Embroidery with gold, gold threads: history of gold embroidery, technique with detailed photos and videos. Gold embroidery Embroidery with gold threads technique
Gold embroidery
Since ancient times, Rus' has been famous for its craftsmen and needlewomen - gold seamstresses. Since the 11th century, one of the most popular types of needlework has been embroidery with gold thread. At first it was used for painting icons and clothing of high-ranking clergy. Then it was used to decorate the clothes of royalty, members of their families and other very wealthy, noble people. Gold embroidery is firmly entrenched in the history of our people.
But products embroidered with gold or silver thread were not widely used due to their high cost. Thus, several types of threads were used to obtain unique patterns. First, the finest gold or silver wire was wrapped with linen thread and thus a spun thread was obtained. Later, along with linen, they began to use silk thread, as a result of which filigree was obtained.
Craftsmen skillfully made very thin gold or silver strips or “beats” from gold and silver. The beat twisted into a spiral was called a “gimp”. In general, embroidery with gold thread is a very labor-intensive and painstaking work; the thin gold wire used is very fragile, and therefore requires extremely careful handling. There are several different embroidery techniques that allow you to create colorful and unique patterns and designs.
This kind of needlework was popular in Russia for a very long time; it flourished especially in the 17th and 18th centuries, however, then it gradually lost its popularity. Today, an active revival of this art has begun. Various exhibitions have begun to be held that attract the attention of foreign tourists and true art connoisseurs.
Gold thread embroidery has been revived and is extremely popular. More and more people are choosing handmade and gold embroidered products. This is always a unique and expensive gift.
The most in demand today are skillfully embroidered gold icons and panels. They emphasize in embroidery the connection with the history of their people. Today, anyone can buy a gift embroidered with gold thread - it can be a unique baptismal set, a set of bed linen, a nightgown, a scarf, a panel, a bag, an eyeglass case, any wedding accessory and much more.
Embroidery with gold thread is a valuable and exclusive gift that will delight the most demanding eye. And most importantly, such a gift does not lose its value and relevance and can be appropriate for any special occasion or holiday.
Video - How to do gold embroidery
Machine embroidery with gold, that is, with gold threads, is one of the most popular services among our clients. Before the advent of special machines, metallic threads were embroidered by hand, and it was quite expensive due to the increased complexity of such work. Today we have the opportunity to create such products quickly and at an affordable price.
Our capabilities
Entrust gold thread embroidery in Moscow to our specialists - the result will be unique items with a durable, neat image.
1. Selection of fabrics. We embroider on almost any fabric: cotton, linen, satin, silk, velvet, organza, fleece, viscose, polyamide, polyester, wool, acrylic, leather, denim, as well as knitted fabric. Gold embroidery on velvet is very popular, which we carry out according to technology so that the pattern is as smooth and clear as possible.
2. Selection of threads. We do machine embroidery with gold thread. Moreover, gold comes in different shades, so the patterns embroidered with it can be made in different ways.
3. Variety of products. We work with both ready-made items and cuts, and simply with materials:
- People come to us to decorate ready-made and future T-shirts, shirts and blouses, skirts and trousers, dresses and jackets, sweatshirts and shorts, jackets and coats.
- Clients come to us to make unique headwear (hats, caps, bandanas, hats, scarves), accessories (scarves, mittens, ties, bags) and even shoes (sneakers, slippers).
- Blankets, bedspreads, pillows, curtains, tablecloths, napkins, bedding and much more cannot be done without decoration.
- Banners, coats of arms, flags, pennants - we decorate all these products with gold threads without any problems.
We can make an individual small order for one item, or several tens or thousands at once. Therefore, if you are interested in this area and want to make things more presentable, we are always happy to help you with this. Tel. in Moscow.
If we look at various types of needle work from the point of view of their effectiveness, then, undoubtedly, the first role belongs to embroidery, performed with gold or silver threads and usually called “gold embroidery”.
In the 17th and early 18th centuries, this easy work flourished mainly in Spain, Italy, France and Germany, where gold embroidery was used in this era for church decorations and vestments.
Since the 18th century, only those people for whom it became a profession were engaged in this work. In private homes, it was very rarely practiced, because everyone was afraid to try their art in work, which, in the opinion of that time, required at least nine years of preparation to achieve perfection.
But since for some time they began to very willingly combine several genres of embroidery in one work, and, on the other hand, in artistic works gold is used along with other materials, then, naturally, they began to become more interested in gold embroidery. Now they do it even in places where women's handicrafts represent only simple entertainment.
We hope that with the help of our drawings and explanations, readers will not need to study for five years, a period that is still required in the craft guilds of some countries.
The effect of sewing with gold depends on the various methods of covering more or less convex motifs with metal threads. In addition to gold and silver threads, "tire" threads are currently used, consisting of a gold thread and another, colored: cream, red, blue, green or black. This way you can diversify and enliven your sewing.
