Well ladies... Haven't been able to do much of anything these last few days because I threw out my back Sunday. Old injury from 1977 catches up with me about once a year😞 So as I lay here on top of a big ice pack, I'm catching up on Jane friends on my phone. Haven't replied on here yet so I will see how it works!!
Dotty- that is SO EXCITING! To share your Jane journey!! She is quite a beautiful accomplishment!
Cindy - yes on the rearrangement - those two blocks ... B2&3??.... Upper left corner on Brenda's picture, are the ones that made me decide in the beginning to move things around. I struggled for a while about whether to "leave her be" closer to the original Jane or move things. While I was making her, I would first look at a block and decide what fabric would give me the same feeling as the picture of Jane Stickle's block ... Not Brenda's - what you - many who look at her book- don't realize is that at the time she wrote the book she had not made the quilt herself. I'm not sure she has ever finished her although she certainly started an amazing trend! She has taught classes on making Jane, but I personally spoke to her about a block once several years back and she confessed she had not sewn it. A lovely lady - extremely knowledgeable and was designer of many dear Jane fabrics that look remarkably like Stickle's originals. She is a mathematician who was totally intrigued with the quilt when she was at the Bennington museum I believe was given permission to draft the patterns for her from the extensive pictures she took.
I don't know if any of you have ever made a sketch of a quilt block you've never made and then made it after. Sometimes while you start seeing you might come up with an easier method to see or find something that just looks better to you and your pattern changes.
While making Janes blocks you will find many patterns that don't quite look like the original. Brenda did make some adjustments to some when she developed the software. She has alternative pattern to some you see in the book and a few of them more closely look like Janes.
Boy did I go off track!!!
I guess the thing I wanted to say was that in deciding whether to "stray" from the original Jane I noted all would be somewhat different because the patterns are also different if you don't adjust some yourself. I realize I was "distracted" by Brenda's names for the blocks - they are not Janes and have no connection to her.
For example, Florence Nightingale I made red because of the Red Cross! What was I thinking? Janes wasn't red because it was her block and who knows what name it had!! I could be wrong in assuming these are all Brenda's names. I have no knowledge of any history of quilt blocks.
Off track again! Must be the pain😥
...wonder if my emoticons will show?
Anyway as I continued to make more blocks I really did try to stick closer to the original both in color and pattern. I drafted many patterns differently because the ones given were not accurate. In fact, if any of you would like another draft of a block just let me know. L10 I made last because I wanted to use a part of my moms dress it always reminded me of.
One last thing - a note on hand applique. I frequently will cut an applique pattern copied onto card stock. It is thicker and gives a nice edge. You can pin it to your fabric after you have cut the fabric with proper seam allowance. Hold the two pieces firmly together and run your fingernail across the right side of the fabric right at the edge of the card stock pressing it downward all the way around. This will give you a perfect crease for your appliqués needle turn edge.
Gotta stop typing!!
Happy sewing😊
Gus