Good morning. we are supposed to have a big snow storm today, so it is a great day to sew and quilt.
I have four quilts that I have been working on a little at a time. Eventually, they will be finished, Canadian 150 is ready to sew the binding down. It is a big quilt and will take several nights to complete while watching TV at night,
I once said that I would never, ever make a Dear Jane quilt. When the Guild started a Dear Jane Club, they invited others who could work on whatever they wanted, I was working on a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt (more about that in a later post) and decided to join the club. It would be one Saturday morning a month visiting with friends.
The club was having so much fun talking about Dear Jane and shareing tips, etc. They mentioned that the quilt shop had two Dear Jane books left. I left the meeting, went to the quilt shop and bought one. I am hooked.
Then I bought the EQ Dear Jane download from American Quilter. It has so much information. – Tips on how to make each block. – Printouts for paper piecing – colored pictures – which blocks are easy and which blocks are hard. It was easy to use as I have used EQ 7 and the files were the same.
As it is a long term project, I decided to start in the middle and add each row around the center. Each block would be hand quilted and finished in the pot holder method. My Maine chapter of the Pine Tree Guild had a class with Wendy Canton Reed (The Constant Quilter). Wendy taight this method and had actually make a Dear Jane this way. By using this method, the quilt could be finished at any row.
For each row around the center, I print the pattern, tips, and any other information about each block. I choose fabric as close to the original from my stash, making sure that I have enough for the back as each back is the same color as the top. The printouts, fabric and batting are placed in baggies. That way, I can pick a baggie and work on what is inside at home or at a club meeting. I store everything including thread, scissors, etc., in a plastic craft box in a tote bag and just have to pick it up when I want to go to a meeting.
Dear Jane will take a long time to finish, but the journey is most of the fun,
Miss Molly quilts 