Needing some tips about Dear Jane
Well! It's only a couple of weeks since I found out about a thing called
'Dear Jane' here at rctq. I wonder why I so badly need to make one??? Oddly, my quilting buddy (who now lives at the exact opposite end of the country) has been infected independently of me and mentioned it yesterday in a phone call. We had an 'AHA!!!' moment and began planning how we could do a quilt-along, even though we're thousands of miles apart. This is good! We figu i) we can work slowly along and support each other by email ii) we can share/swap fabrics to keep costs down iii) we agree we'd both like to use 1930s prints and solids iv) there are lots of online blogs with tips and instructions v) a Dear Jane would be a Very Good Idea - think of all the experience we'd gain! Our main problems a i) we're really only beginning quilters without all that many difficult blocks behind us ii) neither of us has anyone nearby to offer help/advice in person iv) it's *really* hard to find a big enough selection of fabrics in the 30s prints we like v) even though we've ordered 'The Book', we can't figure out how to buy the fabrics. So, with all the above as background, and keeping in mind that our plan is to make each block from a different print and use toning 1930s solids as background, here are my main questions: Roughly how much fabric do you need for each block in a Dear Jane? Is it a good idea to collect charm packs? Is a 5" charm square big enough to make one block? Should/can we buy fat eighths? (Easy here in Oz, not so easy in the US) Should we buy fat quarters and share them? Would it be cheaper/more sensible to just use white fabric for the background and buy 15 yards each of it? Finally, does anyone have any recommendations for good online US shops? We really need to count our pennies on this and it's *lots* cheaper to buy online than from local sources. If anyone's done/doing a Dear Jane, would you please share your wisdom so Trisha and I can get started? Thanks heaps! ;-D -- Trish Brown {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Needing some tips about Dear Jane
Before you do anything, Trish, I suggest you visit one of the Dear Jane
online groups. When you get the books, you will see that there are no instructions. Now, instructions have been created elsewhere than in the book, and tips etc and have been gathered together on the dedicated sites (you can discuss etc just like here). If you have found the blogs and such, that will do you fine. I didn't use them - not because I am arrogant, but I have ways I like to work and we are all different. The very fact that it had been proved that they were do-able was enough for me! One thing, you may find that the background fabric quantity which is usually given has been overestimated. It would be awful to have to buy the large amount - at Australian prices - and then find you had a lot left over. I bought a lot less background that it said and think I will have enough; but it does depend very much on how you work with the blocks. Working slowly is good; just set an easy target - even one or two a month will keep you going. You will find that some are very easy and you can get quite a few of those done quite quickly. Others will take more time. It is a very appealing project and you will have great adventures along the way. When you have examined all the pros and cons, don't be afraid to make them your own by, perhaps doing fewer blocks (if you are finding it hard-going), or re-arranging them. By the way, I know this is going to sound scarcely believable: but, when you have finished and are labelling your quilts, you must be careful not to call them 'Dear Jane'. You might want to put them in a show or make them public in some way, and the 'Dear Jane' title is copyrighted by the author of the book; and there is at least one record of her taking someone to court over the name. Many of us use the Dear Jane name as a sort of shorthand. You can always use the name of the original designer and call it something like 'Trish's quilt in the style of the Jane Stickle Quilt of 1863'. Hope something here helps. .. In message om, Trish Brown writes Well! It's only a couple of weeks since I found out about a thing called 'Dear Jane' here at rctq. I wonder why I so badly need to make one??? Oddly, my quilting buddy (who now lives at the exact opposite end of the country) has been infected independently of me and mentioned it yesterday in a phone call. We had an 'AHA!!!' moment and began planning how we could do a quilt-along, even though we're thousands of miles apart. This is good! We figu i) we can work slowly along and support each other by email ii) we can share/swap fabrics to keep costs down iii) we agree we'd both like to use 1930s prints and solids iv) there are lots of online blogs with tips and instructions v) a Dear Jane would be a Very Good Idea - think of all the experience we'd gain! Our main problems a i) we're really only beginning quilters without all that many difficult blocks behind us ii) neither of us has anyone nearby to offer help/advice in person iv) it's *really* hard to find a big enough selection of fabrics in the 30s prints we like v) even though we've ordered 'The Book', we can't figure out how to buy the fabrics. So, with all the above as background, and keeping in mind that our plan is to make each block from a different print and use toning 1930s solids as background, here are my main questions: Roughly how much fabric do you need for each block in a Dear Jane? Is it a good idea to collect charm packs? Is a 5" charm square big enough to make one block? Should/can we buy fat eighths? (Easy here in Oz, not so easy in the US) Should we buy fat quarters and share them? Would it be cheaper/more sensible to just use white fabric for the background and buy 15 yards each of it? Finally, does anyone have any recommendations for good online US shops? We really need to count our pennies on this and it's *lots* cheaper to buy online than from local sources. If anyone's done/doing a Dear Jane, would you please share your wisdom so Trisha and I can get started? Thanks heaps! ;-D -- Best Regards Pat on the Green |
Needing some tips about Dear Jane
I don't know what I'm talking about but has that ever stopped me? NOoooo.
