View Single Post
  #2  
Old July 20th 11, 02:38 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Pat S
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 690
Default 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
Ads