Material.
Gold embroidery requires a background made of strong and durable material. Usually for this purpose they take different varieties of silk, velvet or brocard, but you can also take cloth or leather, depending on what the work is assigned to.
Butt.
For the execution of the sewing itself, we can first of all recommend fine gold and fine silver D.M.C., which are available in the following numbers: No. 20, No. 30 and No. 40. To make the contours of the pattern stand out better, its motifs are sheathed around the edge with a golden cordonne D.M.C. The golden D.M.C. tire, which has five shades, is used when you want to revive the effect of sewing with gold using colored threads.
To imitate Turkish sewing, there are special threads - Turkish twisted cord D.M.C. No. 6 and No. 12.
Depending on the type of stitches that they want to make, in addition to gold and silver thread, you also need a silk thread to secure the first two.
Silk floss D.M.C. and Persian silk D.M.C. it is used when, over metallic threads, they want to make stitches of a different color, sharply different from gold or silver.
Device.
The most necessary device for sewing with gold is a very strong hoop for stretching work on them (see Figure 267). In addition, for some types of stitches, a shuttle or a fork for winding threads, a very thin awl and a box with compartments for the butt are needed.
Shuttle (Fork).(Fig. 288).
The shuttle, also called a fork or bobbin, is a tool of hard wood, 23 cm long, used to wind metal threads and guide them during work so that they do not deteriorate from contact with hands.
Rice. 288. Shuttle or fork. Decrease magnitude
First, wrap the stem and part of the fork with a double paper thread of D.M.C. pearl, yellow or gray. This winding ends with a loop, to which a gold or silver thread is attached, then winding it around the rod. Most often, the thread is wound twice on the shuttle.
(Fig. 289).
With the help of this tool, a hole is made for the needle, piercing with it the place where the stitch should begin or end.
Rice. 289. Schiltse.
The needle consists of a metal handle into which an ordinary needle is screwed.
If the fabric is very soft, then you can do without an awl, but in brooches, plush, leather and in general in those fabrics where every unsuccessful stitch leaves a mark that disfigures the work, you must first pierce the place where the stitch is to be made with an awl.
Box for material.
Cut out as many compartments in a piece of wood or in very thick cardboard as are calculated to be needed for different types of stock, since in this work not only gold or silver threads are used, but also beads, beads of various shapes, sequins and leaves of different sizes, and matte or shiny gimmick .
Already for one gimp, several compartments are often needed. It is cut into pieces of different lengths, depending on the design they want to make, and pieces of the same length are placed in one compartment. The bottom of the box should be lined with thick fleecy cloth.
Against such a shaggy, lush background, the material lies motionless, without rolling or crumbling, and the needle, sticking easier into the soft background, picks up individual parts of the butt easier.
Preparatory work.
Whatever the type of gold embroidery and whatever the fabric on which the work will be performed, first of all you need to strengthen a piece of material in the hoop as a lining. Then they sew onto this lining the fabric on which they will embroider, and stretch it as much as possible.
Having drawn a design on the fabric, you can directly begin embroidery in those types of work that do not require laying, that is, in all types of flat sewing.
For designs that need to be raised, convex, you must first make a covering, as explained in the chapter on satin stitch, for Venetian sewing, fig. 150.
For this work, use soft, loosely twisted threads, such as D.M.C. embroidery threads. and darning thread D.M.C. (see note at the beginning), yellow or gray (see also Fig. 295).
Instead of flooring, you can use patterns cut out of cardboard or leather. But since such cutting requires special attention and accuracy, we would rather recommend hand-embroidered covering to our readers. It is much easier and can be done faster.
Different types of gold embroidery.
Based on the type of execution, the following types of gold embroidery are distinguished:
- 1) Chinese sewing.
- 2) Sewing on a background made of twine.
- 3) Sewing with a stitch.
- 4) Sewing with smooth threads.
- 5) Fantasy sewing with sparkles and gimp.
Chinese sewing are all those types of sewing in which the motifs are covered with gold or silver threads lying side by side, next to each other, attached either noticeably or imperceptibly by means of stitches “over the edge”, made with silk thread in the color of a metallic thread or another color.
Sewing on a background from twine.
In this type of sewing, metal threads are passed over a covering made of twine. Just like in Chinese sewing, the thread is fastened “over the edge”. Both of these types of sewing require very little stock, since the threads that form the metal layer lie only on the front side of the work.
Stitch sewing.
Stitch sewing is a type of gold embroidery in which all parts of the design are covered with smooth stitches passed through the fabric. In this work, therefore, the thread also runs along the reverse side of the work.
These first three types of gold embroidery can be done with or without plating, depending on the pattern and the motifs that must be filled.
Sewing with smooth threads.
This sewing definitely requires covering. A metal thread is passed back and forth over this covering, and each time it reaches the edge of the pattern, it is attached by a stitch of silk thread, which is passed over the material. For this work, they use a shuttle with threads wound on it to make it easier to guide the threads.
