Take It Further...January, Part 1

"The Letter 'N' "...I well remember that song from Sesame Street about a million years ago.

I started my January TIF by printing up a paper copy of my N so that I could do a little design sketching before getting started on the sewing. Yes, this kind of planning was part of my goal for this challenge. Can't totally wing it every the time, can I?

I've used some "trash paper", as we called it in college, to overlay my first design idea. Essentially, I am framing the letter.

A second try. This time the lines are taking off from the pattern in the lace background. But they are too dominant, design wise.

This could work. The squiggly border is supposed to indicate lace.

Ah, the fun part...pulling fabrics! Nice how my letter here follows the color palette Sharon gave as an option for this first month's challenge. Greens and purples are showing up all over the web, it is so cool.

I was thinking I might couch some cording as a border somewhere in this piece, so here are the threads I will use to make my cording, also from Sharon's palette. They will end up in seam treatments as well.

Here are the threads wound onto their bobbins. I am using the Diva Cord Maker
that I bought in Houston last fall. It functions like the Japanese Kumihimo cord maker that Vicki Welsh wrote about here. It comes in three sizes and you can even use strips of fabric in the larger bobbins and make large funky cord out of that. Some people use a string of seed beads wound around one of the bobbins, and that line of beads adds great glimmer and texture to the cord as it is woven in. The possibilities are endless.
My friend Barbara Blankenship used the Cord Maker to create the tree she has on the beautiful crazy quilt she made for her son. See it here on her brand new blog; do click on the picture...and leave a comment to welcome her to blogging, too!

So here is my cord, made while watching Emeril AND 30 Minute Meals this morning on the Food Channel. Baked apples even now are cooling on my kitchen counter, thanks to Rachel Ray. (I am hoping that watching cooking shows as I sew will rub off on my culinary abilities. I keep the sound off, though.)
So tomorrow I will piece the background, print up the N on silk, and get to work here. Of course, I won't be stretching out this project over the whole month. All in one go, that is me.

Sharon B and Vero were very kind and picked me for one of their Make My Day blogging awards. Thanks so much, ladies! I am thinking about the ten blogs I am in turn supposed to pick...how am I going to choose from the 30 or so I stop in on regularly? Tomorrow I will let you know.