Dear Jane
 

One more quick post then I must fly off to work. Has anyone here made a Dear Jane quilt? Would the more appropriate question be has anyone here not made a DJ?

Here's mine unearthed after 20 years of being packed away.
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And all the goodies, triangle border is all that remains to be done.
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At one time I had all the pieces listed and tallied, that's what we did back in the day. On the puter I had a siggie line that had all that info, which has been lost but could be recreated. I went to find the board and I have lost that as well. It's sort of sad getting this old.
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My journal from back in the day, it actually has entries of what was happening and shares just how addicted to all of this I was back when.

Part of me can't wait to retire and go into this all full time. I really thought I'd hit 52, children would be adults (youngest was 18) and I'd go off and my my hand appliqued Baltimore Album but all designed by me. Yeah right. Here I am 56 and working hard, well... it's what I love so it's really hard to call it working. I'm a indie dyer and knit wear designer, still expressing my art... just making money from it. Anyway, what I really didn't count on, forget the fact that I wasn't working back then... was that I got so sick. I appliqued all weekend on my Piecemakers 2000 calender quilt and lost my left hand to pain big time. I've got all these ailments and my pills no longer fit into a shoe box but I really need to get off of the Prednisone as it makes me gain weight (lost 45, still another 50 to go). But if I get off of it, I loose my hands to my diseas (SLE). So here I sit in this quandary, hopeful to get back to my lost craft.

Thanks for listening, Wendy
P.S. how do I make a siggie?

Your work on your quilt made in the style of Jane A. Stickle is impressive.

Hope that you can feel well enough to continue to work on it.

siggy info- go into Settings in upper right side or page. then look on left side, you will see it there. Good luck.. Lovely quilt. I bought the book, pattern and all but never made it.

Wendy, your work so far is fantastic! I haven't made one, but it's on my bucket list...of course my bucket is so full I need to upsize to a vat! :o

I never made one and have no desire to make one. So nice you have yours and will be working on it. Sorry to hear about you had etc. But I did make a Baltimore Album quilt many years ago and can no longer sew any thing by hand so my applique days and hand quilting days are over. the Golden Yrs are Not what they are cracked up to be.

I haven't made it yet but have the book and cd. Just another thing on my list.

Wish I could find the book. Love Dear Jane. Your's looks wonderful.

Your Dear Jane is beautiful. I hope you manage to finish it. So sorry to see you are suffering from SLE. I wonder if doctors are prescribing biologic meds for Lupus? I think I saw it being advertised on TV? If it is an option for you, you may be able to get your meds free directly from the company. My brother does this for RA. Don't give up, girl.

toverly, I just ordered the book from Amazon (3rd party seller). I paid $55 for it which is a lot but maybe not for OOP books. Hope to start mine this fall.

It will be beautiful when you finish it. Just keep going and moving around.

Yup, been on Benlysta for a year, it's horrifically expensive but we get it free cause we could never afford it. My life has changed dramatically. I suffered without the chemo for over 2 years and finally found a way to get it free(ish) first I have to meet my out of pocket max which is like $3,000 then it's free. I hit that by March. I only hope that they will renew it for 2020 or I degenerate to bed ridden. Your bro should be on the one that takes like 6 hours to get into the system, it's called Rituxamab. I feel awful doing mine and it takes 1 hour, but we spend about three hours in the cancer center. Doc threatened to take me off of Benlysta and switch me to Rituxamab when my numbers shot through the roof a month ago. I'm glad I didn't have to as the side effects from Benlysta keep me in bed for 2 days... the other is worse. That said I have to take a bunch of other drugs for all the rest of the diseases. It's not fun getting old... I always thought I would die by 30 and never need to go through all of this. Good thing I didn't as I wouldn't have my 2 youngest and would have missed out on all sorts of things, quilting included. I was a wild one. :-)

Is it out of print? Is the author still alive? I thought she'd never stop producing stuff.

Yeah, half the time I can't keep up with myself... the other I find myself prone. I would love to find balance in the ancient of days.

Thanks QuiltingVagabond. I'll give it a try. I've looked in shops but have never scored a copy. Hopefully Amazon will still have it.

There is (was?) a wonderful web site when I did mine years ago! Much help, info and pictures Lemme see if I can find it... Yep. Its changed but still really good. And here is mine!

http://thatquilt.blogspot.com/2009/01/8.html

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In April, I was lucky (right place, right time) to be invited to the Jane Stickle Quilt Retreat in Shipshewana. Many of the ladies who attend have completed or are working on DJ. I think the book's author has been a guest speaker for this group which has been meeting for more than 20 years.
Of course, after attending, I needed to find a copy of Dear Jane and mine came today. It was used but in very good condition and had been spiral bound (bonus!!). The next retreat is November, can't wait!

I've not made a Dear Jane quilt. Yours is lovely.

I bought the book,rulers Years ago,bow think I will pick out a few blocks and make a wll hanging.I had neck surgury a year ago and now need shoulder so hands don't work too good I love your quilt and thank you for showing it..

I have the book ..not sure I will ever make it. My list is long. Your quilt is beautiful and I hope you finish it. Kitties yours is lovely..what a pretty room!

I was looking for some quilt patterns today and behold! There was Dear Jane. I pulled it off the shelf and said to myself when I am done with my current projects this will be the next thing on my soon to do list. Not just my to do list but very soon. Moved to the top of the list.

Beautiful quilts!

Healing love and hugs coming your way! :hug:

Dear Jane was my first quilt. Each block, I tried a new technique. I was hooked. Been quilting ever since. Your are in my thoughts and prayers.

I “inherited” all the rulers but never knew what a Dear Jane quilt looked like. Now I know it’s a quilt I’ll never ever make! Yeah...one quilt eliminated!

I haven't done one but yours are beautiful~!

http://thatquilt.blogspot.com/2009/01/8.html


This is awesome! Thanks so much.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]616521[/ATTACH]Here is mine - all hand done, completed in 2016. Love this quilt and was interesting doing it all by hand.

I started my Dear Jane when my daughter got me the software for Christmas. With the software ($39) the book is not necessary. But I have found a lot of assistance with the web site mentioned above "that quilt" and http://www.susangatewood.net/mypatterns.html . Susan Gatewood has great tips also and several times I've used her patterns for paper piecing rather than the EQ Dear Jane Software.

I have about 80% of my blocks completed and have enjoyed this journey very very much. I plan to hand quilt it which will be another learning curve.

While I admire a Dear Jane, I know I will never make one. I had open heart surgery and the nerves in my dominant hand were damaged because my hand was wrapped too tightly and no one checked on it. I can barely write now and, of course, it will never change.

Lovely but not for me...I'm so beyond making large quilts...been there done that and onto smaller wall hangings

Hi Wendy, I have all the fabrics ready, mindset read as well but I am on a frozen stage and cannot start, don't know why! I guess I have a lot of UFOs and don't want to just start and have it sitting in a box so trying to finish some quilts before I start a project that I know it will take years for me to finish. I love DJ and I think that it is a journey that all quilters should go through. Like if you go to Spain you must walk El Camino de Santiago!

That's just the thing, if you know it will take years to finish,,, that box will be setting on the shelf anyway so go for it. Looking back over my journal, I am sure I was so not monogamous back then... looks like I finished the top in a few months! I started 11-11-99 and the last entries are in August of 2000. Then all the fabric was carefully boxed up into a pampers box (children are all adults now) and stored. It was moved many times with us in the last 20 years but unfortunately an overzealous DH hauled it all to the dump, in the last 6 months or so. I can hardly believe it but they are all gone. I'd swapped and purchased and and it's all gone. Fortunately I'd cut all the fabric pieces of the triangles, made many of them and have only a handful left. Now the rubber meets the road, we'll see if I'm still able to work on it, if I remember all my skills or not.

All that said, you could loose everything tomorrow, health or fabric LOL. I highly recommend you start today, right now in fact.

I wonder if CBD oil would help?
Talk to your doctor about using it. Some folks get great relief with it.

Your Dear Jane is beautiful and I can't fathom how long it took to make. I doubt I'll ever attempt it, as my list is also long and I don't foresee making big quilts. But I never say "never," just kind of know myself too well to see spending
a long time on any one quilt. I like starting new ones too much!

I'm so sorry for all your health problems. I truly cannot imagine what daily life must be like for you. But it sounds like you persevere and go for your goals in spite of your diseases. Good for you!

Just keep plugging away and you will finish some time. Although I'm sure you'd like to sleep under your quilt sometime! I was into "Dear Jane" for several years about 10-15 years ago. Made 4 versions in various sizes - 30s, Christmas, blue and white, Asian and black. Loved it and then worked on "Just Plain Nuts" and a few other samplers. I love samplers and smaller blocks. I think it's because you can use various techniques for the individual blocks, and learn a lot that way. Best wishes to you!

no! There's another one out there! LOL I had no idea, now I'm in trouble. Thanks.

Enjoying reading this thread and the Sylvia’s thread. My Jane lacks cutting the scallops and binding. I made a bad choice in my wanting it finished, and had it pantograph quilted. ��. My Sylvia still needs borders. Too many ufo’s at my house.

You don't like the panograph? Is that why you haven't bound it? What would you have done differently?

I would have paid more to have it custom quilted. Just didn’t seem worth it at the time.