tellabella

I have been working on my Dear Jane for a while off and on( months)...I will make a few blocks then move on to something else...I can't work on it exclusively...I have signed up to work along with all of you and I hope I can keep up...I started mine while the first group was in progress but I was never at the same place as everyone else as I discovered it late...I have deleveloped a system for myself that helps me a lot and makes it easier for me to keep track of my blocks etc, especially since I start and stop frequently...
1.

I was struggling with losing pieces of paper patterns as I was cutting them out and since the pieces can be so small, it can become like a puzzle to remember how to put everything back together...so I came up with this idea...I had a package of 4 cork sheets that I bought at Walmart for a bulletin board wall but never ended up using 2 of them...so I pin my paper pieces onto the cork sheet and then I cut my fabric pieces out to get ready for sewing...as I cut the fabric I pin the fabric close to the paper, or under it, so that I can keep track of which pieces belong to which subparts of the block..and then when I am ready to sew the subblocks together they are all there ready for me to pick up with the paper...


I keep my cork sheet in a large cardboard lid from a boot box that I grabbed when I started and it has helped me keep organized...(a tray would be good) This way my pieces don't get lost for each particular block...now sometimes I cut out all the fabric shapes for more than one block at a time, and if I do this, I use my second cork sheet...only 1 blocks really fits on the cork...if I need more I use the styrofoam flat plates that I get under my vegetables at the grocery store...

At the back on the cork I have copied the outline of the square and triangle and so when I complete a block I square it up and if it is a little itty bit smaller I can block it right on the cork board....I have really had to play with my seams as in the beginning my blocks were about 1/8 inch too small....getting better at that...

2.

When I print out the pattern I cut out the title of the block and I pin it to my board so I know which one it is...especially if time goes by I forgot which one it is...then when I am finished I pin it to the block

3.

I printed out a copy of the diagram from the Dear Jane computer program, and using coloured pencils, coloured it my colours for Trip Around the World Pattern...now I know by looking at my diagram what colour fabric I have to make each block...

4. Since i am only using 1 main colour for each block, I take a snip of that fabric colour and glue it to my chart...it helps my see what colours are next to each other and also to visually see which blocks I have done...I am do my blocks from fabric I have and want to try not to repeat fabrics so this way I can also see if I have used one of my fabrics already...

5. I now keep the completed blocks in a platic container..they were on my design wall so I could admire them...but after I lost one, (a triangle) (hoping it didn't fall into the garbage one day when I had the window open) I have put them away...still hoping it is going to appear somewhere as the little buggar took me a lot of time to do...

6. That Quilt has been a wonderful resource and helps me a lot...but there are many ways to complete each block...

7. For the pieces that involve applique, I am saving them as portable projects to take with me...I get them ready and have set them aside...

8. I have remade 2...just couldn't live with 2 of them...don't be surprised if some blocks take 2 hours or more...you can't hurry these little blocks and that is why I find I have to be in the "mood" for "Cara Gianna", as I refer to her..

I will post some pics if you like ...I am in the middle of recharging my camera battery

I don't know how I am going to quilt it...don't think it will be QAYG...but I will use very very thin batting...are any of you familar with batting called Cloud 9...I would appreciate your advice on this...as I would like to hand quilt this???maybe???

If you have any questions please ask and I will try to help...