Checking the numbers

I decided to work on my Arizona Centennial Quilt. I broke out the seam ripper today and switched the lighter blue section so that it was next to the gold instead of having a few darker fabrics create a line in the blue area on the left (refer to last post). You can barely see the glint of a pin marking the spot where I have an open seam to hand-stitch.
The process I am using is to lay out pieces according to my sketch......then carry them over to my machine and sew the groups together. I have been working from the center out. The top photo shows the center star, and I have been working out to the edges from there. It was easy to get the blue sections done just by laying out the correct number of pieces and squinting to check color placement. The red and yellow rays take more concentration, and I need to shop for more fabric - or do a better job begging people to share their scraps!!
Then I started counting squares on my sketch. The design is 40x50, and I will add 12 pieces in the border so that it matches the 2012 Centennial year for Arizona statehood. The center gold star was 14 inches square, and I am almost done with taking that out to the edge, so I will have 14x50 finished, which equals 700 squares! My twisted mind initially rounded that up to "almost halfway" - why yes, I am an optimist, LOL - and then I realized it's only 35% complete. I need to get my butt in gear. I'll work on the bottom first (650 blue squares) then the rays of red and yellow. I need 330 red and 320 yellow. By the way, I am working with 1.5 inch pieces.
Very soon after starting this project, I gave up on the idea of a true charm quilt where all the fabrics are different. I do want this finished for the Centennial celebration - my deadline is an August contest entry date. I've been purchasing fat quarters, but only cutting a few pieces from each. I started with 3-5 squares of any one fabric, but considering the deadline, I may need to double or triple that number. Even at that, I will need 20-30 fabrics in each color. Like it's that difficult to talk me into a shopping trip...