Dear Jane - First Day!
I started on my Dear Jane quilt today. The ladies usually give their quilts a clever name, that'll have to wait for a day when I feel clever! lol. I'm thinking of "A Season for Jane". Lately I've really noticed how life goes in seasons. One day I'll be out of this season and into the one of having adult children and grandchildren. I'm doing my quilt in fabrics I have on hand (way too practical to spend money on new) so perhaps I should call it "A Practical Season for Jane" or .. hmm.. I dunno. I'll keep working on it.
This season (new babies, homeschooling, etc) is supposed to be SO busy and full that I have NO time for myself. Well, I do. I love having conversations with the children while sewing, sharing projects with friends, listening to sermons or podcasts as the sewing machine hums, and so on. This Season is busy, but I still have time for my Dear Jane. Maybe I won't get around to -quilting- it til the next season in life. lol. (Hopefully I have lots of quilting friends, daughters, and granddaughters to pitch in!). It is the perfect season because it forces me to slow down, think about life, and really enjoy it... plus make sure I have my priorities in line. For me, I really have time to focus on my faith during quiet times. I can't do that while zipping everywhere and doing everything.
The girls worked on Uncle Homer (A6).
Btw, if you go to http://www.dearjane.com/ you can see the original quilt. To find Uncle Home look at the first row of blocks (not triangles). That is row A. Count over 6. There is A6. Down is letters, across is numbers.
Here are the blocks I finished:
A6: Uncle Homer
A8: Florence Nightengale
B4: Chris's Soccer Field (Jim's favorite block)
B13: Four Corner Press
D13: Field of Dreams
D6: Challenge
M12: Hopscotch
I am using the software to print out the paper-piecing patterns. The book, a gift from Jim for Christmas, has also been VERY helpful. I love seeing the pieces up close. I also enjoyed reading about Jane, Vermont during the Civil War, and all of the tips.
p.s. I am labelling all of my Dear Jane posts with "DearJane" to make them easier to find. I'll try to keep family stuff in seperate posts. :)
Posts
5 comments:
What an ambitious project. Our library has the Dear Jane book and I have enjoyed looking over it. I look forward to seeing your blocks and of course, the finished product!
I love so much about your way of life! Thank you for sharing.
Bridget, I also meant to tell you that I live about 30 minutes from Shaftsbury, VT. I grew up in VT and have never heard of the Dear Jane quilt before. The story is very interesting.
These blocks are BEAUTIFUL! Keep up the good work!
Caron in Michigan
http://blog.caronmosey.com
Debbie, I'm jealous! :) The girls asked if we could take a trip to VT. My first reply was "Not in the winter!" hehe and then I showed them the distance from SC to VT. It's not exactly a quick weekend trip.
I'm using the software to print out the patterns. I can't imagine tracing all of them from the book.
Thanks Caron for the compliments. I'm having a lot of fun with the project.
Post a Comment