Needing some tips about Dear Jane

Pat S wrote:
How enterprising of you to change the block size. Most of the designs
fit neatly into the size; so will be easy enough to do 'proportionally'.
You might have to work a bit on a few!

I thought that would be the case, but you just try to resize that
blasted ¼" seam allowance on a triangle or trapezoid! I've had to
revisit my (old and rusty) drafting skills - which is A Good Thing,
really. I'm enjoying it hugely!

As to the quilt as you go. I think that is actually a great idea. There
are various methods 'out there'. But, I was thinking ... I would think
that with such relatively small blocks, this quilt might be a candidate
for a false back. You could use a fine muslin for the block backing, so
that you could quilt them. Then, after they have all been sewn together
with the sashing, you could choose the backing you really want (don't
forget there are extra width fabrics, because you will already have a
lot of seam thickness), and tie it to the top at, perhaps, every corner.
The ties could be a feature, if you like that idea, or virtually invisible.
See what you think.

Ooo! I love the sound of the false back! I'm thinking that, if I sash
the quilt, I could simply SITD along the sashing strips after the back
is attached. Straight lines are a lot easier to machine quilt than all
those wiggly ones I see on YouTube!

If I were a great one for block quilts (which I'm
not, usually - I tend to do more whole area designs), I would have tried
this method by now. Maybe it is in my future! I have tried a couple of
the usual methods, but only for testing purposes.

I'm so glad Pati came in with her tips. You really are going to have
fun, you know!

YES!!! I've made a few practice blox, just to see if I can do it and
it's so much easier than I thought it'd be. I'm thinking some of the
foundation piecing is going to be a challenge, but I'll be sensible and
start easy. Thanks so much for your input - I feel so rich with all
these great ideas coming my way. ;-D

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

I love to 'hear' the enthusiasm in your writing!
Tiny word of warning (sorry!): SITD is not as easy as it sounds g.
If you want to quilt along the sashing, it would be easier to do the
stitching a quarter of an inch from the seams - still straight lines,
but any little 'burp' from the straight wouldn't show nearly as much!

Caution about leaving those blocks unquilted, with just the sashing sewn
down. When I suggested the false back, it was because you would have
quilted the individual blocks. It would depend a bit on your batting,
but I don't think 6.5" blocks would do too well unquilted.
Or, as is more than likely, I have misunderstood your intentions!
..
In message om, Trish
Brown writes
Pat S wrote:
How enterprising of you to change the block size. Most of the designs
fit neatly into the size; so will be easy enough to do 'proportionally'.
You might have to work a bit on a few!

I thought that would be the case, but you just try to resize that
blasted ¼" seam allowance on a triangle or trapezoid! I've had to
revisit my (old and rusty) drafting skills - which is A Good Thing,
really. I'm enjoying it hugely!

As to the quilt as you go. I think that is actually a great idea. There
are various methods 'out there'. But, I was thinking ... I would think
that with such relatively small blocks, this quilt might be a candidate
for a false back. You could use a fine muslin for the block backing, so
that you could quilt them. Then, after they have all been sewn together
with the sashing, you could choose the backing you really want (don't
forget there are extra width fabrics, because you will already have a
lot of seam thickness), and tie it to the top at, perhaps, every corner.
The ties could be a feature, if you like that idea, or virtually invisible.
See what you think.

Ooo! I love the sound of the false back! I'm thinking that, if I sash
the quilt, I could simply SITD along the sashing strips after the back
is attached. Straight lines are a lot easier to machine quilt than all
those wiggly ones I see on YouTube!

If I were a great one for block quilts (which I'm
not, usually - I tend to do more whole area designs), I would have tried
this method by now. Maybe it is in my future! I have tried a couple of
the usual methods, but only for testing purposes.

I'm so glad Pati came in with her tips. You really are going to have
fun, you know!

YES!!! I've made a few practice blox, just to see if I can do it and
it's so much easier than I thought it'd be. I'm thinking some of the
foundation piecing is going to be a challenge, but I'll be sensible and
start easy. Thanks so much for your input - I feel so rich with all
these great ideas coming my way. ;-D


--
Best Regards
Pat on the Green

Pat S wrote:
I love to 'hear' the enthusiasm in your writing!

LOL! So do I! I've done so many different crafts and hobbies in my life,
but quilting has come along kinda late-ish to me. It's so exciting to be
able to start something completely new, but not too unfamiliar (I've
been a person-who-sews since I was four).

Tiny word of warning (sorry!): SITD is not as easy as it sounds g. If
you want to quilt along the sashing, it would be easier to do the
stitching a quarter of an inch from the seams - still straight lines,
but any little 'burp' from the straight wouldn't show nearly as much!

Yes, I hear you! I haven't tried SITD yet, but my friend assures me it's
dead easy. Hah! Just like high school dressage: quite simple *as long as
you know what you're doing*!

Caution about leaving those blocks unquilted, with just the sashing sewn
down. When I suggested the false back, it was because you would have
quilted the individual blocks. It would depend a bit on your batting,
but I don't think 6.5" blocks would do too well unquilted.
Or, as is more than likely, I have misunderstood your intentions!

O no, I wouldn't leave the blox unquilted: I'd quilt them as I went
('go-ed'?) and then do the sashing thing with the false back. So many
ideas to think of and I haven't even put my scissors into fabric yet.
I've printed out the first half-dozen foundations for triangles and keep
looking at them meaningfully. Hmmmm...

;-D

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Please! Just do a practice triangle! You can say you needed to do one
to see if your fabric estimate was correct!
Roberta in D

(clipped)
I've printed out the first half-dozen foundations for triangles and keep
looking at them meaningfully. Hmmmm...

;-D

Ha-ha!

Returning to SITD: it is dead easy if you don't mind wobbles!!

If you do decide to do it, a couple of things which should help:
if you quilt along the lower side of the seam it will be
marginally easier. You will have observed that, if you press seams to
the side, there is a high side and low side to every seam. However, the
side 'prongs' of the presser foot will be a slightly different levels to
one another. Exception is if you press your seams open.

when you are quilting along the low side of the seam, start at
the end which allows you main light source (usually a window) to be on
the same side of the seam as the low side. Otherwise you will be
quilting along the shadow of the high side onto the low side. Try it
and you will see what I mean. That increased visibility makes and
enormous difference in being able to keep the quilting line just up
against the 'step' of the high side, but not hopping onto it (what I
called a 'burp'!)
..
In message , Trish Brown
writes
Pat S wrote:
I love to 'hear' the enthusiasm in your writing!

LOL! So do I! I've done so many different crafts and hobbies in my life,
but quilting has come along kinda late-ish to me. It's so exciting to be
able to start something completely new, but not too unfamiliar (I've been
a person-who-sews since I was four).

Tiny word of warning (sorry!): SITD is not as easy as it sounds g. If
you want to quilt along the sashing, it would be easier to do the
stitching a quarter of an inch from the seams - still straight lines,
but any little 'burp' from the straight wouldn't show nearly as much!

Yes, I hear you! I haven't tried SITD yet, but my friend assures me it's
dead easy. Hah! Just like high school dressage: quite simple *as long
as you know what you're doing*!

Caution about leaving those blocks unquilted, with just the sashing sewn
down. When I suggested the false back, it was because you would have
quilted the individual blocks. It would depend a bit on your batting,
but I don't think 6.5" blocks would do too well unquilted.
Or, as is more than likely, I have misunderstood your intentions!

O no, I wouldn't leave the blox unquilted: I'd quilt them as I went ('go-ed'?)
and then do the sashing thing with the false back. So many ideas to
think of and I haven't even put my scissors into fabric yet. I've printed out
the first half-dozen foundations for triangles and keep looking at them
meaningfully. Hmmmm...

;-D


--
Best Regards
Pat on the Green

Trish, the DJ software will automatically print the blocks at any size
you wish. No re-drafting needed!G
Also, doing 6" (finished) blocks will take a lot more fabric. Most
will need more than a 5" charm.
And double check the measurements And what your finished size will
be.
Have fun,
Pati, in Phx

n Aug 9, 7:10*pm, Trish Brown wrote:
Kate in MI wrote:
I'm working on mine right now! *I have found the software to be worth
its weight and price! I provides both templates and foundation piecing
patterns. A good many of the blocks can be foundation pieced which makes
it a point-perfect process. It also allows you to sort the blocks by
difficulty level -- which is nice. You could also resize the blocks to 6
inch blocks if you wish -- which makes them a little easier to work with
- but if you plan to make the exact quilt it would be huge! You could
start with the beginner blocks and work your way to the more difficult
blocks. You do not need the actual EQ software to run the Dear Jane
software. The software is $50 -- but if you split it -- you could print
the patterns to a PDF file and email the templates to each other. I
would be lost without it!

http://www.electricquilt.com/Shop/DearJane/DJ.asp

I'm drafting our blocks to be a bit larger (6½") and so I've started
from scratch in CorelDraw. It's easy and fun. Let's see if the 'ease and
fun' element remains after 225 blox!


http://www.keepsakequilting.com/prod...930S-FAT-QUART...
--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

--Note this reply is completely OT--

Dear Trish

I have recently revived my fledgling interest in quilting through an abortive BOM (too hard to do on my own!) and a couple of expensive lessons at a local shop which have left me with basic piecing skills but no idea of how to attach a quilt top to its border or backing, so tonight I decided to have a look in rctq because rctn was such a great way to learn lots about cross stitch when I first got interested in that, back in the mid 90s.

What a pleasure to find a post by you almost as soon as I started scrolling through recent rctq topics! It was like walking into a room expecting to see only strangers, and hearing a familiar voice. You probably don't remember me, but I used to post as l_goddess_l or mooncat1973 on rctn around 1995-2005. I still think of you and your Boring Stories now and again.

Warmest regards
Alex (formerly of WA, earlier of Newcastle, and now of Canberra)

On Wednesday, July 20, 2011 8:01:29 PM UTC+10, Trish Brown wrote:
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

Alexandra Hunter wrote:
--Note this reply is completely OT--

Dear Trish

I have recently revived my fledgling interest in quilting through an abortive BOM (too hard to do on my own!) and a couple of expensive lessons at a local shop which have left me with basic piecing skills but no idea of how to attach a quilt top to its border or backing, so tonight I decided to have a look in rctq because rctn was such a great way to learn lots about cross stitch when I first got interested in that, back in the mid 90s.

What a pleasure to find a post by you almost as soon as I started scrolling through recent rctq topics! It was like walking into a room expecting to see only strangers, and hearing a familiar voice. You probably don't remember me, but I used to post as l_goddess_l or mooncat1973 on rctn around 1995-2005. I still think of you and your Boring Stories now and again.

Warmest regards
Alex (formerly of WA, earlier of Newcastle, and now of Canberra)


I remember you, Alex! Thanks for your kind comments - I haven't done any
'proper' stitching in quite a while because the quilting bug bit and -
well - here I am.

My advice (aside from asking for group wisdom here, of course) is to get
stuck into YouTube. There's all sorts of helpful videos there to show
you how to piece, baste and quilt. I'm still a raw beginner meself,
having only a few quilts under my belt. I've embarked on my Jane A.
Stickle quilt and have been having *so* much fun with it. Gee, I hope I
can stay the distance: it's so absorbing and so *darned* complicated. LOL!

Chuck a google image search of 'Dear Jane' to see many scrumptious
versions of this remarkable quilt. I've done three of the border
triangles in 1930s prints - only 222 blox to go! =:-O

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

On Aug 22, 12:27*am, Trish Brown wrote:
Alexandra Hunter wrote:
--Note this reply is completely OT--

Dear Trish

I have recently revived my fledgling interest in quilting through an abortive BOM (too hard to do on my own!) and a couple of expensive lessons at a local shop which have left me with basic piecing skills but no idea of how to attach a quilt top to its border or backing, so tonight I decided to have a look in rctq because rctn was such a great way to learn lots about cross stitch when I first got interested in that, back in the mid 90s.

What a pleasure to find a post by you almost as soon as I started scrolling through recent rctq topics! It was like walking into a room expecting to see only strangers, and hearing a familiar voice. You probably don't remember me, but I used to post as l_goddess_l or mooncat1973 on rctn around 1995-2005. I still think of you and your Boring Stories now and again.

Warmest regards
Alex (formerly of WA, earlier of Newcastle, and now of Canberra)

I remember you, Alex! Thanks for your kind comments - I haven't done any
'proper' stitching in quite a while because the quilting bug bit and -
well - here I am.

My advice (aside from asking for group wisdom here, of course) is to get
stuck into YouTube. There's all sorts of helpful videos there to show
you how to piece, baste and quilt. I'm still a raw beginner meself,
having only a few quilts under my belt. I've embarked on my Jane A.
Stickle quilt and have been having *so* much fun with it. Gee, I hope I
can stay the distance: it's so absorbing and so *darned* complicated. LOL!

Chuck a google image search of 'Dear Jane' to see many scrumptious
versions of this remarkable quilt. I've done three of the border
triangles in 1930s prints - only 222 blox to go! =:-O

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Oh, dear, Trish. I can understand the quilting overtaking the 'proper'
needlework... not enough hours in the day to do it all!! And taking on
the Dear Jane early in your career is true to form.

I just checked out some of the DJ links and *boggled* at it. So many
blocks! So many SORTS of blocks! Good luck. :-) I think the Kaffe
Fasset one quoted earlier in the thred is my favourite, love the
rainbow in the arrangement - though I saw an indigo one that was
lovely too. Not for me, though. I'll stick with my L-plates for now
thanks!

YouTube had crossed my mind as a resource, and I'll be doing some
watching this weekend while I struggle with binding, backing and
quilting a complete "patchwork" cot sized top I bought at a recent
craft fair. Good practice, and nicer than buggering up the quilt top
I'm currently piecing. Babysteps on all fronts!

I'll have to try and be a mostly-lurker on rctq so I can get some time
in at the needle. I have a two year old girl now who keeps me busy
when I'm not at work. She's looking forward to getting her first
pieced quilt finished soon - loves the colours in the jelly roll I
chose for it. This is my study in basic cutting and piecing technique,
so I can then make a lovely eye-spy quilt. We chose the fabrics for
that one together!

:-)
Alex

Alexandra Hunter wrote:

Oh, dear, Trish. I can understand the quilting overtaking the 'proper'
needlework... not enough hours in the day to do it all!! And taking on
the Dear Jane early in your career is true to form.

LOL! Mostly, it's not enough $$$ in the bank! Also, like the real
quilters, I think I have more ideas in my head than I have time or
resources to complete. As soon as I clapped eyes on the Jane A. Stickle,
I thought 'Gotta do this!' Like all needlework, it progresses one stitch
at a time, so I do hope to finish it one day.

I just checked out some of the DJ links and *boggled* at it. So many
blocks! So many SORTS of blocks! Good luck. :-) I think the Kaffe
Fasset one quoted earlier in the thred is my favourite, love the
rainbow in the arrangement - though I saw an indigo one that was
lovely too. Not for me, though. I'll stick with my L-plates for now
thanks!

Oh yes, I liked the Kaffe one enormously too. The one that really
appealed is the 1930s prints (hadn't seen any of those in my LQSes and
fell immediately in love).

YouTube had crossed my mind as a resource, and I'll be doing some
watching this weekend while I struggle with binding, backing and
quilting a complete "patchwork" cot sized top I bought at a recent
craft fair. Good practice, and nicer than buggering up the quilt top
I'm currently piecing. Babysteps on all fronts!

Great idea! One thing that led me gently from stitching to quilting was
the chance to do huge, enormous quantities of appliqué on my first
quilt. It was all hearts and butterflies and nine patches for DD: quick
to do and fun to work at. I think that's the secret: if you pick a
design that really makes your heart sing, you'll finish it well because
you're more motivated.

I'll have to try and be a mostly-lurker on rctq so I can get some time
in at the needle. I have a two year old girl now who keeps me busy
when I'm not at work. She's looking forward to getting her first
pieced quilt finished soon - loves the colours in the jelly roll I
chose for it. This is my study in basic cutting and piecing technique,
so I can then make a lovely eye-spy quilt. We chose the fabrics for
that one together!

:-)
Alex

A little girl! How lovely! My little girl is big now - in her second
last year of high school. Sigh. Make sure you watch yours carefully:
they have a habit of suddenly growing up when you're not looking!

Why don't you come back to N'cle and we can be quilting buddies? ;-

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia