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-   -   How does Jenny do it. (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/how-does-jenny-do-t247605.html)

Tothill 05-31-2014 10:43 AM

I will be the first to say that watching Jenny's Videos brought me to quilting. If I have not seen them I would still strictly be a garment sewer.

And the very first quilt I made way back in the mid 80's was a Quilt in a Day pattern brought through Canadian Living Magazine. In that pattern Eleanor has you rip the fabric for the Around the World pattern. It was tied and although it took me more than a day it has held up for 30 years.

So my quilting experience went like this:

1985 - Eleanor Burns Quilt in a Day Around the World
2002 - a few rag quilts, flannel on one side, denim on the back
2013 - a quilt based on a Jenny demo video
2013 - a Jelly Roll bag based on a Jenny demo - This was my mother's Christmas present and she was thrilled to receive some useful. It is meant to be a beach bad.
2014 - a Jelly Roll race quilt, Pattern Review had a Jelly Roll Race online, this one is still a quilt top
2014 - My first pattern from a quilting magazine, this is still a wip and simple rectangles. This is for my mother's 80th birthday
2014 - my next project a red black and white quilt for my son who graduated this month, pattern will probably be https://www.byannie.com/media/images...s_patterns.pdf

So I am still a rank beginner, but without ladies like Eleanor and Jenny, I would not be quilting at all.

I can appreciate the work that goes into intricate accurate quilts, just as I can appreciate ballet. But I love lots of colour and quilts that make me smile more like modern dance. I guess I like the freedom of expression more than the accuracy of the work.

LGJARN52 05-31-2014 12:32 PM

Personally I think she does a wonderful job in her demo's....granted using precuts does speed things along. She's known for having the largest array of precuts in the Midwest. For me, her demo's are the perfect length to see if I'm interested in making quilts as she does. When I get stuck it's easy to view again and again. Ok....so I really like Jenny!!

Carol34446 05-31-2014 12:57 PM


Originally Posted by ube quilting (Post 6738362)
Going way back to when most of us were little girls we we taught about perfection and it has really hampered a lot of us from being able to just enjoy the doing.

I am always hearing in general conversations about how grown women talk about how imperfect they are. Much damage has been done over many years of striving to be perfect. Jenny Doan and Eleanor Burns are great examples of how much fun any endeavor can be. Be it quilting, cooking, gardening, etc. Hurray to them for making it less stressful and more fun. We can take their inspiration and fly as high as we want with it. The methods they show us only help us to get more creative in our own lives.
peace

You are so right, if your going to put a quilt in a show and winning is all, take you time and be perfect. But ladies, it is time to have fun and if not perfect, it will be close enough when quilted and when quilted, the person who receives it will be thrilled, what else matters. Not to say don't try, but it is not worth ulcers over it. Enjoy and both Jenny and Eleanor make me laugh so much. My DH goes around saying "stitch in the ditch" a lot when shows are on and I have a good laugh as he is 81. 4 kinds of CA and I am sure the humor and laughs we have have a lot to do with fact he is doing great.

MargeD 05-31-2014 01:07 PM

I love Jenny and her light hearted attitude about quilting. She may use a lot of precuts, get to do retakes of anything that goes seriously wrong, and she gives us permission to be human, maybe make mistakes occasionally, but learn from them and keep on quilting. I love Jenny, because, like Eleanor Burns she injects humor into quilt making and they both teach us the shortcuts they have learned along the way to make quilting fun for us. I give both ladies credit for getting to where they are from humble beginnings, and to keep smiling.

oldtisme 05-31-2014 01:12 PM

I too Love jenny & Eleanor's video's they make me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to and have fun doing it. I will be making a lot of Jenny's quilts because they are easy and I have 5 more kids to make quilts for then on to my 9 (so far) grandkids quilts. Then I'll be able to play around with wall quilts & some harder patterns because I'm sure by then I'll be a lot better at quilting.

labtechkty 05-31-2014 02:15 PM


Originally Posted by jclinganrey (Post 6737231)
IMHO - I think she's presenting an idea; a concept; introducing a new pattern. I don't think her intent is to focus on precision and accuracy because that's up the the individual quilter. Her objective is to generate excitement, hold your interest ((our attention spans are much shorter than they used to be)) and drive traffic to her site, which she does quite well.

Personally, I like watching her videos.

Jane

I totally agree..

callen 05-31-2014 02:34 PM

IMHO, Jenny is as much an entertainer as she is a quilter & entertain she does. She makes things enjoyable & fairly easy to understand. I wish I had her "joie de vivre" because she obviously enjoys what she is doing & I love watching her. Maybe things aren't so perfect but are our "super models" so perfect either without air brushing etc.
Let's just enjoy her work & all the videos that she provides to us, free of charge.

Boston1954 05-31-2014 03:47 PM

If it's anything like a movie, they may be doing more than one "take". Also, she could have been quilting for many years. I saw a tutorial last night where she mentioned that she sews almost ten hours a day. That can lead to a great deal of confidence.

Pennyhal 05-31-2014 04:30 PM


Originally Posted by dee1245 (Post 6738523)
I am making in the process of making the Disappearing Pin-Wheel (ShooFly) using Jenny's technique. Working on blocks cut on the bias is not all that easy. Most of my blocks were square, but not all. I just did the best that I could do. I used a lot of starch to help prevent stretching, sometimes to the point of being cardboard like and they still didn't always come out square. The quilt is for me, so I am not stressing over it, but my youngest grandson loves it and wants it when I am done with it. It is made from my late husband's button down shirts into a memory quilt and only one of the materials is 100% cotton. I am sure that is where part of the trouble started. I am just happy that I could follow the pattern and have it almost finished at this point. The only thing to finish is the borders and binding since I used a QAYG technique, also. I will be posting a photo when it is complete.

Gosh, I thought I was the only one who could starch fabric as stiff as a board and still not cut it and have it come out the right size.

Mousie 05-31-2014 07:10 PM


Originally Posted by Annie Pearl (Post 6736944)
I have watched gobs of Jenny's tutorials and have learned a lot from her. One thing I don't understand is how she does things so fast. She cuts fast, she sews very fast and most of all she irons not presses her blocks. How do you think she keeps things accurate?

I've noticed the ironing thing too. Somehow it works out for her.


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