'Tis the Season - Stocking in Goldwork

I don't usually spend alot of time making Christmas decorations - probably because they only come out once a year. However this year I was feeling very festive and got to stitching the Golden Holly Stumpwork as well as a goldwork Christmas stocking for those very special little gifts.

Apologies for the quality of the photo - I am working on the laptop computer and working with what we have with us on holidays.

I have worked the body of the stocking on burgundy cotton velveteen with cream cotton velveteen for the band of the stocking.

When I was planning the design and choosing the threads and wires, I had to keep in mind that the piece would eventually be a soft flexible piece rather than a rigid framed embroidery. So I chose goldwork threads that would withstand some handling and flexing. For the scrolls I chose gilt twist and silver Jap, Pearl Purl No1 and silk thread for the flowers, plus beads and pearls and flat sequins secured with bright check chips.

I was happy with the choices of threads and wires. However, as I used velveteen for the background fabric, I found it rather bulky when it came to attaching the band to the stocking. As a result the band didn't sit as flat as I would hve liked. Next time I will allow more fabric at the seams to compensate for the bulkiness.