If you want to be a member of Janiac's Unite blog to post pictures of your Dear Jane blocks then please contact me (Vicki) in the Contact Us Page.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

They have arrived

Santa has finally made good his promise to deliver me the Dear Jane book, CD and rulers for Christmas.  The journey is about to start for real.  The material is packed, the thread is packed, my cutting mat is packed, my laptop is packed and now my Dear Jane materials are packed.  Can't wait to get started.

Cheers

Marg

Monday, December 26, 2011

These are the blocks B-4 and B-9.
The fabric of the center of the block B-4 is a printed piece fabric, you do not think I did it with patchwork, heh, heh, heh.
My best wishes for a nice New Year's dinner with your loved ones and the beginning of the year is full of joy, family togetherness and health and well continue throughout2012.

A warm hug and happy patchwork,
:) Yasmin :)
patworkmipasion.blogspot.com

(In Spanish)
Estos son los blocks B-4 y B-9.
La tela del centro del block B-4 es un trozo de tela estampado, no piensen ustedes que yo lo hice con patchwork, je, je, je.
Mis mejores deseos para que tengan una linda cena de Año Nuevo junto a sus seres queridos y que el comienzo del año sea lleno de alegrías, unión familiar y salud y así continúe durante todo el 2012.

Un fuerte abrazo,
:) Yasmin :)
patchworkmipasion.blogspot.com
BLOCK B-9

BLOCK B-4


Saturday, December 24, 2011

3th block

This is my next block at last. I'm making all my blocks by hand.
I hope to get more blocks done in 2012!!!

Last block for the year

I haven't posted on the blog this month, this block is my fourth one for my Rainbow Jane, a fairly straightforward foundation paper pieced block.  The thread I used for this block was a Wonderfil Deco-Bob, which is an 80 wt - 2 ply polyester thread, for my previous blocks I used Aurifil Cotton Mako 50.  They are both excellent threads, more importantly (to me) they are both quite fine threads and when making blocks which are quite "seamy" as some of the Dear Jane blocks are, anything that helps to reduce the bulk is a good thing.


I9 - Chase a Myth

Friday, December 23, 2011

Merry Christmas

Happy Christmas all fellow Janiacs. Look forward to 2012 and lots of progress on DJ. Look forward to seeing others as well. Enjoy the Festuve Season.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

It's nice having these bright Janes to work on when other projects are out of my colorways.

C-10

TR-10

Been sashing them as I go along and they hang out to share the cheer. Took me forever to decide how I wanted to set them. Finally decided since I was doing a bright, cheery rainbow to chase away the blues of being a newly empty-nest mom, I'd set them in the sky, where we find real-life rainbows.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Introduction

Hello everyone,

I signed up for the challenge a while ago and was waiting to have some DJ related post to introduce myself. But because I have been busy doing lots of other things, I have felt like a fraud since... In the last 2 days, I have taken a few Dear Jane stitches on L12 that I cut a long time ago so I thought it was great time I came out of lurking on the blog and make myself known to you fellow Janiacs.
I started my Dear Jane journey in 2004 and completed my first few blocks during Dear Jane classes run by the Dear Jane Queen, Brenda who travelled to Europe (a remote Danish island) for the occasion. I met with friends from Sweden there and we pieced and applique our first few blocks together in September 2004. Since then, my Dear Jane journey has been going through period of "intense" blocks making (about 1 block a week) to long period of rest, this is where I have been for a long while now. So I am hoping this blog will help me focus on my Dear Jane again to eventually get it finished!
I am using batik fabrics in a Trip around the World arrangement for my blocks with a dark blue (Sapphire) background.
I am posting a picture of my virtual wall below so you can see where I am at.
Most of my blocks are posted on my webshots and some are also on Flickr.
I have made 111 blocks and 5 triangles to date so there is still a relatively long way to go.
I have been sewing the sashing as I pieced the blocks and assembling the row as I go along so at least once my blocks are finished, the top should get together *relatively* fast.
Well I hope to keep up with you in the New Year, even though Baby #3 will make an appearance very soon, maybe I am optimistic, time will tell!

