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 3.28.2011
 I've been
moving pretty slow on my quilt projects, thanks in part to tax season. I just finished the center of the quilt and
pictures do not do it justice. There's a lot of drama in the center and I really love how the quilt is coming together.
I'm so excited to add the calico fabric borders as they come next. They measure 10 inches by 49 inches. Once
they've all been added to the center, I will go back and mitre them in the corners.
1.4.2011
 Center row number 4 is now finished.
It didn't take very long as most of the piecing in these blocks included straight forward seams; I
just love how Sun Bonnet Sue is centered in this row...she's just so cute! Now if I could find a
Raggedy Ann doll that was a cute a Sue, I'd be a happy camper.
1.3.2011
I finished center row number 3 today, but not
without making a big mistake. I typically forget to sew right sides together, and
sometimes stitch a block in the wrong place altogether, but this time I trimmed my block to the
finished size of 4.5 inches, thereby cutting my quarter-inch seam allowance completely off!
My options were to either piece strips back onto the block, thus giving me the finished width
plus seam alllowance, or to put this block aside and use a different block in its place.
I opted for plan B, whereby I substitued this block with the only other applique block not being used
in a "special" spot on the quilt. The flame block was substitued in and is now front and center, where I
wanted it all along. This isn't exactly my mom's first choice for this block
but she was supportive in the decision. I think possibly this mistake happened for a
reason.
1.1.2011
Happy New year!! I now
have the second center row pieced together. It looks great and I can't wait to
join it with row number one. I'm going to wait until all of the center rows are finished before
joining them with the sashing rows.
12.28.2010
 Here I have finished piecing the first row
of center blocks. Note, this row is acutally shown upside-down. You can
see the exact layout of these block here. After
piecing this row I decided to do a little cleanup work on the back. That is, I trimmed the
seam allowances so that they were graduated. This will help the blocks lay flatter,
and while quilting.
12.25.2010
 After a slight delay (of a few years), I started working on my Dear Jane Quilt. That
is, my Mustard and Black Amish Center Diamond
Quilt is now finished, and so is Tristan's Nine-
Patch Baby Quilt. I thought to
myself, "Now what?" Well rather than start a whole new project, I decided my unfinished
Dear Jane Quilt looked interesting. I left-off (years ago) with the blocks completed and a layout
chosen (seen here on the right). It is based on a quilt called "In Time of Friendship"
by Linda Franz.
After looking at it again I decided the layout needed a little tweaking.
I started flipping through the pages of my Dear Jane book and came across an inspiration by
Brenda Papadakis called Eaton's Crossroads. I instantly liked this layout
for several reasons. First, the blocks themselves stand-out quite a bit more. Also,
this layout lends itself to hand-quilting, which at this point I'm sure I want to do. It
also has a small amount of applique work, which I'm in the mood for right now. Anyway,
here's a mock-up of the new proposed layout for my Dear Jane quilt.
I've started piecing the
blocks together and now how three of the center blocks joined! If you'd like to see
some of my finished Dear Jane Blocks in the proposed layout,
click here.
A little background...
I started my Dear Jane quilt after discovering the wonderful
"In Time of Friendship" quilt by Linda Franz. While searching
the internet for ideas on hand-pieced quilts, I came across
her site and was immediately drawn to the quilt. That is,
until I saw "Quilted Diamonds", the quilt (and book) also by Linda.
blame
Jane
I share my passion for Jane Austin books and
quilting with my mother. Together we "blame Jane" for our obsession
with all things Jane, including the desire to watch Pride and
Prejudice on a weekly basis. It seems only fitting that we should
find others like Linda who not only share our passions, but who feel
compelled to combine the two.
a fusion
of disciplines
Armed with the hand-piecing techniques
described in Quilted Diamonds (which I recently purchased at the
Road to California quilt show in January of 2004) and those I learned
from Hand-Piecing Basics by Candy Goff, I set out to create my
own Dear Jane quilt. Since this was my first large quilt, I decided
not to attempt "Diamonds"; though I would be using many of the blocks. I will
also be including some additional blocks which are favorites of mine.
starting out
Much to the
dismay of the sales ladies at my local quilt store, I combined
a light calico and dark batik fabric for my quilt. They suggested many
alternatives, but I preferred my combination best. The process of making
a block always begins with my reproducing it in digital format using AutoCAD.
Not only does this give me a computer backup, but I can print with an accuracy
of .0001. I think it's important that each step in piecing a block be as
accurate as possible; starting with the block itself. For this reason, I choose
not to use a copier.
take a gander (or even a goose)
So take a look around and don't
forget to check out my work below. If you like what you see, then contact me. I'd love to talk with you about quilting.
Be sure to check out Candy Goff's fabulous work here, and a special thanks to Linda Franz for giving us Quilted Diamonds.
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