My own personal "Legacy" Quilt --- Not a Dear Jane, but my 'Dear Jenn'
 

This quilt is comprised of 99 blocks that finish at 4". I have always loved the Dear Jane quilts and admired them for all the dedication, skill, patience, and love that goes into each and every block. As much as I love looking at them, I didn't have a strong desire to make one. I wanted something a little different - my own blocks that I could pick out myself.
So this quilt evolved, into something like a biography, something like a charm bracelet, something I could immerse myself into while going through what can only be described as a mid-life identity crisis. Last year I felt I was falling apart in so many ways (nothing tragic.... just empty nest and career change). Anyway, I created, drew, took measurements, scoured magazines and books and blocks to use in this project, spent hours and hours not only piecing and appliqueing the blocks, but also picking the right fabrics - ALL FROM STASH. I felt that I was getting more insane, not less. (Why did it take me so long to pick out three coordinating shades of pink for a rose block anyway?)
I built this from the center out, incorporating some blocks that are straight set, and some that are on point. There is a representation of a little boy, a bride, a Diet Coke bottle, a sewing machine, a lamb inside an Easter Basket, a cruise ship, a Leo, a star block that my quilting mentor made for one of her own quilts before she passed away. There is a traditional Double T block and that has sybolism in that my father's name ends in Double T (Everett); and my son's name ends in Double T (Brett). A cruise ship, an apple, a Rockingham Beauty (Rockingham is also a county in my state).

Without rambling too much: The pattern is somewhat based on a pattern called "Magic Carpet" which appears in the Better Homes and Gardens Book titled 501 Quilt Blocks. The pattern shown called for 144 blocks. I stopped at 99, so had to do some figuring on how to make it work. Many blocks are from that book, but not all. Some are entirely my own design.

The back is a different story. When my son was 12, he liked to sew with me. He made the nine-patches with the bright colors and the white. Then I put his old blocks together and added some orphan blocks.

Just needs binding now.

For a few blocks from the beginning of the project, please see here:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...s-t196371.html

what an awesome idea......beautiful........

I love the quilt and the idea behind it. This is a super meaningful quilt. Congrats on a great job!!

Here are a few more blocks, and my darling helper Gabby.

Excellent Job! Such a family history quilt! Love it! Luann

love it!! What a wonderful idea!!

Your quilt is beautiful! What a great idea you had and wonderful job putting it all together!! Sort of your own life story! Good job!

Really neat. Like it a lot.

Wow, that is a lot of work, and it turn out fantastic.

OMG What a terrific job you did and what patience. It looks like you challenged yourself and won. Great job.

It could very well have been that is how the Jane quilt evolved for that quilter. Using her own personal life to reflect how she made her quilt. You never know, your quilt may be someone's inspiration somewhere down the line. Lovely work and I admire your patience. :)

Maybe in a hundred years someone will be making a Dear Jennie quilt.:) ​Your quilt is great!

very nice.

very nice and a lot of work.

Outstanding Jenn. Love the way the back came together too. The quilt of a lifetime!

What a very special quilt. Well done - you must be very pleased with the end result.

What a memorable quilt. It will be a family heirloom for sure.

very nice quilt!!!!

Very nice! Lov it!!!

Great story and lovely quilt! Thanks for sharing.

YOUR QUILT IS AMAZING!! i LOOK AT THESE INVOLVED BLOCKS....... AND JUST STARE!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW
Your inspector Gabby looks just like our new Lucky

This is really wonderful!! Thank you for sharing this and inspiring those of us who had planned to never make a Dear Jane; this is a perfect, individualized solution. Lovely!

Jan in VA

Great job! You have more patience than I do. It is beautiful!

This is a treasure.........

The quilt is stunning and the design is all "yours!!!"

Your quilt is beautiful and I love that it tells a story. Well done!

Absolutely incredible quilt.

What an awesome job

It's beautifu along with your story.

Absolutely amazing - a life's story! Thanks so much for sharing.

What a great job. Hope it has helped your mid life crisis disappear

Wonderful quilt, love your fur baby!!!!!

Stunning quilt!

What a great quilt. I, too, have the book "501 Quilt Blocks" and have made a few of them. Some I have even figured out how to make larger for some of the quilts I have done. It was a great idea to choose blocks that mean something to you.

Well Jenn, you have created a Wonderful Quilt. I am so glad that you had something like this to see you through a time that we all have a hard time with. The story you tell with your Quilt is Wonderful.

I absolutely love your idea and your quilt. We tried unsuccessfully to have our mom's write their autobiography, or at least something of their life prior to what we could remember. My husband is researching his family tree and writing his biography as a legacy for our kids, but I would much rather do something more tangible. A quilt is a perfect idea. I did a similar memory quilt for my MIL's 90th birthday, but it never occurred to me to do my own. What a great self discovery. I hope it helped in your healing process. You should be very proud of your accomplishments: quilt or not.

Wow! You did great and created a quilt meaningful to you! Love the idea!

Love your quilt and all your planning and hard work. I have to say, I got a little teary-eyed reading your story, especially about using your son's blocks. That is SO meaningful. I don't have the "empty nest" yet, but I know how you must feel!
Great work!! :)

That is all around very imo]pressive.