Apparently I was inspired by my new Tudor book. I worked on attaching the gold plate to the leaves that will be appliquéd to velvet later.
The problem is that the photo doesn't show how bright the plate actually is. In real life, it's very shiny and almost overwhelming.
In addition, all those raggedy-looking edges around the outside and up the center will be covered with another, very bright gold metallic thread. As a result, I'm leaning toward to heavier coverage with the couching threads to tone the plate down a bit.
I realize that Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were all about the bling, but there's already a lot of that on this project. I think I'll set the frame across the room and see how it reacts in lamplight and early morning sun, then make a decision.
I've not used gold plate (or any gold threads), but wonder if it would work to use a very fine nail file or emery cloth very gently to dull down the finish a bit? It should still be bright gold, but not shiny bright. More of a glow maybe? I like your idea of standing back and looking at it under different lighting.
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