Adnil, I'm not fully understanding 'Masterworks' - when I googled it, it seemed like an embroidery software program primarily for the baby lock that will adapt any picture or pattern you scan into it into an embroidery pattern that you then put into your embroidery machine and it will 'embroider' it on. What you said sounds sort of like the program is able to transfer the design to your background fabric, you add the top 'applique' fabric and it will stitch it in the right place for you to trim at the edges and then use a decorative stitch for final attachment???

as for me..... LOVE needle-turn!! I find it relaxing and as a math-wiz I usually think that if you measure correctly you usually get the piecing right. When I have had a problem piecing - which I have done primarily by machine with Jane - I have found that if I make the correction by hand in exactly the right spot, I only rip out once because it is easier to see what I am doing. Dont get me wrong! I frequently will think the machine will go much faster, but you can't turn your small block or part of your block sideways to take a better look. When I use the machine in an area that has a sharp point meeting another corner, I have also found that by lengthening my stitch the first time I sew the seam, adjustments are easier and I go over it with a tighter stitch when it is where I want it to be.

I meant to take lots of pictures while making M7 [week of Sept 8] but failed miserably :( I was sitting on the couch much of the time and finished it while at a quilt board meeting where I forgot to take out my phone to snap another photo. The most common blogspots - http://thatquilt.blogspot.com/2010/01/m-7.html and http://auntreensquilts.blogspot.com/...se-garden.html have slightly different ways of putting theirs together and mine is a third way :)
I started by tracing the pattern from the book directly onto my background fabric. I also cut out the inner pointy square and each of the two different melons and print moon shape out of freezer paper to use as templates. I cut four melons of background, four of the other melons as outer points and 4 moons out of print, center section out of the print.[ATTACH=CONFIG]432610[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]432609[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]432608[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]432611[/ATTACH]I cut a 3 1/4" square for the center piece and traced the pattern onto the fabric with a light colored washaway marker for melon placement and needleturned the inner curves of the melons onto the square. When done I trimmed the print down under the melons. I appliqued the crescent moons to the background followed by the print melons at the corners. I then cut a circle out of the middle background and trimmed the background seam down, made sure I could see the placement for the crescent moons on the white melons for the center. I clipped the crescent inner curves, pinned them on and used reverse applique to attach the inner circle underneath.
Gus

Wish someone had taught me to hand piece when I was young. But since I feel the urge to finish my Baby Jane in my lifetime, I must digitize. I so admire those who do hand piece and hand appliqué. My last 3 days of Jane

My second attempt at Jane came to a screeching halt this summer. I was in a mad rush to finish 23 grandchildren quilts for my sweet MotherInLaw. I finished 10 tops in June. All the same pattern so I'm pretty proficient at it lol. Then my Step Father passed July 7 and I rushed to Idaho for his funeral. I was scheduled to be gone four days, two for travel, two for funeral and visiting. WELL...those of you who know me, know I ended up staying in Idaho for six WEEKS. When I went to visit my In laws my 94 yrold Father-in-law was very ill from a broken shoulder. MotherInLaw was exhausted from taking care of him and what could I do but stay and take care of them both. My FatherInLaw passed a week later. It was quite an emotional ride. I stayed five more weeks while sweet MotherInLaw adjusted to her new world.

A long long story to get to the DearJane I took Sweet MotherInLaw to see. A local quilter, I think she was local, had many years of quilting on display in the local news paper office. We went specifically to see her DJ. It really was pretty, however, as you can see she, her Jane was her own design of Jane's blocks and solid blocks. It seemed to me she had chosen the most easy blocks or maybe her favorites, of course. I'm not being a critic, I promise, it was lovely! Adnil, if you can tell, you'll be pleased that even this wonderful quilter did no hand work. All her blocks needing hand work of any kind seemed to be fused and zigzagged. If I could talk myself into it, I'd finish faster and have a beautiful quilt!! My summer has changed my outlook on many things. I just might try it. But if you remember, I have two Janes going now and my second BatikJane BoM at four months behind...sob sob sob. There is hope! I'm nearly ready to begin again. :D

Monica and Adnil - all beautiful blocks!

SheriR - thanks for sharing. Sorry it was such a difficult summer. I've stopped making progress on my Jane, too, but will eventually get back to it.

SheriR, I am so tempted too to do what this quilter did with her DJ blocks. I am so longing to do the complete quilt but things in life take precedence over doing this whole quilt and I also have so many other quilts I want to make. I think this is a beautiful quilt so I am off to the sewing room to make a plan.....

Pewa, it really was a pretty DJ and very do able. I never even considered doing some blocks with fusible appliqué. Nor did I think of alternating blocks with a whole piece. I thinking go look at more versions of the DJ!

SheriR, I have 49 blocks done and if I do a shortcut quilt I would still do the blocks in the traditional way, applique and piecing. At my age I just need to get this project done.

A few triangles: the first two I didn't know to resize block in EQ, thanks to Yvette of fitquilter.blogspot.com I now do not have to hand trace triangle patterns ( YAY ) and as a machine piecer only, the third triangle took longer than expected to figure out how to machine piece rather than RA ( reverse applique ). These are samples. Next week I will piece with BOM fabric.

Hats off to hand piecers!!!!

Hello, ladies! How are all? I hope heart that very well!
Welcome to the new members!
Here, in my life, have been many things, as the beginning of a new project with my husband who has stolen my mind and time these past few months. I hope that it is route soon, so I can return to my usual times.
And the other that stole my hours of patchwork is the fact that I started taking sewing classes with a teacher once a week!
And now I can tell you that I finished my first shirt! It is a classic shirt I did that a few details so that it is not so simple and common.
I share a photo and hope it is to your liking!
I just cut the fabrics for G-5, G-6, G-7 and G-8 to continue with my personal calendar of the Dear Jane, so I hope soon to share the block with you!
I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!
A big hug to everyone!