Aug 17: Quilt is here. Considered off white thread, decided on Bottom Line Gold & Modern Squares.
​Aug 28: Loaded.
​Aug 29: Quilting.
Aug 30: Quilted, posted in Gallery, shipped.

Ye Olde Forest Quilt shop has moved across the street more or less. Solicited to help, we had fun nonetheless while tolerating the heat, the work, the chaos, the meal breaks, did I mention the heat?, the concrete floors, the water--lots and lots of cold water. :Slowly things came together for the most incredible sale one could imagine. Batiks, grunges & other Moda bolts all on sale for ridiculously low prices plus an extra % off for end of the bolt. Patterns, Anita Goodesign CDs, needles, books, thread, so much more I can't begin to cover it all. 
Fabric I picked up includes 

• 3 Grunges--green, purple & red (RWB-Joan) (11 yds)
• Dark navy texture left from the Hearty Good WIshes fabrics (RWB-Joan) (4 yd 20")
• Black metallic for a backing (5 yd)
• 4 ginghams from the Brighten Up fabric line for a child or kids quilt (9 yd 21")
• Beautiful dark grey and black Muslin Mates large floral w/birds print (7' 23")
• Rustica Bali Pops I've had my eye on for a long time
• Red batik with blue & navy dots (for my Flair Bali Pops & RWB-Joan) (3 yd + 2.8 yd)
• Green & pinkish purple paisley batik for backing or whatever (10 yd)
• Brown batik featuring owls (8 yd)

If you can use some of these, ask me. I only specific plans for a few of them.
                                                  AH! The sale has been extended all week

Apr 10: Quilt top is here.
Apr 19: We have a plan. Thread change from white, to bright red, to dark red, to medium blue using Classic Stipple Meander all over. Will quilt sideways to maximize quilting area & minimize the number of times I need to roll the quilt.
​Apr 20: Loaded ready to quilt. Had to tweak the programming some.
​The technique is to create a panto for the entire quilt & move it out of the way. (BTW, this is for my benefit more than yours.)  For the first row, I will

1. Load a thread color.
2. Trace the pattern of all the blocks visible on the quilt for one color using a laser for accuracy.
3. Make blocks slightly smaller than the patterns (0.015" or smaller).
4. Delete the patterns.
5. Copy the panto in its correct place over the blocks.
6. Clip the panto outside the 1st block.
7. Copy the panto again aligning it with the pattern in the first block.
8. Clip the panto outside the 2nd block.
9. Repeat 5-6 for all blocks of this color.
10. What is left is the panto filled blocks for that color.
11. Quilt those patterns block by block.
12. Repeat 1-9 for the other colors on that row.
13. Roll the quilt about 8". (R&B blocks are 12". So are the W blocks but offset from the R&B.)
14. Repeat 1-12.

Note: While I could just load each block with the panto & be done with it, copying the whole panto over & over gives the appearance of continuous stitching just with color changes. The slight gaps in the stitching will not be very noticeable. Since I am working with 12" blocks with at most 4 per row of each color, thread draw will not be an issue especially if I only draw & sew only 1 or 2 at a time.
​Apr 21: Quilting.
​Apr 22: Quilting day 2. Hopefully things will go faster today.
​Apr 23: Quilting day 3. All of the white is quilted. And all the blue is quilted. And all the red is quilted. Yep. All done!

Apr 01: Quilt top arrived. I made the backing and added a matching border to the top. Joan has chosen Minaret for her pattern. Prepped ready to load.
Apr 03: Loaded. Quilting.
Apr 04: Quilted.

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.

Feb 03: Quilt top is here.
Feb 22: Prepped. One only needs to see this quilt up close to feel the gemius.
Feb 23: Loaded. Quilting.
Feb 24" Quilted.

This quilt uses fabrics from several sources & showcases Joan's skill at using even small bits of fabric to make something beautiful ... in her words ... "many lives touching one who has given much."

Dec 12: Joan decided to take advantage of "virtual shipping" this holiday season. The 10th is the day she was ready to ship with expected delivery Dec 12.
Jan 05: Quilt top arrived. 
Jan 06: Prepping. Note that prepping, pattern, thread and density selelctions & loading are all part of the setup process. We've decided on IQ pattern Minaret by Gali Design from Willow Leaf Studio. (Thanks, Grace, for finding this one.) This is not your standard panto. Instead it consists to two separate alternating patterns that must then be manulated to nest nicely. There is a 3rd pattern in the set for the top row which would otherwise stitch as 2 rows. If you don't follow all that, just leave it to me.
Jan 07: Quilting.
Jan 08: Quilted.
​Han 09: More pictures.

Aug 11: Shipped panel and other fabrics to Joan.
Oct 29: Quilt top is finished & on the way here.
Nov 02: Quilt is here.
​Nov 09: Loaded ready to quilt. Quilting using my ZZag pattern, Bottom Line Statue & Warm & White batting.
​Nov 10: Quilted.

Sep 14: RWB#4 is here. I must say the bits and pieces of red, white & blue fabrics I found scattered in my boxes of remnants & donated to Joan for her RWB quilts have been put to amazing use. Yes, the colors are as rich as in the photos. Just don't ask me which I like best...the top or the backing. Most of all it is that special expansive feeling that certain quilts have ... well, this is one of those.
Sep 16: Been programming some of the patterns Joan suggested plus a few similar other geometric ones. Didn't realize these patterns would look so nice on this quilt. (Joan knew though.)
Sep 20:  (They are all gone now from this post but you may see them again sometime somewhere.) We have a plan--ZZag w/Bottom Line Statue thread.
Sep 22: Prepped top and back. Next cut batting and load.
Sep 25: Loaded ready to quilt.
​Sep 26: Quilting. After a couple of false starts and some thread issues, this is quilted. Hoping for much better pictures in the morning.

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.

Jun 13: Quilt arrived.
Jun 19: EQ7 rendition done. Working on overlays.
Jun 20: Prepped & loaded ready to quilt. Uing Dream Orient (silk-bamboo blend) batting and Bottom Line Grey thread. Thinking the darker shade will show less on the dark colors & only slightly more on the lightest color.
Jun 21: Quilted.

Feb 03: Shipped on Jan 27th, expected Jan 30th, this quilt finally arrived at the local post office today. I decided to retrieve it myself in spite of serious flooding in the area. Temporarily posted pics, EQ7 rendition & overlays.
​Feb 04: Doing 13.5" rows using Bottom Line Statue thread & Warm & White batting.
Feb 06: Prepped & loaded.
​Feb 07: Quilting. Row 1 posted waiting for feedback. Change of plans.
​Feb 08: Working out a new stitch-in-the-ditch plan. Bottom Line Red on borders, Statue  on the blocks. Quilted first row.
Feb 09: Continuing with rolling the quilt row by row, trimming loose threads, double checking for strays using flashlight, basting sides, block by block marking where on the quilt I want to stitch, stitching. The results are more than worth the effort. Finished row 4.
Feb 10: My laser was giving me fits. I finally loosened all screws & started from scratch trying to get a better angle. Not sure it helped but I was finally able to do a couple of rows.
Feb 11: Row 7 thru bottom border done. Unloaded, turned & reloading to do side borders.
Feb 12: Side borders & thus the quilting is done.
Feb 14: Made the binding.
Feb 16: Squared the quilt for binding.
Feb 17: Attaching binding. Doing the hand work.
​Feb 19: Binding & thus the quilt is finished.