Paisley Bauble Bag - progress

I managed to take it right down to the wire, but I got my bag panels embellished. They, I should say it, will be in the mail tomorrow. So, if by some quirk of fate it gets to Indiana in one day - I'm not late. (I hate to be late, when I've made a commitment.)

Luckily, the wonderfully patient and understanding hostess that we have, Christy, has allowed us a little extra time if we need it. Thank you, Christy.

As you can see, I didn't embroider any paisley motifs onto these blocks. Why? Because I just couldn't get it to look right. That too will be something that I'll add to my 'learn to do' list. A list I'm purposely keeping pretty short. I'm taking on about 3-4 stitches at a time, learning them well enough to be comfortable, and then bringing another one on board. So far it's working for me. And with beads, lace, charms, ribbon; a few types of stitches can go a long way.

Absent the motifs, I did manage to get at least three paisley prints into each block. I also FINALLY remembered that I need just a little more room along the outer seams. I kept putting beads too close to the outside of my blocks. The I couldn't sew around them without removing the bead or some other thing. DUH! That, you would think is a no-brainer. Well, for me it wasn't at first. But I've got it now. All that's left now is to get it lined, add a draw string, and say good-bye. LOL.

I hope whoever receives this bag will be happy with it. In return, I'll be getting a bag of my own. I'm very excited to receive it because I've seen the work that the ladies participating in this swap have done. It's simply lovely. And as is usual, we've been posting pictures of progress and of finished bag(s) to blogs, group albums, and photo sites. I'm sure a lot of you have seen their bags and/or are familiar with their work.

The Paisley Craze, as I've heard it called, produced many beautiful hand stitched motifs. It also became quite a topic of conversation. The links below are but a few of the sites with eye candy, information, and instruction. You really should try to take a peek.

Janet: The Other Side of the Fence.

Linda: Chloe's Place.

Lillian: Crazy Seoul Sister.

Jo: Where Ever I Go....

Jo has been busy doing her own paisley motifs and paisley bauble bags for this swap. Her second bag is an origami pouch (as she call it) and she includes a tutorial on making a pouch. Her third bag equally as lovely and again with a hand-sewn motif. Can you believe she did three? WOW.

Jo also offers this "How To" , and provides this "History of Paisley" that she ran across at this flickr site: kenzilicious.

Ati: Ati on the Crazy Road is also in this swap and has worked her magic as well.

Sharon : In a Minute Ago has a number of paisley motif patterns that she has both drawn and stitched. She has also found and listed this site, 4to40.com which has many free motif patterns. You can find the paisleys between textiles X-XIV (10-14).

Wilma: Wilma Goes Crazy also shares pictures on her blog of her bauble bag.


A note in closing because I would like to mention that I know of many, many CQ'ers and embellishers who do just stunning work. They don't all have blogs, and some are without digital cameras or other means by which to post their work. Be that as it may, I want them to know that their talents, efforts, and accomplishments are appreciated too.