CindyA

Cre8tvlwyr, it's good to hear from you! I do miss 'seeing' everyone when so many posting regularly on the DJ threads you created. I'd love to see the layout you end up with. I've thought about rearranging my blocks for the top, as well. I especially don't care for the two circular style blocks being together that are in the top left quadrant. On the other hand, part of me wants to stay true to Jane's top. Decisions, decisions. Yes, Dotty, you quilt is absolutely beautiful and you are an inspiration to the rest of us to keeping working on it.

DottyD

Hi Gus, Cindy and all,
So nice to see you on here Gus, this list - like some others I am on are all VERY quiet at the moment - I miss all the chat ! Thank you for your very kind comments about my DJ.
I am doing a talk about her and my journey in making her to the local Women's Institute in a couple of weeks and I am looking forward to that. I have also done the talk to four local quilt groups recently and have been thrilled to receive a couple of ribbons ( which I know I have spoken about before ) From those ribbons, I have been contacted by ladies who wish to come to the talk and also by a quilt group who are nearly two hours away from me and I have been fitted into their programme for next year. So exciting times. I really enjoy talking about my passion for Dear Jane. !!
Kmeyer - your blocks are stunning and I love your colours.
Well - it is half term here in the UK this week and I have my 8 year Granddaughter coming today to do some baking with me. She wants to make scones and chocolate cookies !
Hope to hear from you all again soon and watch your continuing journey. Deciding how to put your quilt together is so much fun !!
Have a lovely weekend !!

Kmeyer

Thank you DottyD for your nice compliment. I try to keep with the same color hue that Brenda does in her book. Sounds like your Dear Jane has opened up a whole new world for you and your quilting journey and it sounds like you will have a wonderful time with your granddaughter. Enjoy every minute of it.Karen

Cre8tvlwyr

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

Cre8tvlwyr

I see autocorrect on my phone changed many "sew" to "see"

tlambing

C5-9 and another triangle! Woo hoo me
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Kmeyer

tlambing, I wanted to say what great blocks. I know we are all really busy at this time of the year and I think it is great that you had the time to make so many blocks. One of my new year's resolutions is going to be finishing my dear jane. I have over 130 blocks done but other projects keeps getting in the way of me finishing it and I am determined to do so. Again, great blocks and I look forward to the next group of yours.

donac

I finished my first block in a while. I also organized my blocks. I will probably work on the upper left corner so I can look for my sashing next week.

donac

I will post a picture on Monday.

donac

A1 and A13. A13 is an alternate block since I couldn't see myself doing the original.

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I still haven't started to square up my blocks. I need to start measuring and getting an average so that I can look forward to adding sashing