Smooth Purl 6 Gold

Smooth Purl 6 Gold

Smooth 6  Gold is made from a very fine wire and wound to create a tubular length, like a spring. Goldwork wire (Bullion in French). This wire is also available in Silver.   Smooth purl can be used singly or with other goldwork wires such as rough purl, wire check and bright check to create a range of effects.

Product Summary

• Length 18 inches
• Also available in size 4 and size 8
• Gilt has a gold content of 0.5%

Have you tried our academy for online courses? Follow the link for further information about the academy. goldwork-embroidery.com

Traditionally goldwork embroidery was worn on ecclesiastical vestments and church trappings i.e. alter frontals, pulpit falls etc. Also in Royal circles and rich aristocratic families, for them it was an ostentatious display of wealth and power.

The goldwork threads used to be pure gold and were flattened and wound around strands of animal and human hair, but because the gold was so brittle they were later wrapped around materials such as silk, animal gut, paper, or parchment. In the early days this was all done by hand, which made the cost phenomenal. The most renowned examples of English embroidery are the beautifully preserved St Cuthberts Stole and maniple which was made at the behest of Queen Aelfflaed about 901AD, it is covered completely in gold laid work and couched thread, it is displayed in Durham Cathedral.