More bullion - 323rd BS

[Yardstick]

Here's another English made patch incorporating bullion detailing. I had two good images to work from (as well as a few lower res examples), so decided to pick the best bits from both (in particular the colouring for the goat which seems to have faded over time in some of this batch of patches. Anyway, this is my example as well as the two good images (scaled down) I have of original patches.

 

[Micawber]

Nice! I'm very fond of the 323rd who's mascot was a real goat they named 'Amitol'

 

[Yardstick]

I'm very fond of the 323rd who's mascot was a real goat they named 'Amitol'

Not sure if I was the goat, I'd be too keen on that name - it's one letter away from the HE filler in the bombs they carted off to Germany!

 

[Micawber]

Not sure if I was the goat, I'd be too keen on that name - it's one letter away from the HE filler in the bombs they carted off to Germany!

Yes and that's the point lol. I knew and was friends with several veterans who had personal contact with the animal

 

[ausreenactor]

Not sure if I was the goat, I'd be too keen on that name - it's one letter away from the HE filler in the bombs they carted off to Germany!

Goat.. Bomb... Both are destructive!

Stunning patch and the meticulous work never ceases to impress.

 

[ausreenactor]

Yes and that's the point lol. I knew and was friends with several veterans who had personal contact with the animal

Times were tough.....

 

[leper-colony]

Good lord that nice. Great pics as well.

 

[leper-colony]

I've seen this patch in person on a friend's jacket that was 91st. The color is more blue/violet/gray, like the picture in the hand.

 

[Yardstick]

Thanks for the feedback. Colour is incredibly difficult to match. How different digital cameras record images varies drastically across manufacturer and model. Throw in lighting and colour temperature variations and then something viewed bright red with the naked eye can look anything from orange to purple depending on the afore mentioned variables. The other thing I need to consider is how a patch may fade over time through age and exposure to sunlight. What I try and do is look at as many images of the same design of patch and sometimes am able to track down two or more pics of the same patch. It then becomes an exercise in educated guesswork to match the colours to how they may have looked when new. I try to select colours based on how they contrast with each other rather than trying to match them individually to a particular image.

Having said that while I have access to a very comprehensive spectrum of thread colours, felt supplies are limited to a much smaller colour palette. For this particular patch, I didn’t have felt that was a good match and had to choose between the light blue I went with or a darker shade of blue grey. Based on your observations if I were to do it again, I’d have a go a custom dying some felt - which given the nature of the material may be a challenge.

Also, the iPhone I use does tend to over-saturate colours in certain lights and I do have to correct that in post.

 

[Micawber]

I think it's very tricky to match colours from photos posted online. Having been involved with a good many 91st, 323rd veterans and had the opportunity to see and handle quite a lot of original gear, patches included, I think your copy is up there with the best of them. I like it.

 

[MauldinFan]

That's a version of this patch I've never seen before, it looks great!
I've never seen a bullion version of this, only the painted leather ones.
I befriended a vet in the 1990s who'd been a co-pilot in the 323rd SQ. I don't think he ever had one of the patches for that squadron (if he'd had, he'd have given it to me as he gave me all the other patches he had).

 

[Yardstick]

I've never seen a bullion version of this, only the painted leather ones.

I have an image of a painted version on a jacket as well as an embroidered patch of the same design (below). Whilst the fabric version could be US machine embroidery on twill, the image is not great and I'd hesitate to speculate on its provenance unless someone else can vouch for it.

 

[JonnyCrow]

Nice work!