Embellishing !!

Those of you that I referred to this blog in an effort to help you start on your first CQed block........this is for you!

You have your naked block ready for embellishment;WHERE do you start?
Is there a designated theme or colour scheme____?
It's time to see what is lurking in your stash and how/where to use it.

BRAID:
One of my friends has a cute trick of embroidering over the braid and adding French knot flowers and lazy daisy leaves to a length of braid meandering over a seam.
LACE:
Cotton laces are the way to go! Old d'oyleys cut up or lace(by the metre)These can easily be changed from stark white and ecru to "aged"with tea,coffee or Parisian essence.I tend to use Ozecraft dyes,and my microwave to change colour and silk ribbon to match.
Small sections of curved lace can be turned into fan motifs.
EMBROIDERY:
All sorts of threads and stitches are available.If you're a newbie to embroidery(hand),check out SharonB's "inaminuteago" blog for a comprehensive "how to"
Threads? You'll probably start off with your stranded cotton,silk or rayon threads by DMC Madeira etc.There are also some great crochet threads in perle in both plain and variegated shades.
Cascade make gorgeous silk threads and Edmar's rayon(Brazilian) threads have five or 6 various weights and umpteen colour variations.(The Edmar can be a wee bit tricky initially,but well worth the effort to master their trickiness)
MOTIFS:...lace.
Charms,beads,
Buttons........MoP;vintage buttons,cute buttons! Singly, or in groups(button and bead trails)
Broken jewellery...............
you'll see that your embellishing is limited only by your imagination.