloured 3-ply twist

Metal threads used
Kid – this is soft metallic leather.
Bright check purl – this is a fragile hollow metal with a shiny faceted appearance that can be cut into small pieces and sewn down like a bead.
Pearl purl – this is a firm metal that resembles a spring. It needs to be stretched slightly before use by holding an end with one hand and stroking it with the thumb and forefinger of the other. This opens the coils a fraction to allow the stitches to slip in between.
No 7 check thread – this is a fine metallic thread with a crinkly appearance. It is couched in place with a metallic sewing thread so that the stitches become invisible.

• The silk dupion can be stabilised in two different ways. Press an iron-on backing paper (often used for machine embroidery) to the wrong side of the fabric using a silk temperature setting. Alternatively, lay a piece of calico the same size behind the silk dupion fabric. In both cases the embroidery is worked through the two layers.
• Use lengths of sewing thread no longer than 45cm/18in to prevent the thread from becoming tangled.
• Coat the old gold coloured sewing thread (Gutermann) with beeswax: thread a length into the needle, hold the needle by the eye and pull only the thread through the wax a couple of times. Remove any excess wax by drawing your fingernails down the thread. The metallic sewing thread (Madeira) should not be waxed.
• Attach and fasten off both types of sewing thread with three tiny
  backstitches on the design line or underneath an area that will be embroidered. If you’re unable to do this, fasten on and off the thread to some of the stitches on back of work.
• When working with the bright check purl keep just a small amount on the velvet board. If any falls on the floor, carefully pick up the raw ends first, then gently collect the rest into your hand. Bright check purl very easily catches on carpets or fabrics causing it to stretch and unravel.

Transferring the design. Trace the design on to the tracing  paper using a black felt tip or fine permanent marker and tape this up at the window or light source. Place the fabric over the tracing, taping it into position. Draw the design on the fabric with the fi ne pointed white tailor’s chalk pencil. This will produce a temporary outline that should last long enough to work the embroidery.

1. Trace both felt templates on to tracing paper and cut out. Lay these on the felt and carefully cut them out.  Attach the smallest piece first with straight stitches using the Gutermann thread, bringing the needle up on the design line and taking it down into the felt. It’s best to place a stitch in each quarter and then complete the areas in between. Larger areas may need more than four preliminary stitches for the initial anchoring. Lay the second piece of felt on top and repeat the technique.  Refer to the diagram for stitch positions.
2. Trace the kid template on to tracing paper and cut it out. Lay this on the right side of the kid and Sellotape it in position. Very carefully cut out the shape from the right side and peel off the tracing. Attach this in exactly the same way as the felt, but use the Madeira metallic sewing thread instead.  Try to keep the stitches small and space them a few mm/⅛ in apart. Refer to the diagram for the stitch positions.
3. Couch super pp around the edge of the kid star, starting and finishing at one of the inner indented points: pp always lies flush with the design with none of it passing through to the back of the work. Bring a waxed Gutermann sewing thread up on the design line and take the thread over the super pp, going down into the same hole. Carefully pull on the stitch so that it disappears between the coils. Space these stitches every three or four coils apart and make sure there are stitches between the first two and last two coils. On reaching a turning point, make a stitch over the super pp at the exact tip, leaving the thread on the back of the work. Hold the thread firmly from underneath and using your other hand bend the super pp in the desired direction. Before the end is reached, cut off any spare super pp in the direction of the twist and then complete the last few titches.
4. Using the same technique as no 3 stitch super pp around the large inner four-pointed star shape starting at the top. Also, attach super pp around the main outside shape starting at the bottom and outline each of the small slender diamonds with super pp. Try to even out all the starting points to balance the design.
5. Lay the bright check purl on the velvet board and cut it into small pieces, 2mm/1⁄16in. Using a waxed Gutermann sewing thread, sew the chips down randomly so that the spirals don’t lie in the same direction.  Position them very closely together to produce a flat surface.
6. With Madeira metallic sewing thread couch the no 7 check thread around the large inner four-pointed star shape starting at the bottom, remembering to leave tails. Space the stitches every few mm/⅛ in apart.  Stitch the no 7 check thread around the main outside shape starting at the top.  Use the chenille needle to take the ends through to the wrong side and cast them off .
7. Attach super pp along the four ‘corners’. Couch no 7 check thread alongside the pp, staggering the ends for softness. Sew back any ends that are on the wrong side. Making up the decoration Draw an 8cm/3in square around the embroidery with the chalk pencil. Trim the spare fabric back, leaving 2.5cm/1in all around the pencil line. Fold back the seam allowance on all sides to the wrong side forming a neat square. Decide which way you want the silk brocade to hang and then create a matching sized square. Carefully pin the two squares together with the right sides facing out. Ladder stitch around the edge but leave an opening by the top corner. Insert the stuffing through this corner and push into place with the chopstick or knitting needle. Attach a twist around the edge of the decoration beginning at the open corner [and leaving a 2.5cm/1in ends] at the start and finish. Fold the 3-ply twist in half and tie the raw ends in an overhand knot. Position the knotted end of the hanger inside the open corner.
8. Insert the stuffing through this corner and push into place with the chopstick or knitting needle. Attach a twist around the edge of the
   decoration beginning at the open corner [and leaving a 2.5cm/1in ends]
   at the start and finish. Fold the 3-ply twist in half and tie the raw ends in an overhand knot. Position the knotted end of the hanger inside the open
   corner. Thread the ends of the 6’s twist through the hanger so that they
   naturally cross each other and tuck them inside the corner. Ladder stitch
   the remaining gap. Tie an overhand knot across the top corner. Finish off
   with a handmade tassel in gold lame thread in the bottom corner. Your
   decoration is now ready to adorn your Christmas tree.

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