Good Intentions

At the first of the year I resolved that I was going to finish hand quilting my Dear Jane quilt in 2015. I had good intentions, but you know what they say about good intentions!  Yes, I was paving the road to hell by forcing myself to hand quilt this quilt!  I was halfheartedly working on it Wednesday during our weekly sewing group and doing quite a bit of grumbling about how I am not a hand quilter.  I made the comment that if I just ripped out the little bit that I had hand quilted I could put it on the quilt frame and have it done in no time.  My friends all agreed by saying if I wasn't enjoying the process, why continue?  Good point!  I immediately began ripping!

Working On My PhD

I've decided that my goal for 2015 is going to be to finish my PhD (Project half Done).  Actually when I began blogging back in 2008, it was because of this quilt.  A group of friends and I decided that we were all going to make Dear Jane quilts and blog about the process.  It didn't take me too long to realize that I had taken on more than what I could handle.  I do not care for tiny pieces or applique and that is what makes up a Dear Jane quilt.  I ended up making the easier pieced blocks and decided on a throw size quilt instead.  My second mistake was deciding to hand quilt it rather than just getting it done on the machine.  As much as I enjoy hand sewing bindings (my favorite part of making a quilt) I am not a hand quilter.  Just the same, I am determined to finish the quilting and get this quilt done in 2015!

Much Better!

The dark backing has been replaced with the new lighter backing.  Making the change wasn't nearly as difficult as I had imagined.  Hand quilting rips out much faster than it goes in!  Yes, I lost some time, but I think it will be worth it in the long run!

Call Me Crazy

I haven't been happy with the backing that I chose for my "Dear Jane" quilt ever since I sandwiched the quilt together.  Even though the fabric matches the top perfectly, I think it's just too dark in comparison to the front of the quilt.  I told myself that it really didn't matter what was on the back. After all, it's just the back.  I started hand quilting a few blocks with the thought that the backing fabric would grow on me, but after quilting six blocks the dark fabric was still bothering me.  Yesterday I made the decision to rip out the quilting and replace the dark backing fabric with something that I could truly be happy with.  Yes, it means a little extra work and some lost time, but I know I will be much happier with the quilt after it's all finished...if I ever get it finished!

Far From Perfect

I finally started quilting my "Dear Jane" quilt and you can tell by my stitches that it has been a very long time since I have done any hand quilting.  I should have practiced on a small project on a bit before starting, but this quilt is far from perfect anyway, so I guess the irregular stitches will fit right in once it's done!

Getting Ready For Winter

It seems like there is always so much to be done this time of year to get ready for winter and this year is no exception. We have been working at putting a new roof on our house, plus I've been doing a bit of fall house cleaning and now that the sun has returned there are flower beds that need tending and leaves that need to be raked. Don't worry though, even with all that have to be done, I am still finding some time to do some things that I want to get done...like basting my Dear Jane, so it will be all ready for me to quilt once my chores are finished!

Dear Jane Progress!

The borders are finally on and I can now say that my Dear Jane top is finished! It took me two years to get to this point, but that's with it sitting untouched in the closet for a good part of that time. My plan is to keep it out of the closet and finish it this winter. If the winter is as long and cold as I anticipate, then I will have lots of time for hand-quilting!

Dear Jane Inspiration

It was over two years ago when our guild began the Laurel Janes, a Dear Jane support group. Several members have completed their quilts and there are two full size Dear Jane quilts and one wall hanging on display in this year's exhibit. I decided long ago that I would not be making the full size quilt, but even with that, my progress has been painfully slow. After seeing these beautiful quilts hanging in all their glory, I have a renewed determination to finish my Dear Jane project. Yesterday at the monthly meeting of the Laurel Janes I finally finished the pieced border that I have been working on! Now to get the borders sewn on and get the top sandwiched, so I can start hand-quilting it. Yes, I said "hand-quilting", so don't expect to see my Dear Jane finished anytime soon, but maybe (just maybe) I might be able to get it done for the 2012 exhibit!

From WIP To UFO To WIP Again

I don't know if there is a specific time frame that makes a project a UFO, but I think spending 6 months in a closet makes a project about as close to a UFO as you can get. It has been pointed out to me that once work resumes on a UFO (Un-Finished Object) it becomes a WIP (Work In Progress). I guess my Dear Jane quilt is no longer a UFO and is a WIP now that I have started working on the borders, so I did actually make progress on a UFO this week, but something tells me that I need to work on some of the other quilts that I have vowed to finish before they turn from WIP's back into UFO's again!

Did you work on your UFO this week?

Poor Neglected Jane

Two years ago the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild formed a group called the Laurel Janes which I happily joined with visions of making my very own Dear Jane quilt. It didn't take me long to realize that vision was just that, a vision or more of a mirage far off in the distance. Once reality took hold, I decided to downsize the quilt to a more manageable size of 32 Dear Jane blocks. Certainly I would be able to complete a throw sized Dear Jane quilt without too much trouble! I planned a simple pieced border and set out to finish the quilt. That was 6 months ago and the top still isn't finished. Schedules changed, so I wasn't able to attend the regular meetings, and without the encouragement from the group I found it difficult to stay on task. Due to the fact that so many members have actually finished their quilts (all 169 blocks plus hand quilting) the group has undergone some restructuring and as it works out I am able to attend the regular meetings again. Yesterday my poor neglected Dear Jane quilt came out of the closet and I'm happy to report that work has resumed and progress is being made once again!

