# Collaboration w/Mark James



## Mrs. Charlie_W (Jun 21, 2018)

Almost a year ago I contacted Mark James about a segmened inlay pen and finial he made that spoke to me. I wanted to commission Mark to make a pen for the president of the quilt guild I belong to. When I took the job of VP I knew it was my responsibility to come up with the president’s gift and I was stumped until I saw his finial which looks like the Lemoyne Star quilt pattern. 

Mark was so kind to stop by our house in Northern Virginia on his way to Richmond. He brought along various types of wood and samples and sat with Charlie and me to understand my vision. The wood combination I chose was the same he used - maple, padauk, and black veneer. The padauk had to be in the blank due to the barn red color which relates to the barn our guild is named after. 

So here we are eight months later and I am thrilled to share pictures of the gorgeous segmented chevron pen blank and Lemoyne Star finial Mark designed and created and my sweet hubby (Mr. Charlie_W) turned to perfection to fit a Jr. Statesman II kit.  I am also including the quilt that contains blocks made by guild members that I finished. To say our guild president was blown away is an understatement. She hugged me with tears in her eyes and thanked me over and over for the pen. 

Who would have thought reading through posts on IAP would have led to a 3-person collaboration including a quilt inspired by a very special pen? Thank you Mark James. You knocked it out of the park! 

Please note it did not take Mark eight months to make the blank and finial. I had to wait until the gift was presented at our end of year party before posting any pictures.


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## Big (Jun 21, 2018)

Mark is an amazingly talented craftsman and artisan.


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## bobjackson (Jun 21, 2018)

Mark is a true gentleman and an amazing craftsman/artist.


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## leehljp (Jun 21, 2018)

Gorgeous finish on a beautiful pen! And love the finial!


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## Charlie_W (Jun 21, 2018)

Yes, Mark’s precision detail work in these blanks and finial make this pen a showcase pen! One can really appreciate the work and resulting beauty when his pens are in your hand.
Well done Mark....thanks!


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## mark james (Jun 21, 2018)

Great job Charlie!  I like your finish better than my finishes.

I had confidence with the blanks, but was worried about the finial.  You nailed it.  I have only made 3-4 of these finials, so it's nice to see it came out aligned.

Thank you for considering me to assist with the gift, and the quilt is superb.


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## magpens (Jun 21, 2018)

Is that ever beautiful !!!!! . Congratulations to everybody involved !!!!!


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## Cwalker935 (Jun 21, 2018)

Fantastic work across the board!


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## gtriever (Jun 21, 2018)

Fabulous work from all concerned. What a unique gift!


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## Gregory Hardy (Jun 21, 2018)

Congrats, all.  When good folks get together on a good project, only good things can happen.  Add amazing talent to it, and...well...look at the photos.  Amazing work, guys.


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## Charlie_W (Jun 21, 2018)

mark james said:


> Great job Charlie!  I like your finish better than my finishes.
> 
> I had confidence with the blanks, but was worried about the finial.  You nailed it.  I have only made 3-4 of these finials, so it's nice to see it came out aligned.
> 
> Thank you for considering me to assist with the gift, and the quilt is superb.



Thanks Mark! The finial is the icing on the cake! I let it stand a little proud of the cap recess to highlight your great segmenting.


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## MDWine (Jun 22, 2018)

You are so daggone talented, the lot of you.
I got to pre-view the pen and quilt at the CAW picnic, and the photos Charlie shared shows how stunning all of the work was.

I'll go back to my mud pies now...


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## Charlie_W (Jun 22, 2018)

Thanks all for the compliments on the pen......90% of those go to Mark for his fabulous blanks. I was merely the turner, finisher, and assembly person on this project.

My Wonderful Wifey gets the credit for the idea, wood selection and layout as she had the vision for the presidential pen!

The quilt also turned out very nicely with the help of the guild members, one other quilter and Wifey.....another collaboration in itself.


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## mark james (Jun 22, 2018)

Now, now, now  Charlie...  I just glue sticks of wood together!  :wink:  But this was a really fun activity.  I thoroughly enjoy seeing this finished in such a nice gesture to someone who appreciates it.


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## TattooedTurner (Jun 22, 2018)

Fantastic job from all of you!


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## panchos61 (Jun 24, 2018)

That’s Beautiful 


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app


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## jeff (Jun 24, 2018)

Thanks, Robin, for posting that nice work by Charlie and Mark. It looks great on the front page :biggrin:


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## LouCee (Jun 24, 2018)

Great choice for the front page!


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## mark james (Jun 24, 2018)

I just did some glue-work!  The turning and finishing was all Charlie's effort.  Oh, the choice of colors was all Robin.  Fun collaboration.

It's an honor to be on the front page, but especially to be on the coat-tails of Charlie and Robin.


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## gtriever (Jun 24, 2018)

Front page! Well deserved, and congratulations to all!


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## Mrs. Charlie_W (Jun 24, 2018)

jeff said:


> Thanks, Robin, for posting that nice work by Charlie and Mark. It looks great on the front page :biggrin:



OMG! This is so exciting. Thank you Jeff.


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## Charlie_W (Jun 24, 2018)

Oh My Goodness!!! Thank you so much Jeff...this is indeed an honor!

I know Mark says he just glues sticks together but, he does do some fantastic gluing!....he is probably still picking glue off his fingers!


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## Dalecamino (Jun 25, 2018)

Awesome pen on the front page! Congratulations!


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