​Aug 29, 2016: Got an email today from Love Your Melon. They need a longarmer to sew cross hatching on some wool fabric that will be cut & sewn into baseball caps to raise money for their non-profit organization."Love Your Melon is an apparel brand on a mission to put a hat on every child battling cancer in America and support the fight against pediatric cancer." I responded immediately--would love to have a part in this venture.
Aug 31: Chloe & I talked about what is needed. I will receive a wool sample, interface it & use solid black as a backing/lining. I just happen to have a whole set of cross hatch patterns of various configurations. Surely one of them will be prefect for this trial sample. Contacted Superior Threads about the best thread for this project but for the sample will just use some So Fine! 50 wt. I have in stock.
Sep 06: The wool is here.
​Sep 07: Prepping including stabilizing the wool. Programmed IQ. Quilting a 60"x36" sample. Made an executive decision to use a thread to match the Logan Green wool so I can quilt one row 15" x 60". That may well be all the sample that is needed. Will talk to Chloe in the morning. Uh oh. The back is showing that the cross hatch lines are not stitching evenly. I have no idea why. What a bummer way to end the evening.
Sep 09: Doing further tests & getting good results. Don't need interfacing. Will probably use liner w/Bottom Line. Experimented all day with thread & pattern density. Will ship the sample tomorrow.

Aug 26: Quilt is here. Programmed IQ options.
​Aug 28: Quilted. Pictures tomorrow.

Aug 22: Been toying with some ideas for one of Joan's veteran's quilt. This is a modification of my Sharp Sewing Supplies Logo Quilt design I did back in early 2015.
Aug 23: Fabric is ordered.
Aug 24: Working on a cutting guide for strips & squares. Specs are in my Strip Tubing book.
Aug 25: Stonehenge Eagles fabric is here. 
Aug 26: Can't find the ruler I used to make half square triangles from strips but found one better suited for this project & ordered it.
​Aug 27: Fabrics are here.
Aug 29: Practicing & testing my cutting chart.
Aug 30: Pre-washed the fabrics. Ruler is here.
Sep 01: Cutting strips & corner squares.
Sep 02: Strips are cut. Tubes are sewn.
Sep 03: Cutting half square triangles. Only cut one strip of each color combination for now.
Sep 04: Working from the center star out. Finished the center 1/3.
Sep 05: Added sashing above & below center section.
Sep 11: Where does time go!! Cutting more strips into squares.
Sep 14: Piecing more stars ...
Sep 18: Piecing more stars ...
Sep 19: Have cut out everything I need for the last 5 stars.
Nov 21: Finally got back to this quilt and finished the last 5 star blocks. Sashing & borders left to do.
​Nov 22: Today we shall know. The sashing will tone down & make this quilt, I think. Got the vertical sashing & rows done in the midst of an otherwise chaotic day.
Dec 04: Adding horizontal sashing & inner blue border.
Dec 05: Quilt top is finished. Will use ZZag Mine with Bottom Line #654 Oatmeal thread & Warm & White batting.
Dec 06: Backing is ready & half loaded. Stopped to illustrate my process for cutting the batting. If I forget to do this before I start loading, I do it before I pin the bottom side of the backing so nothing is in the way. (Yep, I have been known to finish loading the backing, realize I am ready for the batting & it is not cut.) Trimming threads before I load the top. Loaded. Need to program then ready to quilt.
​Dec 07: Quilting ... mostly without hassles.
Dec 08: Quilted. Joan will do the binding. This will go to one of her high school class veterans.

Aug 15: This is Joan Taylor 3rd RWB (Red, White & Blue) quilt for a classmate Vietnam veteran. Perhaps you have some fabric you can donate? Prepped. Loading. Going with Bottom Line Off White thread & My ZZag pattern.
Aug 16: Did a mini 2-block overlay to help determine best density. Have a batting question for The Warm Company.
Aug 17: Satisfied all is well with the batting. Loaded. Settled on density just slightly larger than 1". Quilting using my ZZag pattern. Takes 14 rows to complete one 15" section / roll of the quilt. Quilted first section.
​Aug 18: Quilted. More pictures tomorrow and then shipping.