I am always humbled by such nice words. There are so many talented (make that TALENTED!) quilters on this board!
I began quilting when my DH retired due to a severe illness & we were pretty well housebound for years. What I learned was trial & error, reading books, in other words, I learned to quilt to pass time away....self taught The best lessons learned was "BOY! Don't do THAT again!" :)
I really don't know how long the blocks took to make because there were many things going on. In law parents becoming ill & passing away, illness' of our own...in actual working time, probably 6 to 8 months. But I always have other things going on...applique of some sort all the time, piecing or quilting...that I switch back & forth. (And yes, I always finish what I start)
When I made Jane Stickle, I consider myself to have been an advanced beginner in answer to the question ask. I took out a lot of stitches, I took some blocks apart until I had to start over. This was one of the best learning tools I ever did.
It is not for a rank beginner to learn alone, you need some knowledge of piecing. If you will persevere, and you do NEED perseverance, you will know how to stitch just about any kind of piecing when done.
Am I glad I made Jane Stickle? YES! Gave me the confidence to say I can learn to make anything I want to make, if I want to make it badly enough. (And I still consider myself fortunate enough to learn something with each quilt I make even today!)
Thanks again for your kind words! Riley