Trish mentioned thinking of using 30's repros for her fabric. 30's repros to my mind are mostly happy silly grandma's apron, bubblegum pink and kittens with mittens. The Dear Jane quilts I've seen (not many) have been created with much more somber (how's that for a word?) tones. Will somebody who knows please climb in here? Polly "Pat S" wrote in message ... Before you do anything, Trish, I suggest you visit one of the Dear Jane online groups. When you get the books, you will see that there are no instructions. Now, instructions have been created elsewhere than in the book, and tips etc and have been gathered together on the dedicated sites (you can discuss etc just like here). If you have found the blogs and such, that will do you fine. I didn't use them - not because I am arrogant, but I have ways I like to work and we are all different. The very fact that it had been proved that they were do-able was enough for me! One thing, you may find that the background fabric quantity which is usually given has been overestimated. It would be awful to have to buy the large amount - at Australian prices - and then find you had a lot left over. I bought a lot less background that it said and think I will have enough; but it does depend very much on how you work with the blocks. Working slowly is good; just set an easy target - even one or two a month will keep you going. You will find that some are very easy and you can get quite a few of those done quite quickly. Others will take more time. It is a very appealing project and you will have great adventures along the way. When you have examined all the pros and cons, don't be afraid to make them your own by, perhaps doing fewer blocks (if you are finding it hard-going), or re-arranging them. By the way, I know this is going to sound scarcely believable: but, when you have finished and are labelling your quilts, you must be careful not to call them 'Dear Jane'. You might want to put them in a show or make them public in some way, and the 'Dear Jane' title is copyrighted by the author of the book; and there is at least one record of her taking someone to court over the name. Many of us use the Dear Jane name as a sort of shorthand. You can always use the name of the original designer and call it something like 'Trish's quilt in the style of the Jane Stickle Quilt of 1863'. Hope something here helps. . In message om, Trish Brown writes Well! It's only a couple of weeks since I found out about a thing called 'Dear Jane' here at rctq. I wonder why I so badly need to make one??? Oddly, my quilting buddy (who now lives at the exact opposite end of the country) has been infected independently of me and mentioned it yesterday in a phone call. We had an 'AHA!!!' moment and began planning how we could do a quilt-along, even though we're thousands of miles apart. This is good! We figu i) we can work slowly along and support each other by email ii) we can share/swap fabrics to keep costs down iii) we agree we'd both like to use 1930s prints and solids iv) there are lots of online blogs with tips and instructions v) a Dear Jane would be a Very Good Idea - think of all the experience we'd gain! Our main problems a i) we're really only beginning quilters without all that many difficult blocks behind us ii) neither of us has anyone nearby to offer help/advice in person iv) it's *really* hard to find a big enough selection of fabrics in the 30s prints we like v) even though we've ordered 'The Book', we can't figure out how to buy the fabrics. So, with all the above as background, and keeping in mind that our plan is to make each block from a different print and use toning 1930s solids as background, here are my main questions: Roughly how much fabric do you need for each block in a Dear Jane? Is it a good idea to collect charm packs? Is a 5" charm square big enough to make one block? Should/can we buy fat eighths? (Easy here in Oz, not so easy in the US) Should we buy fat quarters and share them? Would it be cheaper/more sensible to just use white fabric for the background and buy 15 yards each of it? Finally, does anyone have any recommendations for good online US shops? We really need to count our pennies on this and it's *lots* cheaper to buy online than from local sources. If anyone's done/doing a Dear Jane, would you please share your wisdom so Trisha and I can get started? Thanks heaps! ;-D -- Best Regards Pat on the Green |
Needing some tips about Dear Jane
Polly Esther wrote:
I don't know what I'm talking about but has that ever stopped me? NOoooo. Trish mentioned thinking of using 30's repros for her fabric. 30's repros to my mind are mostly happy silly grandma's apron, bubblegum pink and kittens with mittens. The Dear Jane quilts I've seen (not many) have been created with much more somber (how's that for a word?) tones. Will somebody who knows please climb in here? Polly Oo! MeMe! I'll climb in! See, I've been checking out as many blogs and quilt-alongs as I can find, and people have done them in rainbow batiks, marbles, 30s repros and even single colours on white or black. It was the 30s prints that got me going: they're so darned pretty! The lovely gelato-flavoured ones are my favourites and there's something about the simple florals that's just so relaxing. Do you think a charm square per block (plus background yardage) will do it, Polly, or am I kidding meself? -- Trish Brown {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Needing some tips about Dear Jane
Pat S wrote:
Before you do anything, Trish, I suggest you visit one of the Dear Jane online groups. Yep! Lots of help is out there, but hardly anyone mentions what quantities of fabrics they bought beyond the background. Because Trisha and I are so beginnish, we're embarrased to ask silly questions at a dedicated group. Rctq seems - cosier - y'know? When you get the books, you will see that there are no instructions. Now, instructions have been created elsewhere than in the book, and tips etc and have been gathered together on the dedicated sites (you can discuss etc just like here). If you have found the blogs and such, that will do you fine. I didn't use them - not because I am arrogant, but I have ways I like to work and we are all different. The very fact that it had been proved that they were do-able was enough for me! Yeah - we feel a bit the same way. I'm thinking paper piecing might be our preferred method. We've already done a big fat Mariner's Compass each by paper piecing them and it was great fun. One thing, you may find that the background fabric quantity which is usually given has been overestimated. It would be awful to have to buy the large amount - at Australian prices - and then find you had a lot left over. I bought a lot less background that it said and think I will have enough; but it does depend very much on how you work with the blocks. Whew! Oz prices are the Pitz - so great, in fact, that it's well worthwhile to buy from the US! (Massive postage included). Working slowly is good; just set an easy target - even one or two a month will keep you going. You will find that some are very easy and you can get quite a few of those done quite quickly. Others will take more time. It is a very appealing project and you will have great adventures along the way. When you have examined all the pros and cons, don't be afraid to make them your own by, perhaps doing fewer blocks (if you are finding it hard-going), or re-arranging them. Hah! That's *exactly* what I needed to hear! Thank you! The whole project (especially the cost) is pretty daunting if you sit still long enough to think about it. It's nice to be reminded that perfection isn't required! LOL! By the way, I know this is going to sound scarcely believable: but, when you have finished and are labelling your quilts, you must be careful not to call them 'Dear Jane'. You might want to put them in a show or make them public in some way, and the 'Dear Jane' title is copyrighted by the author of the book; and there is at least one record of her taking someone to court over the name. Many of us use the Dear Jane name as a sort of shorthand. You can always use the name of the original designer and call it something like 'Trish's quilt in the style of the Jane Stickle Quilt of 1863'. Gee, it is amazing! I mean, the JASQ is an historical item and, I'd've thought, priceless. How can anyone 'own' its name, or even its nickname, even if s/he coined it? Oh well. I shall call it JASQ in future. Hope something here helps. Yes! Thank you! My family thinks I'm mental because I keep googling Dear J - erm - JASQ and drooling over the lovely fabrics. -- Trish Brown {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Needing some tips about Dear Jane
All right, then. That answers that. If the 30's fabrics make you happy, go
for it. I'll never ever again attempt a quilt with fabrics/colors that aren't a joy for me to spend time with. Now. As to the charm squares being enough? I'm thinking you might be working yourself into a corner. That might work and it might make the whole process just too tedious to bear. Methinks you'd better begin with 8ths. Polly "Trish Brown" wrote in message eb.com... Polly Esther wrote: I don't know what I'm talking about but has that ever stopped me? NOoooo. Trish mentioned thinking of using 30's repros for her fabric. 30's repros to my mind are mostly happy silly grandma's apron, bubblegum pink and kittens with mittens. The Dear Jane quilts I've seen (not many) have been created with much more somber (how's that for a word?) tones. Will somebody who knows please climb in here? Polly Oo! MeMe! I'll climb in! See, I've been checking out as many blogs and quilt-alongs as I can find, and people have done them in rainbow batiks, marbles, 30s repros and even single colours on white or black. It was the 30s prints that got me going: they're so darned pretty! The lovely gelato-flavoured ones are my favourites and there's something about the simple florals that's just so relaxing. Do you think a charm square per block (plus background yardage) will do it, Polly, or am I kidding meself? -- Trish Brown {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Needing some tips about Dear Jane
Polly Esther wrote:
All right, then. That answers that. If the 30's fabrics make you happy, go for it. I'll never ever again attempt a quilt with fabrics/colors that aren't a joy for me to spend time with. Now. As to the charm squares being enough? I'm thinking you might be working yourself into a corner. That might work and it might make the whole process just too tedious to bear. Methinks you'd better begin with 8ths. Polly Hokay! Thanks for that! It's pus, isn't it, working with colours that just lose their appeal? I've been collecting fabrix from a line called 'Under the Australian Sun' and they're really, really gorgeous. So much so that I'm disciplining myself to complete all UFOs before I'm allowed to even think about cutting them. They're Oz florals in our native colours of drab olive, cream, burnt orange(-ish) and brown. I studied Botany many years ago and I've always wanted to do a quilt or something to commemorate that. These fabrix are just the ticket! If you'd like to see them, they're a Robert Kaufman line and they show up on Google... ;-D -- Trish Brown {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Needing some tips about Dear Jane
i) we're really only beginning quilters without all that many difficult
blocks behind us I was an absolute beginner when I started my first Dear Jane - and for that one I started with the easiest block I could find and once that was completed, went on to the next one. That was a great way for a beginner to start, because it meant that, by the time you reached the real stinkers, you had some skills behind you. ii) neither of us has anyone nearby to offer help/advice in person Ditto. And I never spoke to anyone in person about the quilt and my difficulties before I completed it. And I finished it. iv) it's *really* hard to find a big enough selection of fabrics in the 30s prints we like v) even though we've ordered 'The Book', we can't figure out how to buy the fabrics. I scraped by with a fat 1/8th (or a tad less at times) for a block AND a plain triangle and a pieced triangle. In my first DJ, I repeated quite a few fabrics, but the second only about six duplicates. (Make a spreadsheet or something to track your fabrics. I had little squares stuck on a paper replica). Certainly, if you are careful, a charm square could do you. I did use (very cheap) muslin for the background. Good was that it was cheap so that it didn't really matter how much I used. Bad was that it was a bear for the small applique, so be warned on that. Also be aware that if you are doing a lot of paper piecing, you tend (however miserly you are, to use a bit more fabric). I used 6m of 150cm wide - and that gave me quite a bit of wriggle room. That did NOT include the sashings. I got The Book and then redrafted each one in EQ4 (that dates me, doesn't it). Now things are a lot easier with EQ's DJ software (you'll see my quilts in there and some of my tips too). I would seriously recommend purchasing the software unless you are going to hand piece everything using freezer paper or some other precise method. And finally, good luck and enjoy the journey. Shout if you have specific problems - there's a number of people here who can help. -- Cheers for now Tutu Cape Town, South Africa "Trish Brown" wrote in message eb.com... Well! It's only a couple of weeks since I found out about a thing called 'Dear Jane' here at rctq. I wonder why I so badly need to make one??? Oddly, my quilting buddy (who now lives at the exact opposite end of the country) has been infected independently of me and mentioned it yesterday in a phone call. We had an 'AHA!!!' moment and began planning how we could do a quilt-along, even though we're thousands of miles apart. This is good! We figu i) we can work slowly along and support each other by email ii) we can share/swap fabrics to keep costs down iii) we agree we'd both like to use 1930s prints and solids iv) there are lots of online blogs with tips and instructions v) a Dear Jane would be a Very Good Idea - think of all the experience we'd gain! Our main problems a So, with all the above as background, and keeping in mind that our plan is to make each block from a different print and use toning 1930s solids as background, here are my main questions: Roughly how much fabric do you need for each block in a Dear Jane? Is it a good idea to collect charm packs? Is a 5" charm square big enough to make one block? Should/can we buy fat eighths? (Easy here in Oz, not so easy in the US) Should we buy fat quarters and share them? Would it be cheaper/more sensible to just use white fabric for the background and buy 15 yards each of it? Finally, does anyone have any recommendations for good online US shops? We really need to count our pennies on this and it's *lots* cheaper to buy online than from local sources. If anyone's done/doing a Dear Jane, would you please share your wisdom so Trisha and I can get started? Thanks heaps! ;-D -- Trish Brown {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Needing some tips about Dear Jane
There are quite a number of "Janiac's" in my quilting guild. The "leader"
of the group is making her 2nd DJ now. She was going to make #2 all in Kaffe Fassett's fabrics. As trite as the saying is, it's your quilt & you can make it out of anything you want to. I personally love the 30's fabrics, because they are so cheery looking! There is a spin-off group that is making their DJ out of Xmas fabrics. I do not have a DJ in my future. It's bad enough that I got sucked into making Sylvia's Bridal Sampler, which is a lot less blocks & somewhat larger blocks. The facilitator of the DJ groups & Sylvia's Bridal Sampler groups from my guild send an email on Friday's with the next block to make. SBS sends a 2nd easy, peasy block, if anyone wants to tackle 2 in one week. I understand this is not an easy quilt to make & without the software, extremely difficult, so you may want to look into that. Enjoy the journey & the experience! I think when I was a little girl, we spent the night in Newcastle on our way from Sydney to Rockhampton in QLD. It was a small town at the time (50 + years ago:( Pauline Northern California "Trish Brown" wrote in message eb.com... Well! It's only a couple of weeks since I found out about a thing called 'Dear Jane' here at rctq. I wonder why I so badly need to make one??? Oddly, my quilting buddy (who now lives at the exact opposite end of the country) has been infected independently of me and mentioned it yesterday in a phone call. We had an 'AHA!!!' moment and began planning how we could do a quilt-along, even though we're thousands of miles apart. This is good! We figu i) we can work slowly along and support each other by email ii) we can share/swap fabrics to keep costs down iii) we agree we'd both like to use 1930s prints and solids iv) there are lots of online blogs with tips and instructions v) a Dear Jane would be a Very Good Idea - think of all the experience we'd gain! Our main problems a i) we're really only beginning quilters without all that many difficult blocks behind us ii) neither of us has anyone nearby to offer help/advice in person iv) it's *really* hard to find a big enough selection of fabrics in the 30s prints we like v) even though we've ordered 'The Book', we can't figure out how to buy the fabrics. So, with all the above as background, and keeping in mind that our plan is to make each block from a different print and use toning 1930s solids as background, here are my main questions: Roughly how much fabric do you need for each block in a Dear Jane? Is it a good idea to collect charm packs? Is a 5" charm square big enough to make one block? Should/can we buy fat eighths? (Easy here in Oz, not so easy in the US) Should we buy fat quarters and share them? Would it be cheaper/more sensible to just use white fabric for the background and buy 15 yards each of it? Finally, does anyone have any recommendations for good online US shops? We really need to count our pennies on this and it's *lots* cheaper to buy online than from local sources. If anyone's done/doing a Dear Jane, would you please share your wisdom so Trisha and I can get started? Thanks heaps! ;-D -- Trish Brown {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Needing some tips about Dear Jane
On Jul 21, 8:13*am, "Pauline" wrote:
There are quite a number of "Janiac's" in my quilting guild. *The "leader" of the group is making her 2nd DJ now. *She was going to make #2 all in Kaffe Fassett's fabrics. *As trite as the saying is, it's your quilt & you can make it out of anything you want to. *I personally love the 30's fabrics, because they are so cheery looking! *There is a spin-off group that is making their DJ out of Xmas fabrics. *I do not have a DJ in my future. It's bad enough that I got sucked into making Sylvia's Bridal Sampler, which is a lot less blocks & somewhat larger blocks. The facilitator of the DJ groups & Sylvia's Bridal Sampler groups from my guild send an email on Friday's with the next block to make. *SBS sends a 2nd easy, peasy block, if anyone wants to tackle 2 in one week. I understand this is not an easy quilt to make & without the software, extremely difficult, so you may want to look into that. *Enjoy the journey & the experience! I think when I was a little girl, we spent the night in Newcastle on our way from Sydney to Rockhampton in QLD. *It was a small town at the time (50 + years ago:( Pauline Northern California"Trish Brown" wrote in message eb.com... Well! It's only a couple of weeks since I found out about a thing called 'Dear Jane' here at rctq. I wonder why I so badly need to make one??? Oddly, my quilting buddy (who now lives at the exact opposite end of the country) has been infected independently of me and mentioned it yesterday in a phone call. We had an 'AHA!!!' moment and began planning how we could do a quilt-along, even though we're thousands of miles apart. This is good! We figu i) we can work slowly along and support each other by email ii) we can share/swap fabrics to keep costs down iii) we agree we'd both like to use 1930s prints and solids iv) there are lots of online blogs with tips and instructions v) a Dear Jane would be a Very Good Idea - think of all the experience we'd gain! Our main problems a i) we're really only beginning quilters without all that many difficult blocks behind us ii) neither of us has anyone nearby to offer help/advice in person iv) it's *really* hard to find a big enough selection of fabrics in the 30s prints we like v) even though we've ordered 'The Book', we can't figure out how to buy the fabrics. So, with all the above as background, and keeping in mind that our plan is to make each block from a different print and use toning 1930s solids as background, here are my main questions: Roughly how much fabric do you need for each block in a Dear Jane? Is it a good idea to collect charm packs? Is a 5" charm square big enough to make one block? Should/can we buy fat eighths? (Easy here in Oz, not so easy in the US) Should we buy fat quarters and share them? Would it be cheaper/more sensible to just use white fabric for the background and buy 15 yards each of it? Finally, does anyone have any recommendations for good online US shops? We really need to count our pennies on this and it's *lots* cheaper to buy online than from local sources. If anyone's done/doing a Dear Jane, would you please share your wisdom so Trisha and I can get started? Thanks heaps! ;-D -- Trish Brown {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia G'day Trish I'm just 'up the road' on the Gold Coast. If you are ever holidaying up this way, holler thru this group, love to meet up with you. My quilting buddy a street away has recently finished a DJ so can always rope her in. She does beautiful applique and is presently doing one with 1000+ little leaves. And she'll finish it too. Myself, I'm not into traditional applique - I know, it's holding my abilities back - I do machine applique on art quilts. Enjoy the journey and follow the paths that are unexpected. Cheers Bronnie I just love it that you and your quilt buddy are Trish and Trisha! How good is that? Is she in Perth?? |
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