Back to Gold ! ! !

I have an amazing friend, Leslie, who is getting married in March.  Her wedding is ivory and gold, so she's asked me to embroider a belt for her to wear with her wedding dress.  Very excited to be back to gold for just a bit!

To start, I decided to use lace as the base as she preferred a floral design to a geometric one.  I also had some amazing French Chantilly lace that I had bought on Berwick Street 3-4 years ago in London.  It is some of the most beautiful Chantilly lace that I've seen and I've been waiting for a special project to use it for!  I cut the individual motifs out and then laid them out in the pattern I wanted on silk organza.  

Next, I decided on materials.  I've decided to mix the gold threads and wires with Japanese glass beads (the nice Aiko gilt ones) and Swarovski crystals in clear and champagne tones.  I wanted to play with the light that reflects off the belt and I also wanted to lighten the gold up a bit.  I didn't want it to feel too heavy and stiff.  With this in mind, my plan is to do each flower with a gold outline and a slightly different filling of beads, crystals, and chipping.