Bullions are one of the hardest stitches to master. I've seen a lot of traffic lately to the various articles on bullions I've written so I thought I'd try to organize them well in one tab.
Mary Corbet has a nice video demonstrating bullions.
Note that in part three Yvette talks about whether to use a hoop or not, which isn't something needlepointers usually do. Substitute some brand of stretcher bars for hoop, though, and I think her points stand.
David McCaskill is a genius with threads. He accidentally discovered how to make faux bullions and allowed me to post a tutorial here. (If it doesn't make sense, that's because I can't communicate well, not because it doesn't work!)
Gay Ann Rogers uses a lot of bullions in her designs and occasionally sells a little booklet (it's not available currently) that might help, but be warned--her best tip is to practice daily until they are second nature. Keep an eye on her website during her periodic sales.
Needles
The right needle is immensely helpful in creating bullions. Mary Corbet has a brief article about making bullions on her website where she advocates using milliner needles (also called straw needles).
Sandy Arthur likes Colonial Needle's blunt tapestry style bullion needles.
So does The Good Stitch, who used them with Vineyard Silk.
Threads
The right thread is important in creating bullions. I've done them with one ply of silk and they looked good but it was a pain. Mary Agnes tried doing them with two plies of DMC cotton floss and thought Watercolours worked better. I think you are better off using one ply or strand of something. I like crewel wool, Gloriana's Lorikeet and perle cotton for bullions but experiment. If the thread you choose is driving you nuts, switch to another type. Use cotton instead of silk, wool instead of metallic, etc.
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