Needlelace bag finished

Here's the bag that I just finished this morning, using the new crochet cotton thread I bought on sale a few weeks ago.


Here's how it started, with the outline shape couched down, and the filling started. I should have started the filling at the top of the shape, but I wanted to test that I could turn at the open edges on the inside. The join doesn't show on the finished piece.

This pic shows the start of the scallops, and before I turned the strap loops inside out.

This pic shows version one, where I did a flap started in the paler turquoise thread then continued in beading, but I didn't like that so I cut it off and headed to the bookcase to check out...

Jacqui Carey's "Beads and Braids" book. Unfortunately, I don't have a maru-dai, and I didn't want to spend the time to cobble one together, so I used The Beadworkers Guild "Introduction to Beadwork: Bracelets", trying Tubular Herringbone, which I couldn't figure out, so I settled on Spiral Staircase to make the cord, finishing it in the centre with some drop beads and a feature bead.


The other book you can see in the pic is "Beadwork Magazine Presents The Beader's Companion" by Judith Durant & Jean Campbell, which I flicked through for good measure.

In my search, I found "The Beading Book" by Julia Jones which I bought ages ago, mail order, I think. At the time, I looked through it quickly then put on the shelf, but now that I have the bead bug again, not to mention the time, I'm going to read it from cover to cover and experiment with techniques.

Why all this bead mania? Well, I signed up for the 2008 Bead Journal Project - eeeekkk! Although it only starts in September, I thought I might start experimenting with techniques now.

Critique on the finished piece: It's sort of what I had in mind. I wanted to create a casing to hold the cord, and it was really an experiment to figure out how to do that. Although the turned handles kind of work to hold the cord, it's not right. I have to figure out the correct pattern shape to get the casing to work. I think a sumptuous, crunchy tassel would look well in a similar design, but I kept the embellishment simple on this one because the scallops were fussy enough. I could have used an open edge all around instead of just on the inside shape. The colour was difficult to match to my stash of beads. I find the overall size and shape pleasing. That crochet cotton is lovely to work with, and the cordonnette holds its shape well.