Gold Leaf Apple Garland

Gold is the ideal metallic for fall. The warm tones mimic the leaves, fields and skies of autumn plus, it looks amazing with my favorite red tones. So, with new season, comes a new garland with gold leaf.

I haven’t always liked gold. I was brainwashed in the 80s and 90s to believe silver was the one and only metallic one should ever consider. Now that it has come back into style, I again followed the hoards and have embraced gold as the one and only (I really do like it, too). It’s warm and soft and apparently is a better match for my skin tone. With the gold leaf product, gold can be added to just about anything your heart desires, including paper for sewn garlands. Lucky us, right?!

Here’s what you need:

Supplies

-paper
-gold leaf and leaf adhesive
-punches or paper cutting machine
-gold thread

This sewn apple garland is similar to the other sewn garlands I’ve shared (Halloween, hearts, paper ribbons & minis, Mother’s Day, snowflake) with the added glitz of the gold leaf. The garland comes together by feeding each paper shape through the sewing machine, one after another, until all the pieces have been added. I used two sizes of apples, 1.5″ and 2″, and fed them through randomly. Because the gold leaf is an additional step and it presented some challenges for me, I have a few tips for you:

-Read the directions on the gold leaf adhesive. Then you will not be tempted to write a letter of complaint when the product is not working because, sadly, the problem is you. Not speaking from experience. It happened to a friend of mine….. :)

-I added the gold leaf after cutting out the apples (with my Cricut machine). It was laborious and time consuming however, I do like how they look. For an easier, less time consuming route, consider gold leafing the paper before cutting it. Add the gold leaf in random places on the paper so when the shapes are cut from it, the leaf will be in various places.

-Allow the adhesive to dry and become less sticky before sewing (or using punches or a cutting machine). Even when covered in gold leaf, the adhesive can still seep through. And sticky things tend to stick.

-If there are still sticky spots that keep sticking to things like the machine’s presser foot, wax paper strips can be used between the foot and the paper. The wax paper will actually been sewn to the garland but it can be pulled away afterwards with no damage.

With those things in mind, you are well on your way to making your own gorgeously gold garland for fall.