Fantasy works with sparkles and gimp.
When it is impossible to devote a lot of time to gold embroidery, then it is done with sparkles and gimp. Beads and colored stones are often added to this. But even in real gold embroidery there are parts of patterns filled with fantasy embroidery. Every time such a mixture of sewing types is found in our models, we immediately give an explanation of the different stitches.
Rice. 290.
Gold embroidered border with
twisted cord and sequins
Rice. 291. Filling
small flowers
for border fig. 190
Gold border with twisted cord and sparkles.(Fig. 290, 291, 292).
This border, taken from 18th-century embroidery, represents a type of gold embroidery in which the entire effect depends on a thick twisted gold cord inconspicuously attached to the background.
It is necessary that the contours be made without interruptions, as in our model, because if you had to frequently pass a thick cord through the material, you could easily ruin it and the whole general appearance of the work would suffer from this.
Having drawn the pattern, trace its contours with a gold D.M.C. cordonna, passing an imperceptible silk stitch “over the edge” between each turn of the cord.
At the beginning and at the end of each row, a cord is passed through the fabric, for which it is threaded into an embroidery needle of the required thickness.
Having outlined all the contours with a golden cordonna, they decorate the inside of the small flowers with individual sparkles. They are attached with a small piece of gimp sewn in the middle of the sequin, as can be seen in Fig. 291.
Rice. 292. Execution
leaf veins
for border fig. 190
The execution of leaf veins requires more attention. Having attached the first sequin with a stitch, release the needle very close, grab the second sequin and a piece of gimp and stick the needle again into the hole of the first sequin. Thus, the second glitter will cover half of the first.
They do the same with the third and fourth and, continuing in this manner, make veins of sparkles, as can be clearly seen in the figure (Fig. 292).
Red stones, scattered separately in all parts of the border (in the middle of the patterns), are attached with two stitches of red silk thread passed through two holes made in the stone (see Fig. 291).
This wide border is suitable for decorating surplices, chasubles and other church accessories.
Butt.
Golden Cordonnay D.M.C. and silk floss or Persian silk D.M.C. dull red color.
Rice. 293. Butterfly made of gold
and silver embroidery in
Chinese genre. Golden
chinese sewing,
fine
gold thread D.M.C.
Butterfly made of gold and silver embroidery, made with Chinese stitching.(Fig. 293).
Based on the manner of execution and the genre of the pattern, this butterfly can serve as a type of all kinds of Chinese gold embroidery.
All motifs are embroidered with double gold or silver threads, which are secured with stitches “over the edge” of silk threads of different colors, which softens the shine of the metal threads and gives them a very special glow.
The sewing procedure is explained in Fig. 296 and 304; there our readers will find detailed explanations of all the details. Here we will limit ourselves to listing the colors used for this drawing.
The body, tentacles and legs are embroidered with gold and brown silk; eyes - gold and black silk.
The main parts of the large front wings are also made of gold with red silk; the small part of the wing on the right is made of gold and orange silk, while the left, lighter part is made of silver with green silk.
The lower left wing is embroidered in silver and green silk, the right wing is embroidered in gold and orange silk. The continuation of the wings in the form of a tail is made of gold and silver with purple silk. The circles on the golden wings, in the middle of them, are made of silver with green silk; the mugs on silver wings are made of gold with orange silk.
Before you start embroidering a butterfly, you need to carefully study the design in order to apply metal threads in the desired direction.
This butterfly serves to complement the plots or can be scattered in several copies over the background in the Chinese genre. You can also embroider it separately for a small pad, for a cigarette case, a pincushion, a fan, etc.
Butt.
Fine gold and silver D.M.C. No. 20, silk floss D.M.C. or Persian silk D.M.C. faded lilac, royal blue, myrtle green, copper red, black, faded red and rusty brown.
Fig.294.
Border made of gold and silver stitching.(Fig. 294, 295, 296).
Rice. 294 is copied from an antique embroidery of the 17th century and can serve as an example of gold stitching.
As already mentioned in the introduction to this chapter, this sewing with flat stitches is performed with metallic threads, most often on laying or cut-out figures.
The flooring is made of thick soft paper. We recommend the special D.M.C. floss. No. 14, attached with over-the-edge stitches from very thin embroidery paper.
After covering the design with several layers of floss - the layers are made narrower as they become taller - you should smooth out all the roughness of the covering with simple "forward needle" stitches from D.M.C. darning paper.
After that, the entire motif is covered with flat stitches, but in the opposite direction to that in which sewing with gold will go (see Fig. 295).
Rice. 295. Execution
bedding for
border fig.294
Rice. 296. Execution
stitching and
stems for
border fig. 294
Thin parts of the design are covered only with D.M.C. darning paper. On top of this flooring, golden embroidery is performed in the same way as sewing with white stitching (see Fig. 296).