This May Be It

Yesterday someone suggested putting the dark squares on point and using the background fabric for the triangles in the harlequin pattern. I think this may be the one or at least it's the one that I like best so far! Again, a case of "less is more". It still needs something (maybe a colored border on each side of the pieced border?), but I'm definitely getting closer to the look that I want.

More Border Ideas

Here are a couple more border ideas for my Dear Jane quilt. The top photo shows a 2 inch harlequin border and in the smaller photo is a 1 1/2 inch sawtooth border. I'm not sure that I have a preference to either (except that the harlequin border goes together a lot faster than making all of those tiny half square triangles for the sawtooth border) so I would like to hear your opinions and suggestions!

Sometimes Less Is More

Thanks to everyone who offered their opinions and border ideas yesterday! I got some wonderful suggestions and I plan to try several of them to see which will look best. (Santa, if you are reading this...it's times like this when I could really use an Electric Quilt program!) One suggestion was to cover all but a narrow strip of the braid and although I'm not sure this is the look that I want, I think it does prove that I need a much narrower border than what the braid was. Sometimes less really is more!

Design Wall Monday

I had a wonderful time at the Dear Jane retreat this past weekend and between all the food and fun I even managed to make a little progress on my quilt! I decided to try a braided border (at the insistence of almost everyone in attendance) and I think I like the look, but I'm still not sure that I love it. I'm interested to hear what your opinion about the braided border is...should I sew it or scrap it?

Be sure to stop by Patchwork Times to see what other quilters have on their design walls this week and add your latest project to the list too!

Jane? Who's Jane?

Remember my Dear Jane project? I had almost forgotten about it too! It's been four whole months since I've had it out of the closet and I really had to dig to find it! Why the new interest in this old project? This weekend the Laurel Janes is having a mini retreat, so it's the perfect opportunity for me to make some real progress on this quilt. Ha, who am I kidding? It's just a great excuse to spend the weekend with my quilty friends!

Design Wall Monday

Over the weekend I took a few minutes and stitched my Dear Jane blocks together. Don't look too closely...there are points missing all over this quilt, but done is better than perfect, right? The next step will be deciding on borders. I'm thinking a narrow border of the solid tan and then some kind of scrappy pieced border followed by another tan border. Maybe a braided border or just a simple border of scrappy bricks? Anyone have suggestions?

Be sure to stop by Patchwork Times to see what other quilters have on their design walls this week and add your latest project to the list too!

Design Wall Monday

I don't have a lot of progress to show for this week's "Design Wall Monday", but I did get the alternating blocks cut for my Dear Jane quilt. Now if I can just make some time to stitch them all together!

Be sure to stop by Patchwork Times to see what other quilters have on their design walls this week and add your latest project to the list too!

On a side note, I have a giveaway alert for you! Kelly at I Have A Notion is having a giveaway each day this week and she is giving away some wonderful stuff! If you aren't familiar with Kelly, she has a delightful quilting blog as well as an online shop that is chock full of quilting notions, books and patterns all at reduced prices! Don't miss out on Kelly's giveaway fun this week and be sure to visit her online shop too!

What Is On Your Design Wall?

For the past few Mondays Judy at Patchwork Times has asked the burning question, "What is on your design wall?" and because I actually have something on my design wall this week, I thought I would join in.
These are my Dear Jane blocks in position and waiting for setting blocks. I've decided to use the fabric shown in the lower left corner for the setting blocks. (The color isn't quite accurate...it is actually more tan and not nearly as gold as it is showing up in this photo.)
Stop by Patchwork Times to see what other quilters have on their design walls this week and add your latest project to the list too!

DJ Mini Retreat Report

What a wonderful time we all had at the Laurel Janes Mini Retreat yesterday! It was a great day filled with friends, food and fun! I will say that I was feeling pretty insignificant with my 32 little blocks when this beauty was unfolded though. I've been working on my blocks for a year and it seems like this one was put together "overnight"! (Although the maker assures me that it took a bit longer than that.) There are several others in our group who are getting fairly close to having all of their center blocks completed as well, each in different color schemes and each just as beautiful as the next! Seeing these center panels so close to completion was almost enough to make me want to keep making blocks, but that didn't last long once the setting suggestions started coming in for my blocks. I think they all must have hatched this plan together to keep me in the group for life because I have been talked into putting a solid neutral colored block in-between each DJ block and then hand quilting it. Yes, even with only making 32 blocks this is still going to be a lifelong project!
(The last photo is a small section of Anya's Dear Jane quilt. You can follow her progress at Hills Creek Quilter.)

What Do I Do Now, Jane?

Our Dear Jane group is meeting tomorrow for an all day mini retreat. It's always so much fun getting together with these ladies. They are all so great to offer help or suggestions and I'm going to put them to the test tomorrow! I have made the decision that my Dear Jane quilt is going to be a throw size and will be made up of the thirty-something blocks that I have completed along with some other block in between each DJ block. I just don't know what the alternate block will be or how I am going to set them. I'm hoping that my fellow Laurel Janes will help me come up with the perfect plan tomorrow!