Celine

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Finally a block completed

With all the end of year "stuff" - costumes for musicals, dance concerts, end of year parties, etc plus the Christmas sewing - and no matter how good my New Year Resolution starts out to be, it's still a rush at this time of year - so I've just been looking longingly at my little pile of fabric and my downloaded Dear Jane blocks - from the BOM done a little while ago.

Finally last night when I finished off yet another Christmas gift, I decided that it was Dear Jane night.  I picked a fairly simple applique pattern and off I went organising.  All went smoothly until I went to get my hand applique thread.  I searched and searched - you know how it is, you start off looking in all the logical places and then it's the not so logical and it finally becomes the totally ridiculous.  Still no where to be found.  Finally in desperation I went downstairs to mull over what to do next.  Where was my box of thread?  On my sewing stand in the lounge room where I keep all my hand sewing - mainly my hexie quilt-in-progress, but some stitcheries as well.  Duhh!!

So at 10.15pm my Dear Jane journey began.  I love hand applique - particularly needle turn, but don't get to do enough of it.  I'm pleased with the result.  And soooooo pleased to be able to say the journey has begun.

I believe that Santa may be delivering a parcel all the way from USA with a Dear Jane book and some other goodies.  Yeh, Santa!!  Can't wait.  Maybe it won't get here for the big day, but it will get here.  Meanwhile I have the 24 blocks from the BOM to go on with.

However, it's now back to more Christmas sewing - two quilts to be quilted before the BIG day!!

Cheers

Marg

Monday, December 12, 2011

Couple Of Easy Blocks



M-10 Simple Simon



D-13 Field Of Dreams

I was a naughty girl and did a couple of easy blocks last week at a sewing group....lol.

Much easier to do easy blocks than those harder ones when lots of people around.

HUGGLES
Lucky

Thursday, December 8, 2011

C-7 Megan's Mountain Laurel

I completed this block today - still not liking foundation piecing, so ended up starting again just piecing the diamonds!!!

C-7

Here is the last A block and 2 from row B.


A-13

B-1

B-2

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Short and Sweet

I finished another DJ block this weekend!  This is B-3.  This block can be pieced, but I'm an appliquer at heart, so I appliqued mine.  I just started by piecing two Four-patch blocks and then used one to applique a circle on top of the other one.  Simple :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

On a roll

I completed 2 more C blocks today with lots of freezer paper and applique. I have also added 3 more A blocks. A-12 is a bit boring as the pieces were so small - I may end up redoing it.

C-5

C-6

A-10

A-11

A-12

Happy stitching!!

Row L is finished

These are the blocks for row L.
It took me almost a month to finish this row.

I'm new here at this club, and I really enjoy seeing all your blocks,
and thank you for sharing.

Happy stitching
Paula

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Another C and a few more A's

I have been dragging my heels with Jane (she is driving me insane, especially the foundation piecing.........) Here's my latest............

C-2

Here are a few more from row A..

A-6

A-7

A-8

A-9

Lynette's progress

Let me just say: Silk Thread. 100 weight. and a tiny, delicate needle = Applique DREAM!  ;D

progress report:

some of those colors just don't photograph true at all

A9

A10

B9

C8

C9

TR8

TR9

Had the urge to buy more fabric..

Oh dear.....
As if I didnt have enough fabric already? What do I think at times?
Well I had this sitting on the shelf of my store and well it just had to go into my Dear Jane stash as the colours and tones of the fabrics are just perfect.


Its a FQ bundle of Collection For A Cause and I felt that it will suit my DJ just perfect. What I dont use in the blocks I will use in something else I am sure of it.
I havent done any more blocks this month so I will show you the ones I have done before.
 A-11
A-12

 A-13

 B-1

Would you believe that a month has gone by already since Janiac's Unite blog started up?
A few ladies haven't climbed aboard and posted about thier DJ blocks yet, so come on everyone ...don't be shy and show us your blocks and fabrics you are using, your techniques or what ever you think about the Dear Jane experience.
Hugs to all....