It is good to take very thick needles, because they prepare rather wide holes for the metal thread and this avoids damage to the fabric, which is often very fragile and delicate.
On our border, fig. 294, small leaves, buds and thicker parts of the serpentine line are made with fine silver for D.M.C. embroidery. No. 20; As you can see in the picture, all the stitches in gold or silver are made at an angle, and straight lines are found only in the border, which is embroidered in gold.
To make it easier to make very straight stripes, stick a strip of hard cardboard instead of flooring.
The stems and curls are made of two parallel gold threads, attached with over-the-edge stitches.
Where a small twig or stem extends from the main rod, first draw one thread to the end of the stem, then bend it back from this end and draw it again next to the first, so that it seems as if the twig is made of a double thread, as can be seen in Fig. 296.
Butt: Fine gold and silver embroidery D.M.C. No. 20, special D.M.C. floss. and darning paper D.M.C. rusty yellow and pearl gray color.
Rig. 297. Sewing border
gold stitching "tire"
A border made of stitching, made with gold threads "shine".(Fig. 297).
With the exception of the rings connecting the individual parts of the figures, all the motifs of this border are executed with stitches in gold D.M.C.
Due to the special softness of this type of thread, they are especially suitable for this kind of gold sewing, where the rich effect of gold threads is further enhanced by the colored threads that make up the tire.
Our border, the design of which is copied from an ancient embroidery of the late 17th century, combines all the nuances of a golden tire.
The large curved leaves are made alternately of blue and green, the flower cups are made of ecru, and the small leaves are red. Only the dark lines on the sides of the drawing are made with black.
Small motifs, the nuances of which we have not indicated, are embroidered alternately with one or another of the five colors listed above.
All this gold tire embroidery is done without covering. The stitches are placed more or less at random, depending on the motif that needs to be covered.
On the contrary, the small relief rings are made very convexly and are embroidered with gimp as explained in Fig. 305.
This genre of sewing, in which the work is easier than in previous models, is very suitable for finishing toiletries and for items used to decorate rooms.
Butt: Golden "tire" D.M.C. ecru, black, red, green and blue, D.M.C. special floss, D.M.C. darning paper. rusty yellow color and gold thread.
Rice. 298. Ornament made of gold and silver
sewing, embroidered with flat stitches
on a background made of twine
Ornament of gold and silver embroidery with flat stitches on a background of twine.(Fig. 298,299,300,301,302).
We here give a sample of twine sewing and sewing with smooth or flat stitches. This method requires less stock than stitching, since, as we said above, the metal threads always remain on the right side of the work.
Leaves of three petals are made with smoothly laid threads of fine silver for embroidery D.M.C. No. 30, taken in half; their execution can be seen in Fig. 299. This genre of sewing is done on cardboard forms, which anyone can make himself.
After the drawing is reduced to white cardboard, all shapes are cut out with a very sharp knife. The edges should be smooth. Then these forms are glued to the fabric with wood glue.
If the embroidery is made of gold, use yellow cardboard. If you need strips of cardboard, quite long, then they are also fixed with separate stitches on the edge, and smaller motifs, such as, for example, small leaves, are simply stitched onto the cone of the leaf with a stitch. (See figures 299 and 300).
The silver thread is taken in half and wound on a shuttle, then a strong silk thread is threaded into a thick needle, which is made even stronger by rubbing it with wax.
After attaching silver and silk at the very top of the leaf, embroidery begins.
Rice. 299. Leaf
flat stitches,
double thread embroidered
for decoration Fig. 298
Rice. 300. Leaf
flat stitches,
embroidered in one thread
for decoration fig. 298
The silver thread is laid across the form and fastened on the other side with a stitch stitch, then (and always with a shuttle) the silver threads are guided back to the first side, again secured with a stitch, and continue in this way to cover the whole form, as shown in fig. 299.
The small thin ends are embroidered with a flat seam, the so-called "gallop", which is also visible in the picture.
Where the leaves join the stems, these ends are made when the stem is already embroidered; this is necessary in order to better hide the junction of the stem and the leaf, since they are both embroidered in a different manner.
In our design, the flower petals are made into one gold thread, using flat stitches over cut out shapes from yellow cardstock. (See Fig. 300).
The thick stems of the flowers and the leaves coming from them are made of fine silver embroidery D.M.C. No. 20; the band between both branches is made of fine gold for embroidery D.M.C. No. 20, in double thread. It all came out on a string.
For this work, before embroidering with gold, the entire design is covered with horizontal stitches located at some distance from each other.
These stitches are made with a fairly thick twine or twisted cord, and gold embroidery is done over them. In Fig. 301 shows how to position the twine.
This “string” is called D.M.C. dot thread. No. 15; These threads are also woven for greater strength. The pattern is sewn with this twine as shown in the figure.
