Jane on My Brain

I spent time plugging away on my Dear Jane blocks this past weekend and hope to get a few more finished this week (FIVE, think 5). I'm having a lot of fun. Honest. I'm up to 37 now! Yes, it is going slowly and it gets a little frustrating at times, but it's very rewarding to finish something you really didn't think you could finish, namely one 4 1/2" block with 8 curved pieces, LOL. In one day. And it doesn't look half bad, if I say so myself.

You all know that this is the 150th anniversary (sesquicentennial) of the beginning of the Civil War, right? Around the time that Jane Stickle made her quilt. What better time to begin the journey yourself or drag out your unfinished quilt and make a few more blocks to commemorate the event? Hint, hint. Misery loves company, you know.

Just kidding, no misery here - it's all fun and I'm very excited to get back to it again, at least for a little while, while the inspiration holds and I have the time. Or probably until I hit a difficult block and say "Arrrgh!! #*&! - I really can't do this anymore!" But really, this Jane quilt, it's not that hard, honest. It's a total learning experience.  I've always hated the thought of foundation paper piecing, but I'm learning how to do it, finally. Same with applique - I resisted that for a long time too because my applique was not great and now I'm actually getting better at it. These blocks do not have to be perfect. You see, Jane's quilt was not, and although many of the Dear Jane quilts or blocks we see  posted on the internet definitely look mighty perfect to me, mine will not be, that's for sure. And it will still be just beautiful in it's own way, like a true antique quilt. In the spirit of Jane Stickle.

Not all of my finished blocks are the easy ones - I've tried curved piecing and  reverse applique. I did that Rickshaw one too but  I'm not showing it to anyone LOL. I would not say I've mastered these techniques yet . . . but they're finished and Brenda wrote the book and she says finished is better than perfect! Good enough for me.

My notebook is chock full of tips to help me along.

I'm so not making this quilt as a competition with anyone, unless it's to compete with myself, to challenge myself to advance my skills a little, and practice my patience. I figure, so many quilters have finished this quilt. Why not me too?? Why NOT? I'm feeling optimistic today . . . help me out here.

  

Seeing Karan's finished quilt at a workshop last year (hand pieced, hand quilted) really inspired me to keep going . . . Of course, HERS is perfect but I won't let that stop me. 

Remember, quilters, this is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War (How could you have possibly missed hearing that??) and quilters all over are celebrating the period and getting inspired to reproduce quilts from the era. Jane was working on her lovely quilt 150 years ago. Who knows how long it actually took her to make it? She may have finished her quilt in 1863, but it's hard to believe she started it that same year. Maybe it took her 10 years or more. Did she take breaks and work on other quilts while she was making it??

The war lasted 4 years. Hmmm, there's a goal for me - 2015, the 150th anniversary of the END of the war. No promises though. Dear Jane, you're sure helping me get my inspiration back . . .

(Photo from www.dearjane.com [Photograph by Ken Burris,Shelburne, VT, courtesy of the Bennington Museum and the Vermont Quilt Festival.] Dear Jane® is the registered trademark of Brenda Papadakis.)