Those Wonderful Things...

Things of beauty that make your breath catch in your throat for a second or two.

1890's Blue Velvet and Gold Embroidered Shoes and matching tights

Detail: Mantua, Stomacher and petticoat, Italy, 1700. LACMA Collections Online

Sources, Tips and Tricks?

I've decided to try my hand at metallic bullion decoration for my gent's burgundy velvet frock coat. Also known as Goldwork.
I'm not intent on anything too involved (like the bodice in my header image), but I'd like to do some designs on the self fabric-covered buttons, both on the frock coat and waistcoat.
I figure buttons are a good place to start for a beginner; less surface area.
Something along these lines:
http://goldnstitches.typepad.com/gold-n-stitches/2010/01/goldwork-buttons.html

I have a pretty good idea of how it's done, but I was wondering if anyone knows of some good online tutorials on the subject.

xoxo

Spangles, where art thou?

I'm on the hunt for those tiny flat sequin-like embellishments, traditionally called "Spangles" or "Paillettes".
There are modern versions in plastic, but I would like to hopefully find the real metal ones, as seen on this waistcoat by Bjarne Drews.
They have proved a bit difficult to find in a color other than gold, but I may have found a few good sources. Two being hedgehoghandworks.com, and The Lacemaker.
If I decide I ever need to cheat and go with some made of more modern materials, Cartwright's Sequins might be a good bet as well.