Fig. 301. Location
twine for decoration
rice. 298
Fig. 302. How to strengthen
silver threads over
twine for decoration
rice. 298
After this, take a double gold or silver thread, lay it lengthwise, across the twine, and attach it every two stitches of the twine with a silk stitch, tightly pulling the silk, which is taken of the corresponding color.
When they have reached the end of the motif, they bring the thread back, and each time the silk stitches in this new row are made not next to the previous ones, but between them.
To convey the shape of the design well, you should start embroidering in the very middle of the twine covering and then fill in one side first, and then the other. (See explanatory figure 302). In large designs, you can create beautiful background patterns by using different placements of these stitches.
A separate ornament is often used to decorate pillows, pins or pads. If you scatter such ornaments over a large piece of material, you get whole panels and carpets, as well as various church decorations, lambrequins, stripes, etc.
Butt: Fine gold and silver embroidery D.M.C No. 30 and 40, twisted gray silk and D.M.C dot threads. No. 15, orange.
Rice. 303. Background with border,
embroidered with gold and silver
in the Chinese genre based on the background
made of twine, flat
stitches and with gimp
Background with a border of gold and silver embroidery in Chinese style with flat stitches, on twine and with gimp. (Fig. 303,304,305).
This pattern is copied from very rich Italian embroidery of the 17th century, consists of several genres of gold embroidery and shows well the varied effect of different stitches.
Rice. 304. How
fill out the sheet for
background fig. 303
In describing the previous drawings, we have already explained the method of performing various types of sewing. Now it remains for us to show how sewing is done based on the motif without laying, with double thread, i.e. gold embroidery of the Chinese genre.
Explanatory fig. 304 shows a sharp leaf embroidered in this manner. To get a well-pointed end, start the sheet from one side, draw the outer thread to the end, and the inner thread a few mm short of reaching it, then bend both threads and return back.
Double threads are attached with stitches spaced more or less apart, depending on the thickness of the threads. Thin silk is used for stitches.
In this way, fill the entire sheet, placing silk stitches one between the other, and not next to each other. When you need to fill in very large motifs, you can diversify the pattern itself by arranging the silk stitches in a specific order.
Sewing with gimp is more difficult. After the motifs are covered with a thick layer of flooring in the manner shown in Fig. 295, they thread very thin silk into a very thin needle and release it at the very edge of the motif.
Then they cut off small pieces of gimp corresponding to the width of the motif that is being embroidered, grab such a piece onto the silk, stick the needle into the opposite side of the motif and again release it onto the first side, as shown in Fig. 305.
Rice. 305. Sewing
gimp for
background fig. 303
If the length of a piece of gimp is well calculated, then it will neatly cover the width of the motif. People who are little familiar with this work initially experience some difficulty when cutting off pieces of gimp, but they will soon get used to this technique.
In the border fig. 303 upper curves are embroidered on twine using fine gold embroidery thread D.M.C. No. 30; outer petals - fine gold embroidery D.M.C. No. 30 flat stitch in one thread. The inner petal is covered with gold thread, and the small folded leaves are covered with silver thread.
The large background leaves are made from fine silver embroidery D.M.C. No. 20; roundings - from thin gold for embroidery D.M.C. No. 20.
The leaves and curves are embroidered using Chinese stitch. Small leaves are embroidered with flat stitches in fine gold embroidery D.M.C. No. 30 in one thread. The relief decorations printed on our engravings in light colors are covered with silver thread. Yet other lines and curls are made of twisted gold cord - D.M.C. cordonna, sewn on with invisible stitches.
Then they sew on the cordonnet, and after all this is a rigmarole, because this is the most delicate part of the work. This beautiful and large pattern is intended for church decorations, but its narrow border can also be used to decorate various things.
Butt.- Fine gold and silver embroidery D.M.C. No. 20: fine gold embroidery D.M.C. No. 30; gold cordonnet D.M.C.; matte, gold and silver gimp; twisted silk, gray and dull gold; thread for dots D.M.C. No. 15; special floss D.M.C. and darning paper D.M.C. rusty yellow and pearl grey.
Rice. 306. Fantasy sewing background
gold, with wicker on
bobbins with galloon and
glitter leaves
Background made of fantasy embroidery with bobbin braided bobbins and leaf sequins.(Fig. 306).
They start with small rosettes made of glitter, and first attach eight glitter leaves that make up the outer circle. Each leaf is sewn with two stitches passing through two holes at the ends of each leaf.
To achieve the correct position, first sew on two vertical leaves, then two horizontal ones and, finally, four oblique ones. After all, round sequins are sewn on in the center.
When all the rosettes are ready, then sew on, as discreetly as possible, a picot braid that divides the background into diamond shapes. It’s good to first baste this braid onto the fabric with large stitches to make straight lines easier.
Due to the ease of execution of this pattern, it can be used for sofa cushions, fascinators, trimming dresses and other toiletries.
Butt.- Fine gold embroidery D.M.C. No. 40 and sparkles, round and leaves.
Gold or golden embroidery is a special hand embroidery technique known since ancient times. As a rule, metallized gold and silver threads, gimp (a very thin metal thread for embroidery), truntal (a faceted metal thread made of flat wire, twisted into a pentagonal spiral), as well as pearls, beads, and sequins are used for gold embroidery.
Photo: hands-across-the-sea-samplers.com
The very first information about gold embroidery dates back to the 2nd century BC. e. - according to legend, it arose in the kingdom of Pergamon (northwest Asia Minor) and from there came to the Romans. In Rus', references to gold embroidery art are found in chronicles, ancient documents, as well as in reviews of foreign travelers, starting from the 11th century.
Photo: honorbeforevictory.com
Different types of threads for this type of sewing were made from gold and silver. The metal was made into very thin wire, which was wound around linen or silk threads in a spiral, or used for sewing directly with the wire itself. They did embroidery on expensive dense fabrics: taffeta, satin, brocade, velvet, as well as suede and leather, and decorated with pearls and gems. It is clear that both the materials for the work and the finished products were very expensive. The works that have survived from the 15th century are primarily church accessories, icons, embroidered iconostases, banners, and banners.
Photo: jessicagrimm.com
The metal thread turned out to be quite fragile, it was difficult to embroider with it, as with ordinary threads, threading it through the fabric. Therefore, the thread was laid on the front side of the fabric according to the pattern and attached with a silk thread - either in the color of the metal or in a contrasting color. The results were real embroidered paintings, either shining monochrome or multi-colored, colorful.
Photo: sarahhomfray.com
Photo: potos.miarroba.com
Gold embroidery today
Today, gold embroidery has to a large extent become a secular form of handicraft art. Workshops of such sewing have been preserved (and are being revived) in monasteries, but it is increasingly used for decorating clothes and accessories, creating jewelry, paintings, finishing, and so on.
Photo: kathleenlaurelsage.co.uk
Photo: @nazarkinamasha
For the most part, gold embroidery now uses not “precious” threads, but metallized threads created in a factory. By the way, this type of sewing began to be called gold instead of gold precisely because of the replacement of real gold threads with threads “like gold”. Modern threads are no longer as fragile as they were many centuries ago, but one of the basic techniques remains the same: the main thread (cord) is laid in a pattern and secured with a thinner auxiliary thread. To make the pattern voluminous, a backing made of thin cardboard, cloth, leather, or rope is placed under the metallized thread. Embroidery is decorated with pearls, beads, glass beads, beads, sequins, even buttons.
Photo: @submarina707
Photo: imperiya. by
It must be said that the ability to sew with gold in former times was valued very highly - in many ways this type of needlework borders on art, in addition, it requires a lot of attention, perseverance, and precision. And today, gold embroidery is one of the most labor-intensive types of needlework. To reach the heights of mastery, it is studied from several weeks to several years in courses, in special schools and even in universities. But you can master the basics of this art, enough to create and decorate things on your own.
Photo: @juliet_mikecharlie
Photo: @submarina707
Gold embroidery: learning the basics
You will need:
Photo: @submarina707
1. Fabric
It is better to start learning on thick linen or cotton fabric.
2. Hoop
For gold embroidery, rectangular hoops are used - you need the fabric to be stretched well and evenly over them. Ideally, an embroidery machine would be suitable - a rectangular design that places the hooped fabric at some distance from the table: this way your hands have simultaneous access to both the front and back sides of the embroidery; this is important for gold embroidery. An option is a wooden frame on which fabric is stretched (you can order one from an art workshop or stretch the fabric yourself using buttons).
3. Threads:
- twisted embroidery thread - iris, silk garus, stitching silk, etc.;
- gold thread - metallized thread or thin metallized cord;
- auxiliary thread - strong silk, cotton, synthetic thread.
4. Material for creating volume, or for flooring
To make the embroidery convex, specially cut pieces of cardboard, cloth, drape, or leather are placed under the threads. For thin voluminous parts, pieces of rope, twine, and bundles of floss are suitable. Sometimes, after creating volume, the relief pattern is covered with cotton knitwear (not necessary, but this method allows you to sew more cleanly later).
5. Needles
Embroidery needles No. 1−2, a needle for thin silk with a small eye, a large needle, bead needles (if you plan to decorate embroidery with them).
6. Decoration materials
Beads, beads, sequins and so on.
7. Regular and auxiliary embroidery tools
Scissors, a knife, a thimble, a pencil/felt-tip pen for applying a pattern to the fabric, wax (will help the threads glide better), fabric glue, twists (a special flat or square spool on which the working thread is wound - it is convenient to place such a spool on the work plane).
Sequence of work
1. Decide on the pattern and size of the embroidery. Select the fabric, main threads (wrap them around the threads) and auxiliary threads, and materials for decoration.
2. Stretch the fabric over a hoop or stretcher. The sequence of tightening the edges is in the picture. 
3. Apply the design to the fabric.
4. If you will be doing relief or high embroidery, prepare the backings: transfer the design of the future convex parts of the pattern onto cardboard (cloth, drape), cut it out, carefully glue the backings to the fabric for embroidery or sew them with several stitches. Volume can also be created using a rope laid in a pattern and attached to the fabric with several stitches.
5. Next comes the embroidery process itself. There are many stitches and embroidery methods in gold embroidery. Here are three videos explaining the basic principles.
Seam in the attachment:
Embroidery on flooring:
Embroidery on cardboard (backing):
Gold embroidery is usually called embroidery with metal thread - gold, silver. Until the 11th century, this type of sewing used drawn gold and silver - threads in the form of drawn wires. Later, instead of drawn threads, they began to use metal thread twisted onto a linen or silk base. By the 16th century, gold thread almost completely disappeared, replaced by gilded silver. In addition to spun threads, in gold embroidery one could find a beating in the shape of a flat strip, a gimp - a thin wire twisted in a spiral, as well as metal spangles in the form of flat rings. Embroidery was carried out with metal thread in most cases in a fastener, that is, a metal thread was applied to the fabric, while another, linen or silk, sewed the metal thread to the fabric. Close parallel stitches created a smooth, shiny surface. At the same time, craftswomen could attach a metal thread in such a way as to obtain a beautiful ornament of colored threads on a shiny background of the pattern itself. The main effect of gold embroidery was the light and shadow play of metal threads, so the relief of the surface played a special role. The flat relief was sewn by simply applying thread to the fabric, that is, with a smooth seam. If they wanted to create a more convex ornament, they placed paper, cotton wool, birch bark under the pattern, or made a flooring of threads. This technique, called “card sewing,” was already known in the 17th century.
Gold embroidery was one of the most common embroideries, used with constant success in everyday life of all segments of the population. The richness of gold embroidery made it the main technique for decorating church items. Let us turn to the use of sewing in the field of clothing, since here metal thread has found a wide variety of applications.
In the 17th century, when Russia did not have its own production of brocade and silk fabrics, the royal court often used gold embroidery instead of expensive imported materials. In addition to Russian national patterns, gold embroidery was used to reproduce patterns of imported fabrics. This is how a seam “for axamite work” appears, imitating the looped fabric of axamite. They embroider with silk, repeating velvet patterns. In one of the cutting books of the Workshop of the Kremlin Chamber, dated 1628, we read: “The sovereign’s armor was cut in white taffeta for sewing, the earth was sewn with silver, and the grass was axamite with gold and velvet” 1 . Russian craftswomen imitated the pattern and technique so skillfully that it can be difficult to distinguish fabric from embroidery without examining the reverse side.
1 (A. Viktorov. Description of notebooks and papers of ancient palace orders. 1584 - 1725 Vol. I. M., 1877, p. 287, 291.)
In the 18th and 19th centuries, in merchant houses and among the wealthy peasantry one could see soul warmers, scarves, shirts, kokoshniks and shirts covered with gold embroidery. Fantastic flowers of the 18th century, generalized or realistically interpreted floral patterns of the 19th century glittered with gilding and silver on a colored background of velvet or silk. Bird figures were placed on the branches or between them. For each center of gold embroidery craftsmanship there were favorite forms of flowering bushes in flowerpots - in the form of bouquets or a lush tree. In this case, the ornament was placed either in a free pattern on velvet, damask, or satin, or completely covered the background. The most popular was sewing on velvet in crimson and red colors. We often see the combination of gilded shiny threads with a bright festive background color on hats and epanechkas. In Nizhny Novgorod, Arkhangelsk and other provinces, women's festive headdresses were headscarves and scarves with sewing on the forehead and at the corners. Either dense, as if forged from metal (this seam was called “forged”), or light stems scattered across the background with many leaves, flowers, and bunches of grapes made up fancy patterns on white, purple, black and red scarves.
An example of decorating secular clothing with gold embroidery in the 18th century is the ceremonial dress of Peter I made of blue grodetour, made by Russian tailors. The caftan, camisole and trousers of this set are richly embroidered with silver thread. A rather dense and fractional embroidery pattern consists of small stylized branches sewn “on the opening”, in a way in which the thread was passed through the fabric. This technique was rarely used in Russian works, while in European sewing it was common and quite widespread. Thus, in the design and embroidery of Peter’s costume we see the influence of Western European sewing.
Clothes of the 1730s and 1740s were no less richly decorated with gold embroidery. After a short break in the middle of the century, this type of decoration is returned again, decorating formal and ballroom dresses for men and women, official court costumes, and military uniforms. In the 18th century, rich baroque motifs penetrated into the sphere of religious sewing. The clothes of clergy, covers and shrouds were often altered from donated women's and men's dresses. Wide robes, samara, skirts, worn on hose, sewn from rich fabrics and decorated with lush embroidery, made it possible to again cut out simpler vestments for clergy from ready-made items. In museum practice, there are cases when church vestments, after reconstruction, again took the form of a woman’s dress. But even when the vestments were cut from new materials and embroidered in monasteries, they received such a secular design that they could serve as examples of sewing, characteristic of civil dress. The latter is especially important given the small number of men's and women's costumes from the 18th century that have survived to this day. Baroque curls made of metal thread, beats and sequins of the first half of the 18th century or floral motifs running as a border, complemented by glass sequins, characteristic of the end of the 18th century, or strict garlands of the beginning of the 19th century clearly show the change in the ornamental patterns of gold embroidery.
In the 19th century, the costumes for court ladies, introduced in 1834, were most richly decorated with gold embroidery. In addition to the embroidery on the skirt, bodice and sleeves, a particularly beautiful and lush pattern covered the long trains. Various materials were used in sewing: metallic spun thread, shiny and matte thread, you can often find gimp and sparkles. The designs of the patterns were regulated, but they undoubtedly reflected the decorative patterns that existed at one time or another. At the same time, there is a certain change in sewing techniques. In the dress of the 1830s, there is overlay sewing in combination with beating sewing on the opening - characteristic of the first third of the 19th century; in costumes of the late 19th century we find stitched embroidery, in which either patterns previously embroidered on the canvas are attached, or sewing is done directly on the fabric of the dress, but without laying the canvas on the wrong side, as was typical for folk sewing. Beat, spun thread and sequins were used in most cases.
Gold embroidery continued to be used to decorate ballroom women's toilets. In them, the requirements of their time were most clearly manifested both in the general nature of the decoration and in the modeling of patterns. One of the dresses from the Hermitage collection made of pink satin with embroidery with silver thread and beating, accompanied by colored satin stitch, introduces a variant of artistic decoration at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries.
The ceremonial uniforms of court officials and dignitaries were also decorated with gold embroidery. At the end of the 19th century, on the chief chamberlain's uniform, embroidery was located on both floors in full length, along the seams and cuts on the hem, on the collar, cuffs, and pockets. The sewing was so dense and rich that the background of the fabric was almost not visible. The embroidery used a whole range of materials and techniques similar to the sewing on ladies' court dresses of the same time. The splendor of the uniforms of dignitaries is perfectly conveyed in I. E. Repin’s painting “Meeting of the State Council.” The bright red tones of the uniforms and shiny gold embroidery create an impression of overwhelming pomp.
During the second half of the 18th century and into the 19th century, officers' military dress was decorated with gold and silver thread. The sewn details of a military suit served, as a rule, to indicate the rank and affiliation of a person to one or another unit. Uniform sewing of the 18th and 19th centuries had significant differences in arrangement, ornament, and design of the pattern. Thus, on the officer’s uniforms of the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment of the 18th century, embroidered patterns were on the floors, on the pocket flaps, on the sleeves and along the cut of the hem. Sewing was done overlay, sewing parts already made on the canvas into the attachment, made from gimp, spun thread and sequins. The ornament was a twisted loop of stylized leaves, bunches of berries and a rosette. Gradually changing, this pattern at the beginning of the 19th century takes on more strict outlines and appears before us in the form of embroidery on the collar and lapel of the cuff. Sewing was done with the same materials, with the addition of sequins-cloaks on the opening (thread) and in the attachment (gimp and sequins). The embroidery on the guards' uniforms was more complex and ornate compared to the embroidered trims of the uniforms of other parts of the army.
Head scarf. First half of the 19th century Nizhny Novgorod province. Corner sewing with gold and silver spun threads, beating and sequins. Gold embroidery attached to a card on blue silk fabric. 95x92. PT-11734. Received in 1933 from the collection of I. A. Galnbek
Kaftan and camisole of Peter I. Detail. 1724. Work of court craftswomen. Sewing with silver spun threads on the opening on silk blue grodetour fabric. PT-8559. Received in 1930 from the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences
Head scarf. 1860s Toropets, Pskov province. Corner sewing with gold spun threads and beating. Gold embroidery attached to white muslin. 107x108. RT-14801. Received in 1924 from LOGMF
Chief chamberlain's uniform, 1st class. Sewing detail on the back. End of the 19th century Gold embroidery in the attachment and on the opening, overlaid gold embroidery with gold spun threads on black cloth. RT-10989. Received in 1924 from the Bobrinsky collectionOfficer's uniform of the Life Guards Regiment of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, made of black cloth with red cloth trim. Sample 1834. Sewing with gold spun threads, gimp and sequins in the attachment and on the opening. 84x68. RT-11180. Received in 1950 from the Artillery Historical Museum. Leningrad
Court dress. Train detail. End of the 19th century Workshop "Ms. Olga". Sewing with gilded batting and gimp on dark blue velvet. RT-13133v. Received in 1924. Comes from the Winter Palace
