Originally Posted by tortoisethreads
So, I've been drooling over this quilt for a while now and I'm feeling really inspired. I've been quilting for a couple of years and have done applique and a few "harder" blocks. I'm wondering how scary and difficult it is! It looks scary...I'm reading blogs where people have spent years working on theirs...yikes. Any suggestions or words of encouragement? I was definatly going to buy the software, but is it true there are no real instructions?
Mine is ten years in the making, and I won't share how much of it I have (or haven't) finished. :wink:
My only word of advise for anyone starting this would be, if you're not going to buy both the CD and the book, is to choose the CD. The book has a lot of Brenda's treacly missives to Jane - made me want to puke but my friend was in tears. Go figure. ;-)
The are all kinds of hints for each block here:
http://dearjane.com/
And if you've been quilting for awhile, you'll be able to figure out which way is best for you . Some hand pieced the thing (certifiable in my book). You can paper piece a huge chunk of them. Applique and reverse applique for others. You really hit on pretty much every method out there. It's a huge learning experience. And how can you get frustrated with 4.5" block?
By having the CD, you can easily print out the templates or the foundations instead of having to make copies and/or trace them from the book. It's a huge time saver.
And no one says you have to make the whole thing. I've seen gorgeous quilts with original or unique settings. It's not a race (as I can attest to).
You'll finish when you finish. If you make a few blocks and decide you hate them, well, you can turn them into mugrugs.