Saturday, November 26, 2011

First finished blocks.....small progress

Well, after years of procrastination, I have finally begun. A friend who has all her blocks done and took a class from Brenda at Asilomar told me to put a one inch by five inch strip of muslin on the right hand side and a one inch by five and one/half strip on the bottom of each block as I went. But row A requires a 5 1/2 inch on the top also.....and block A-1 requires an additional 6 in. strip on the left hand side. So I precut l69 five by one inch strips, 169 + 26 five 1/2 by one inch strips, and two 6 inch strips. She said it was a tip to greatly facilitate putting them together by doing a little at a time. One other hint she gave me was to make sure I always use a really sharp or new needle. Sure keeps those tiny pieces from getting jammed at the beginning of a seam . I use headers usually and always chain piece.....but it is a good hint. Love working on these although my husband said this quilt certifies me as absolutely NUTS. Here are blocks A-1, A-2, A-5, A-6 ,A-7, A-8.




Sunday, November 20, 2011

Two more..............

C-4

C-3

I have been rather busy this last week, and sewing has been put on hold, however I have completed 2 blocks that I didn't get round to posting - here they are...

Friday, November 18, 2011

Ready, Set and Go again

I am excited for this blog because I plan on it being my support for getting my DJ finish, and boy do I have a way to go.
My story goes like this and maybe it's your story too. I just fell in love with DJ and wanted to challenge myself by making one of mine own. So I picked out a fabric collection for it. I like the pink and brown that was being popular at the time, this was 4 years ago. Yes 4 years.

I have the book, the rulers, the EQ program for Dear Jane and I even have the thread I'm going to use when I quilt it.

These are the blocks I have done and then it stopped. Not because I don't like it or I got frustrated. No, it's because something else came up, so I put it all in the container I had and put it aside. Well with time and stacking other containers on top, it just became that saying "out of sight, out of mind"

So now I dug it out and opened it up for the fist time in years.
I'm giving myself a goal of doing at least 10 a month. Unfortunately I still have other stuff going on that I can not quit. I look at it as, each one done is one more closer to finishing.

Till next time
Kat
=^..^=
  

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

A-1 Pinwheel Gone Awry


Hot outside today and so I decided to make another DJ block this afternoon. Starting with row A, as that way I don't get to make all the easier blocks first.

More of a writeup on my own blog.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

After 10 years, Dear Jane begins....




I fell in love with Jane when Brenda's book first came out. However as a single mom working three jobs and trying to keep body and soul together, I bought the book and just dreamed of having some time to work on it. That was almost 15 years ago. Several years ago, I saw the BOM on the Stitchin Heaven website and ordered the fabrics and block hints and awaited their arrival for all 24 months of the program. Still no time to really get started. Now my children are raised, I remarried, I moved, and I retired......voila......time to begin Jane. Most importantly, I met several friends who either have begun Jane or want to and we met this last week at a retreat. Today, in the above pix, you can see all 24 BOM's, my notebook with the hints from the BOM carefully filed, and a sticker about NO PAIN, NO JANE that one friend gave me. In the little plastic ziploc bag you can see I have block A-1 cut out. I am happy to report that that little block is now FINISHED. Can I officially call myself a Janiac now? I don't have a blog but hope to report in with progress monthly. Quilter 501 up in NE Washington state.

Yay! Caught up with my Rainbow shipments

oh, no! Amber Alert on a missing Baby Jane!  My A-2 has gone AWOL. :(   Getting a lot of "spring cleaning" done in the search for it.

I finally settled on how I want to set my quilt, and got all the sashes cut out so I can assemble them periodically and avoid another misplaced Baby. (poor little thing)


B3

B7

C5

C6

C7


Here are the 5 that I finished this week, which catches me up to my fabric shipments and makes my quilt look like this: