Dear Jane Quilt - Slow Stitching Sunday + 300th Follower

Dear Jane Quilt - Slow Stitching Sunday

I am pretty laid back when it comes to timescales I take to make a English Paper Pieced quilt - I am in no hurry.  However, once it is no longer portable I tend to get less time to work on it and it seems to take for ever to come together.  I am at that stage now with my Dear Jane quilt.  I have at last got all the Dear Jane square blocks together, along with the sashing and the cornerstones and I am now finally working on the border triangles.

Also I would like to welcome Laura Bender who is my 300th Follower on my blog!

Time to join up with Kathy at Slow Stitching Sunday.

Dear Jane Quilt - Block G1 Hattie's Hen House

Dear Jane Quilt - Block G1 Hattie's Hen House

Again just five pieces for this little Dear Jane block, G1 Hattie's Hen House. Again a bit of fussy cutting to add interest.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 5  pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block H12 Hannah Lou's Hearts

Dear Jane Quilt - Block H12 Hannah Lou's Hearts

Some people are always amazed that I am completing the Dear Jane quilt using the English Paper method.  I EPPed these hearts for Dear Jane block H12 Hannah's Hearts and then appliqued them onto the background - it works just fine and no fancy Freezer paper to worry about ... just make sure you slip out the paper before you make the final last applique stitches!

Over at Sarah Did It! you can find a haven of EPP.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 5 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block K7 Rose of Sharing

Dear Jane Quilt - Block K7 Rose of Sharing

This round of Dear Jane blocks had surprisingly few pieces.  This one, K7 Rose of Sharing had only five and if I hadn't insisted on doing some fussy cutting it would have been two.
Hoping to get a bit of slow stitching done on my Dear Jane quilt today.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 5 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block E11 Wagon Wheel

Dear Jane Quilt - Block E11 Wagon Wheel

My sister tried this block several times, with different techniques and different results.  The trauma of all that did put the fear of God into me as I approached this Dear Jane block, E11 Wagon Wheel.  I chose a quiet day of stitching where I knew I could concentrate on some heavy duty applique / reverse applique.  In the end it only had 7 pieces, it was stress free and I was quite pleased with how it came out in the end.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 7 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 55 - E11, G1, H12, K7

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 54 - A5, H10, J8, J13

Whilst the En Provence Mystery quilt takes over the internet, Dear Jane quietly keeps going

Draw 55
E11 - Wagon Wheel
G1 - Hattie's Hen House
H12 - Hannah Lou's  Hearts
K7 - Rose of Sharing

This is an interesting set. This Draw will be in Yellow

Dear Jane Quilt - Block J13 Pam's Bells

Dear Jane Quilt - Block J13 Pam's Bells

I am just sewing Dear Jane block J13 Pam's Bells into the whole quilt, so this one looks very familiar at the moment.
I have put this up as my first post of 2016 to fill time whilst I work on getting my En Provence 2016 Mystery quilt together.  Depending on interruptions, I should have something to show you in the next 24 hours.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 21 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block J8 Anna's Anchor

Dear Jane Quilt - Block J8 Anna's Anchor

I thought I would sneek in another Dear Jane block, J8 Anna's Anchor, whilst I wait for the next stage of the En Provence 2016 Mystery Quilt.  This one had tiny melon's on each corner to applique - I managed.

There are not many days left of 2016!

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 22  pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block A5 - Cathie's Campfire

Dear Jane Quilt - Block A5 - Cathie's Campfire

Here is Dear Jane block A5 Cathie's Campfire.  A simple flying geese affair in pretty green Kim Diehl fabrics.

Today I have had a bit of an audit for the Dear Jane quilt. AS a result I have all the papers and fabric cut for the remaining sashing, cornerstones and border triangles, so in theory there is nothing to stop me ... besides the En Provence Mystery Quilt.
 
Techniques: English Paper Piecing
Pieces: 29 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Christmas 2016 Edition

Dear Jane Quilt - Christmas 2016 Edition 

Christmas is a good time to give you all a little present of a long overdue update on my Dear Jane quilt progress.  I am slowly posting the individual blocks on this blog, but it reached a point where I could start to put it together and sitting in front of the telly over the Christmas break is helping me move the whole project on.

Dear Jane Quilt - Christmas 2016 Edition 

All these blocks are actually together and it is great to start having just one big piece to haul around, rather than wobbly piles of 4.5" blocks.  Have I removed the papers yet?  I did remove one line of papers and that showed me that it was not going to be as onerous as the Nearly Insane paper removal (which took 7 whole days!), so it will get done in its own time.

Dear Jane Quilt - Christmas 2016 Edition  Electric Quilt

This is how it is looking as its virtual self, in my Electric Quilt software.  I still have a load of edge triangles, sashing and cornerstones to baste before I can even sew them together into the quilt, which slows me down at the moment.  No statistics either at the moment.  Do you notice one edge triangle not done yet?  That is Jane's Oak - it has proved troublesome ...  Otherwise I am SO pleased to see this quilt come together and I hope to give it a big push over the next week.

Dear Jane Quilt - Christmas 2016 Edition with Suzi the cat

Suzi the cat has taken a break from sitting on the Easy Street quilt to check out the Dear Jane progress, but not much sewing from her so far this Christmas season.

Wishing you a Happy Christmas!

Dear Jane Quilt - Block H10 Ben's Bowtie

Dear Jane Quilt - Block H10 Ben's Bowtie

With the shorter days, photo shoots for Dear Jane are becoming more difficult.  The light is dark and at the moment Storm Barbara is on her way.  All the Christmas shopping has been done and I am just finishing off the last customer quilt for my long arm business before I stop for Christmas.  It is time to settle indoors and enjoy the Christmas spirit of home. 

This hopefully means more Dear Jane stitching. This is Dear Jane block H10 Ben's Bowtie.

I am still open to ideas for the next project ....

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 18  pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 54 - A5, H10, J8, J13

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 53  - Corner Blocks TLC, BRC, BLC, TRC

Completing the Dear Jane quilt corner blocks does feel like a major achievement.  For the record, they are just a regular 4.5" block placed in a corner shape, so not too far off piste if you have your Dear Jane head on.

Thanks to everyone who pointed out a few projects for 2017.  The Quilt Room in the UK is starting a BOM Dear Jane with all the paper pieces cut - bit late for that one!

Draw 54
A5 - Cathie's Campfire
H10 - Ben's Bowtie
J8 - Anna's Anchor
J13 - Pam's Bells

This Draw will be in Green

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block TRC Longwood

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block TRC Longwood

This is the last of the four Dear Jane Corner blocks which I will be showing you, TRC Longwood.  This block has 61 pieces in it which has to be the most of any block in this quilt.

Construction of the whole quilt is quietly going on in the background.  I keep running out of sashing and now it is less portable, I get less stitching time.  If there was some good Christmas telly that would really help ..

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 61 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block BLC Goshen

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block BLC Goshen

Here is another corner block for my Dear Jane quilt, BLC Goshen. 

Although I am in the middle of the Bonnie Hunter 2016 En Provence Mystery Quilt, I am starting to look for some new online projects starting in the New Year. I have resisted the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge for years, but feel I am starting to weaken with all the lovely projects that are being shared at this time of year.  Do you know of any that are starting in the beginning of 2017?  I think a monthly 'thing' would work with my schedule.  I am all ears.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing
Pieces: 72 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block TLC Sadie Rose

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner  Block TLC Sadie Rose

As you know, the Fabadashery Blog is a haven for English Paper Piecing with other techniques only occasionally getting a look in.  However, you very rarely see my touching a hexagon, perhaps the most traditional of all English Paper Piecing shapes.  To be honest I find them an awkward shape to deal with, so I avoid them if I can.  Today I am showcasing Dear Jane corner block TLC Sadie Rose which is made up of octagons, OK, still not a hexagon, but I think I deserve some congratulation for my attempts.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 30 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block BRC Sarah Jane

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block BRC Sarah Jane

Let's start off simply.  Six appliqued melons and an appliqued pieced star for the first Dear Jane corner block, BRC Sarah Jane.  I think this is the block where I am meant to embroider my name and the number of pieces I have used throughout the whole quilt.  I imagine that this figure varies wildly across Dear Jane quilts depending on the techniques you choose.  I haven't added that number up yet - maybe a task for the Christmas holiday period.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 11 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 53 - Corner Blocks TLC, BRC, BLC, TRC

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 52 - B4, E9, K2, K3

Lots of little pieces for this Draw of Dear Jane blocks, but fun working in the red fabrics.
There are only 5 Draws left for this project and to add to the excitement, the next draw includes the Dear Jane corner blocks - slightly bigger and slightly more involved.

Draw 53
TLC - Sadie Rose
BRC- Sarah Jane
BLC - Goshen
TRC - Longwood

These are the corner blocks and this Draw will be in Yellow

Dear Jane Quilt - Block K3 Seven Sisters

Dear Jane Quilt - Block K3 Seven Sisters

In the past Bonnie Hunter has released the clues for her Mystery Quilt about 11.00am GMT on a Friday, here in the UK, which allows a good days sewing if I am about.  There seems to be a change in schedule this year which is more in line with the USA time.  So whilst I wait and I fill my time with another sewing project, here is Dear Jane block K3, Seven Sisters, the last of this Draw.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 33 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block B4 Chris's Soccer Field

Dear Jane Quilt - Block B4 Chris's Soccer Field

Here is Dear Jane block B4 Chris's Soccer Field.  A simple Dear Jane block.
As you know I have completed all the blocks and I am slowly putting the whole thing together.  This is the slow part about English Paper Piecing.  This is the part when it becomes less portable, so I have less opportunities to stitch.  This is the time when I start thinking I need a NEW project ...  any suggestions?

However, there are still plenty more of the blocks to show you, so keep watching!
Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 21 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block K2 - Grandpa's Chickens

Dear Jane Quilt - Block K2 - Grandpa's Chickens

Dear Jane block K2, Grandpa's Chickens. Someone, somewhere is probably making a king size bed out of squares this big.  I would certainly get a lot of pleasure making the most of scraps that small, but maybe not a King size quilt.

En Provence Mystery Quilt - Part 1

I have also finished stitching, pressing and twisting those seams for my En Provence Mystery quilt.  I have done a random number of 126 4-patches, which is more than half, in fact 57% of the total required for this stage.
 
Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 40  pieces