Sep 08, 2016: Saw an unusual navy batik at the shoppe today I couldn't pass up. I like the casual feel & the way the lighter shade in it pulls in the lighter fabrics. So this 3rd Americana quilt is planned for some day in the future.
Feb 07, 1017: The nice thing about plans is that they can change. I saw a quilt that I revised to make into a RWB for the Joan Taylor Rwb project. And this has become my 2nd, not third, Americana quilt for Joan's project.
Feb 14: Once again, I looked up the quilt that inspired this one. I missed the amazing  story: 2011 - Jim's Altered Lemoyne Star before & am so glad to share it now.
Feb 17: I want to make one block today. It was hard enough to decide which block to make so I asked Joan to choose. Now I can't decide between a 16" block or a 12" block. You'll know when I do. Hmm...a 3/4 block will do for a trial run.
Feb 18: After my trial run yesterday, I have decided on 18" blocks which has even 1/2" dimensions. I prefer the larger block look over the 12" stars. I also admit I like the idea of 12 stars over 20 stars. Did a second trial run on half a star & got the dimensions right this time for the 18" block.
Feb 21: Cutting strips.
​Feb 22: Have enough strips cut to get started piecing.
Mar 05: I've finally started the piecing phase.
Mar 08: Trimming diamond segments.
Mar 09: Joan gave me a tip ... big help.
Mar 13: Have enough 1/4 blocks from my first set of strips to make 9 of the 12 blocks.
​Mar 14: Making stars. First 9 done. Also cut all the remaining pieces including corners & borders.
Mar 15: Picked up some backing fabric. Made last 3 stars. Cut & pressed corners so they are ready to sew.
Mar 17: Finished the 12 blocks.  (Turned out to be 17.5" blocks but who is  measuring?)
​Mar 18: Rows are together. Quilt center is together. Now the borders.
Mar 19: All borders are on and this the quilt top is finished. Will use SINE Curve Mine with Bottom Line #623 Silver & Warm & White batting.
Mar 20: Pieced the backing. Loaded ready to quilt.
Mar 21: Quilted. Joan will do the binding.
Mar 22: More pictures.

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.

From Quilt Blog by Natalia Bonner & Kathleen Whiting
I have Natalia's permission to use these images here.

Dec 28, 2014: Signed up for solids. If not available, batiks version would be fine.
Dec 29: Got the solids! Yes! Paid for Month 1.
Jan 04, 2015: Joan Taylor ​ has agreed to do the piecing so this is now a J&L project.
Feb 22: Quilt map & first 2 6" blocks
May 14: Joan is piecing a block with 93 pieces! Perhaps block 3?
Jun 07: Joan is piecing away & concerned ... I'm not.
Jul 15: Got in a stack of blocks from Joan today. Posted along with updated map.
Dec 05: Joan mailed me an envelope with some quilt blocks. 
Dec 07: Expecting Joan's package, I was watching for it. Checked at 4 PM & 5 PM. Got a USPS email that it was delivered at 4:15. Called Bennie & he confirmed delivery of a brown envelope. I never got it.
​Dec 17: Posted a second progress map showing what is pieced, what was stolen, what is in next's month's set & what Joan has on hand.
Mar 18, 2016: Met Joan in Wilkesboro for a quilt swap including a few more finished blocks.
Apr 07: Took inventory of what I now have in house after the last ones Joan gave me.

Sep 20: The quilt top arrived.  I absolutely LOVETT. The fabrics are brushed cotton & flannel.
Joan, you've got me & my cabin mentality/simplicity down pat. Already cut the wool batting.
Sep 21: Have to play. Auditioning patterns to see what I like. Comments & opinions are welcome.
Sep 24: Worked most of the day on a plan.
Sep 25: Started working again after getting home from Greensboro. Down to two plans using 6 patterns, 5 of which are by Donna Kleinke. I like both a lot so deciding will be hard. Time to quilt so I need to decide. Oh, and I picked up some backing fabric (Moda-Through the Winter Woods) at Ye Olde Forest Quilt Shoppe.
Sep 26: Bought patterns and drawing layouts in IQ. So much better than cut and paste but still extremely time consuming.
Sep 27: Another long day of planning and drawing in IQ. I think I'm done. Will sleep on it before I quilt it.
Sep 28: Will use Bottom Line #618 Medium Brown thread and wool batting.
Sep 29: Pieced the backing. Quilting. Somehow I deleted my perfected layout and am having to redraw it. Fortunately, I still have all the components & earlier versions.
Sep 30: Redrew the desired plan before continuing. Quilting again.
Oct 01: Thought sure I would finish today but when a friend is willing to clean my nasty deck with his spray washer, I drop everything and help! And treat him & his wife to dinner.
Oct 02: Can see the end. Still a lot work including the side borders. Finished all but side borders. Need to unload, turn & then reload to do those.
Oct 03: Quilted. The backing is a camel color very close to the tan browns on the front, not cream in the photos. The back is in effect a whole cloth quilt. Binding is attached, clipped & ready for a needle & lap time.
Nov 17: Got in sheet blanket to use under the quilt & night stand cover to match. One side left to finish on the binding.
Nov 20: Finished the binding.

Feb 12: Marianne contacted me today about finishing this quilt she started years ago. Joan came to mind at once & has agreed to do the design & piecing of the top ... in May.
Apr 22: Joan has the quilt top pieces now and is starting to "noodle" over it as she likes to say.
June: It's June now & Joan is still noodling and working with Marianne on details.
Jun 09: Joan & Marianne have worked out just what to do. Joan hopes to finish her part next week.
Jul 18: The quilt is here and absolutely adorable. Marianne actually made the 9th block herself. Joan's challenge was getting the blocks centered just so inside the sashing. I will not stitch over the appliques but will outline around them instead. I will attach the binding but Marianne is going to do the time consuming hand work. One day is all I need.& hope to ship mid-week around the 23rd.
Jul 19: Planned the backing. Needs a bit of piecing but it matches the top & is the backing after all. Offered another option--wide enough muslin for a backing in one piece (no seams). Quilting pattern will be Hearts a Flutter with off-white thread.
Jul 20: Marianne ordered the muslin.
Jul 25: Got the backing...badly smudged & the wrong shade. Re-ordered. Fabric.com gave Marianne a full refund & told me to keep rather than return the fabric.)
Jul 30: The re-ordered backing just came in & is perfect. 
Jul 31: Loading.
Aug 01: Quilting.
Aug 02: Quilted. Binding attached. Shipped.

Feb 21: Quilt by Joan Taylor arrived.
Feb 23: Will use 60 wt. Bottom Line #623 Silver thread with Chantilly Lace. Pressed, threads trimmed & ready to load.
Feb 24: Decided to stop and do a quilt rendition & overlay. Will be doing 10" rows.
Feb 26: Loaded & ready to quilt. Binding fabric just came in from Joan. Quilting.
Feb 27: QuIlted.
Mar 03: Attached binding & clipped for hand work..
Mar 08: Binding is finished
Mar 10: Shipped

Mar 09: Linda:  Thank you so much for doing this for us.  I can’t tell you how much this quilt means to us given that the white ribbons represent Lung Cancer and more specifically because they were put in this quilt in memory of my brother, and my niece Suzanne’s father Charles, who passed away.  The quilt will be raffled off between now and mid-June with the proceeds going to the American Cancer society. I want you to know that your support of this project, and us personally,  means more than our words could possibly express.  Thank you so much! Joan

Dec 31: I'll be quilting this with meandering loops and invisible thread on top. The backing will be solid red with red thread. Will try to get a better picture in the morning.
Jan 04: Pillow pieced & quilted
Jan 05: Loaded
Jan 06: Quilting
Jan 07-08: Bound. This quilt & pillow, I suspect, is going to Joan's sister who loves Grinch. I hear there will be more Grinch quilts in the future.

Back on Dec 19th, 2011, just before Christmas, I first heard from Becca regarding a large family project. Joan & I have now contracted to do a set of three t-shirt memory quilts for her mother, Margaret, and the daughters, Becca & Allison. The goal is for each one to have a quilt that is sized to fit at least a double bed. Joan will design and piece the quilt tops & I will longarm and bind them. Work will begin in mid-January (2012).

Apr 01: Joan has now received the t-shirts for Allison's memory quilt.
Aug 12: Per Joan: "I hope to finish step 3 of T-shirt 3 today (attach bonding to all 35 pieces -- about 1/3 done so far)." She did it! Next weekend she will buy fabric for the sashing and backing.
Oct 4: Joan is getting closer to finishing this. Should be here within a week or two.
Nov 08: The quilt is here.
Nov 28: Allison has selected her IQ Pattern-Flirtatious.
Jan 07: Next in the queue.
Jan 08: Prepared and loaded the backing. Cut the batting.
Jan 09-11: Worked on the top as I had time. Quilt is now loaded.
Jan 13: Quilting. And quilted.
Jan 14: Cut the binding
Jan 15: Pieced and attached the binding
Jan 18: Binding finished

Jul 01, 2012:  Received Joan's surprise for Becca.
July 01: Stabilized, pieced & quilted.
July 02: Made the pillow cover & stuffed the pillow inside
July 05: Closed up the seam by hand.

Back on Dec 19th, just before Christmas, I first heard from Becca regarding a large family project. Joan & I have now contracted to do a set of three t-shirt memory quilts for her mother, Margaret, and the daughters, Becca & Allison. The goal is for each one to have a quilt that is sized to fit at least a double bed. Joan will design and piece the quilt tops & I will longarm and bind them. Work will begin in mid-January.

Feb 12: This weekend, Becca was in Greensboro with her mom. Margaret. They got all the shirts selected and organized for Becca's quilt.Feb 20: Margaret will mail Becca's shirts to Joan this week.Feb 23: Joan received Becca's shirts the same day I received Margaret's quilt.
May 01: Joan will ship today - oops! I must go out of town.
May 04: Joan will ship today. LOL
May 09: The quilt top is here. Joan, this is so pretty & so beautifully pieced. Another masterpiece. My hat is off to you for this is NOT an easy quilt top to make. I invite you to share just what all is involved in making a memory quilt from well worn t-shirts. I need to prepare the backing & get this loaded while Becca is selecting her IQ pattern. I have been warned to be super careful when/if I must iron any of this so I am going to try to avoid it.
May 10: Decided to hold this until June and continue my May break from longarming.
May 18: Becca made her final choice of Modern Squares for her IQ pattern.
June 04: Binding is ready.
June 05: Backing is ready.
June 11: Loading.
June 12: Quilting.
June 13: Still quilting...
June 14: Still quilting...so many memories, so many years, so much work -- worth it to take my time on this. QUILTED! Now on to the binding.
June 22: Squared the quilt to prepare it for binding. The binding is attached. Hand work is all that is left to do.
July 05: Hand binding & thus the quilt is finished. Will ship tomorrow.

Back on Dec 19th, just before Christmas, I first heard from Becca regarding a large family project. Joan & I have now contracted to do a set of three t-shirt memory quilts for her mother, Margaret, and the daughters, Becca & Allison. The goal is for each one to have a quilt that is sized to fit at least a double bed. Joan will design and piece the quilt tops & I will longarm and bind them. Work will begin in mid-January. As usual, I will track progress here! This is quite exciting for all involved. The referral for this work came through my daughter, Joanne, of Ye Old Forest Quilters.
Jan 10: Margaret, a Greensboro resident and the spokeswoman these days, mailed the first set of tees today..Two boxes!
Jan 12: Received by Joan. Since then fabric, sashing and other plans have been going on between Joan & Margaret.
Feb 21: Pieced and on the way here from Joan.
Feb 24: It's here!!!
Mar 10: Piecing the backing. Preparing to load (i.e.ironing)...loading...loaded.
Mar 11: Programming IQ. Ready to baste. Basted.
Mar 12: Quilting...quilted.
Mar 13: Quilt is squared and binding is ready to attach.
Mar 16: Attached the binding.
Mar 17-18: Hand binding.
Mar 18: Finished.

Friday, Jan 06. In mid October 2010, I received the first of 30 quilts from Joan Taylor in the past 15 months. Turns out Joan has a brother who lives not so far from here & she is there now for a short visit. On Sunday as she heads back home to West Virginia, we will rendezvous in Wilkesboro to exchange quilting projects, fabric, books, etc.Can't wait to meet this wonderful woman and dear friend face to face. Of course, I will take my camera!!

Sunday, Jan 08: HA! We did meet! I got lucky on the first one if I do say so myself. it is awesome and captures hers and husband Jerry's personalities. They should be safely back in West Virginia very soon now. Sorry, these photos are private.

Sep 10, 2011: Purchased the kit. This is the project for the class I was going to take this past weekend (Sept 10). I got it cut out before the class started & got to hear the tips for doing pinwheels. That alone was worth it! I didn't get to do any of the sewing as I was suddenly busy getting specs for some longarming projects. Joan has agreed to do the piecing making this a some day next Spring J&L project.
Sep 15: Shipped to Joan along with her Cowboys quilt.

April 29: Shipped fabric to Joan
July 07: Received the quilt top from Joan
July 22:  I just happen to have many yards of Moda Bella Solid in Green & it just happens to work with this quilt. No border on this one; just a simple binding.
July 26: Backing is ready
Aug 17: Decided to use King Tut thread: Joseph's Coat
Aug 24: Working on IQ pattern - Sunflowers win since two of the fabrics are sunflowers.
Oct 22: Still have not had time to quilt this beauty...
Nov 20: Loaded
Nov 24: Been having thread & tension issues & modifying the density of the pattern.
Started with the King Tut shown below, changed to Yellow and now back to King Tut. The tension is hairline touchy with the top thread going from being too tight on top (pulling up the green backing thread) to being too loose on bottom with all the colors from the variegated thread spotting the back. The Bottom Line yellow thread was worse. I could not get rid of the green specks between stitches on top & have the back nice too. What to do is the challenge. I don't want green on top, I don't want yellow on back & King Tut doesn't work on the back. So I haven't been doing nothing for three days, just can't get it right...yet. And now I have three beautiful quilts waiting for me and one on the way. Hmmmm.
Nov 24: After several more hours of trying to get it just right, I started quilting. I only know that I am doing the very best I can do on this quilt. QUILTED!!!!!
Nov 25: Squared and ready for binding.
Dec 06: Attached binding and started hand binding.
Dec 08: Finished.

Joan Taylor  and I are teaming up to make Tony Trivette a UNC Tar Heels quilt. Joan is piecing the top and I will longarm and bind it. This project is a good ole mountain horse trade venture. I need some work done around here that I can't do,  Tony is willing to work for his quilt. Joan and I are trading services. Win, win, win! This eventually proved to be the beginning of J&L Quilters.
Dec 30: Joan has her fabrics now to make the top & I have mine for the backing. They have been pre-washed and are ready to sew!
Jan 2: Joan has been sick but says the top will be shipped Monday! I am planning to piece the backing tomorrow that has been lying across the longarm for several days now. By Thursday there should be a quilt needing only the binding. Several evenings later, it will be done. Soon now, Tony!
Jan 5: The quilt top arrived today. Now that I see it, this one is crying out for one of Sandy's custom designs. The curls in the sashing would make a perfect longarm design that makes this classy looking quilt even better! So the three wins may have just become four wins!
Jan 17: Sandy did her design today. I have had a time seaming the backing but it is now done too. This will be quilted with two layers of cotton batting for extra warmth.
Jan 18: Loaded & basted. Hit a snag in Sandy's design so will longarm when that is fixed.
Jan 20: Longarming done! Binding in progress.
Jan 31: Joan sent 2 matching pillow cases for this quilt - a freebie for him.
Feb 01: Binding, and thus the quilt, is finished!

Sep 12, 2010: Purchase Wrapped in Paisley jelly roll.
Jul 11, 2011: This is a joint project by Joan & me. I had a Wrapped in Paisley Moda jelly roll in the closet I never got around to making into a quilt. I sent it to Joan. The top came in today beautifully pieced in 2" squares--something I would never do!! I found some remnants to add borders. I just happen to have some fabric that is ideal for the backing too.
July 13: Added the single border. Ready to longarm. The more I work with this quilt, the better I like it! I am now at the danger point of wanting to keep it for my living room. Alas. Sigh!
July 18: Have a working plan for the IQ design
July 24: Found some backing I prefer with black tonal paisleys on dark brown.
Aug 02: Programmed in the IQ design
Aug 03: Loaded
Aug 04: Quilting...
Aug 05: Still quilting...
Aug 06: Still quilting...and done!
Aug 16: SOLD  this quilt to my dear RedBubble friend Linmarie. I have a couple of her art pieces here & now she will have a J&L quilt! I couldn't be happier to unite my two dear friends in this way.
Aug 23: Attached the binding to the front and starting on the hand stitching.
Aug 29: Binding finished!
Nov 01: Shipped to Linmarie

Aug 24, 2010: Purchased the kit.
​Aug 02, 2011: Pulled Saltbox Harvest out of the closet where it has been for nearly a year. This vibrant colored kit was put together by my daughter to sell in her shop. I am shipping it today to Joan to piece and freely modify any way she likes so it will be fun to see if and how she customizes it.
Sept 08: Joan writes: Just opened up [Saltbox Harvest] kit and love it. The plan is to piece it this month so we can sell it in time for the fall & Thanksgiving season.
Sept 30: Joan shipped the pieced top today. Can't wait to see it.

Oct 03: Received finished top from Joan plus a little something extra.

10/11: I dreamed all night about how to quilt around the flaps long after I figured it out. Quilt is loaded.
10/12: Quilting. The pattern is very hard to see on this one. I am having to quilt the sections under the flaps with them folded out of the way and then quilting the center sections.
10/13: Finished quilting this morning. And yes, I took (kept) a lot of pictures. I just love this vibrant quilt and the Give Thanks theme!!!
10/21: SOLD before I have even started on the binding!!
10/24: Binding attached. Sandy agreed to do the hand work.
11/10: Bound