2017 Rainbow Scrappy Challenge

'Jane's Pinwheel' Quilt  62" x 62"

It is a long time since I linked up to the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge.  When I started this in January 2017 I was struggling to keep up.  The top was finally completed in January 2018 after a serious attack on it over the Christmas period, but since then it has been lingering around waiting for me to quilt it.  Before I had decided how I would quilt it I forced the issue by entering it into the 2019 Quilt UK, Malvern Show which is on this weekend.

'Jane's Pinwheel' Quilt  62" x 62"

So last weekend I was quilting it on my longarm quilting machine, in between my customer quilts.  I stitched in EVERY ditch and then added a simple orange peel design.  I wanted the piecing to be the focus, not the quilting.  It has made a dent into the Kim Diehl fabrics left over from my Dear Jane quilt, but there are plenty more to come out of that bag.
Linking to So Scrappy Saturday

Dear Jane Quilt - Festival of Quilt, NEC Birmingham, August 2018

'Dear Jane' quilt by Frances Meredith, 2018

If you are heading off to the Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, UK, this week you will be able to see my completed Dear Jane quilt on display, No FO48 in the Traditional Quilts section.  It is a few months since she was completed and there have been a few requests for a bit more information about how I reached the finishing post!  
I guess you need to start at the beginning, with the trip to Nantes, France in April 2013, where there was a spectacular 150th Anniversary display of Dear Jane quilts, which was the inspiration to start on my Dear Jane quilt.  Then in August 2015, once my Nearly Insane quilt was completed I was able to start my Dear Jane journey.  Wow, three years ago.  As you all probably know, my Dear Jane quilt was completed by hand, using English Paper Piecing in conjunction with the Electric Quilt Dear Jane software.  Steadily each block and side triangle was completed during trips away and in travelling time.

'Dear Jane' quilt by Frances Meredith, 2018

About a year ago in the spring of 2017 I managed to get the top completed and together, which was followed by the mammoth task of removing the papers.  There are 5163 pieces in the quilt. I think this took about 5 days this time and is not something I rush to do straight away.  Meanwhile, there were a few challenges that lay ahead - quilting the quilt and doing a scallop edge for the first time.  I will admit that I have a long pause between finishing a top and quilting my quilts, but a show deadline is usually a good prompt to get it done.

I am lucky enough to have a long arm quilting machine and having put so much time into each block of the quilt I wanted each one to shine.  Each block is stitched in the ditch and then I designed my own pattern for blank triangles and the sashing.  At the time of quilting the edge of the quilt was a straight border.

To tackle the scallop edge I would recommend making some practice quilts.  I made a few charity quilts for Project Linus which were lucky enough to have scallop edges.  By making these I ironed out the problems before I encountered them on my masterpiece.   I chose quite a narrow binding for the edge and applied it with the machine and then finished it by hand.  I only trimmed the scallop border once I had applied the binding on the machine.

'Dear Jane' quilt by Frances Meredith, 2018

Once I decided to make a Dear Jane quilt I knew I had to go the whole way - all the blocks, all the triangles, and the scalloped edge, just as Jane Stickle had done. Now this quilt is done, my next Dear Jane quilt can be done in any way I choose!  I will admit that while I was quilting each block I was reminded of what a fun quilt this was to make.  The variety of techniques that you can choose to make each block, makes it interesting. Fussy cutting each block makes it interesting.  Choosing colour combinations makes it interesting.  I wouldn't dismiss the idea of making another one.

How much fabric did I use to make my Dear Jane quilt? I don't know, but I know I have enough Kim Diehl fabric left to make probably three more of these!

As I write this I am reminded of the true beauty of English Paper Piecing.  When I was away in Nantes, I was most probably working on a few Nearly Insane blocks. Dear Jane has travelled with me for the past three years and my handmade quilts really do weave their way into my life.  They hold memories of where you were, trips you made and follow you when you are out and about living your life.  The quilts I make when I am sat down in the same room on a sewing machine, perhaps don't have that weight of value.  I am often asked 'How long did it take you?' Well, like friends, you don't measure the number of days you have been friends as a measure of special your friendships are, they are just friendships.

Kim Diehl Half Square Triangle Cat Mat

Half Square Triangle quilt layout

In a change to the usual Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt blocks I have another little project to show you.  It is another mat for the cat, using up the left over half square triangles from last years 'Scrappy Challenge'.  You won't remember that because I haven't shown you yet.  I am interested in trying out different layouts for HST's and there were enough left over to make this mat.

Quilting Feathers

I also wanted to use the project to test my quilting skills.  For over a year I have been practising  drawing feathers, but did not have the courage to try it on an actual quilt.  The muscle memory you gain from drawing really does help and when I took to my machine, they came out naturally - what had I been waiting for!

Quilted Cat Mat - Kim Diehl fabrics

The fabrics are the Kim Diehl leftovers from the Dear Jane quilt, which is still waiting to be quilted. Even with Dear Jane, my 2017 Scrappy Challenge and this small project, I still have plenty of fabric to make MANY more quilts.

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge - April 2017

SoScrappy 2017 Challenge

Four months in and I am managing to keep up with the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge 2017.  The April colour was 'multi- coloured' and I have interpreted it in my own way by using fabrics which don't seem to fit into any category.

Kim Diehl Farmhouse Fabric

I have used this 'neutral' from one of Kim Diehl's fabric collections.  I love it, but it isn't quite neutral enough for most projects, but seemed to be an excellent candidate for this month.

Joining up with SoScrappy!

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Block BR2 Leigh's Wood

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Block BR2 Leigh's Wood

Have you seen this one before?  I don't think you have.  It is the last block that I have to show you as part of my Dear Jane quilt journey.  It is Border block BR2 Leigh's Wood.
My head still has settled on the next project.  It has been over 4 weeks since I had a hand piecing project to haul about with me and I am still suffering from cold turkey.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 31 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Block TR2 Australian Pines

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Block TR2 Australian Pines

Here is Border Block TR2 Australian Pines from the Dear Jane quilt.  I haven't got any further removing the papers from my Dear Jane.  It seems like a job you would do when you have nothing more important to do.  At the moment there are plenty of important things to do, so my Dear Jane is sitting quietly in a cupboard.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 20  pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Block TR12 Jane's Oak

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Block TR12 Jane's Oak

I haven't neglected the last few Dear Jane blocks and I will post the remaining three over the next few days.  This is Border Block TR12 Jane's Oak.  For me this was the most challenging block.  Just 4 pieces, but that appliqued oak leaf was a struggle.  I pretty much had the whole quilt together before I had a second attempt at this block.  Give me tiny pieces any day!

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 4  pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Block BR12 Jessie's Stained Glass

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Block BR12 Jessie's Stained Glass

Miracle of miracles! I actually took a photo of this border block, BR12 Jessie's Stained Glass.
I have seen many, many Dear Jane attempts which never go the full stretch because the triangles look difficult.  This one has just 18 pieces and as in the case of most of the triangles, there are less pieces than some of the 4.5" blocks. Have a go.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing
Pieces: 18  pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 57 - Border Triangles TR2, TR12, BR2, BR12

English Paper Piecing - Dear Jane Quilt

Here is a view from the back of my Dear Jane quilt as it is in its current status.  It is all together, just another border and the papers to remove.  This photo shows it in all its English Paper Piecing glory.

The photo is also to distract you from the fact that I did not do a collective photo of Draw 56, the little square orange blocks and that I swiftly moved on to Draw 57 - the FINAL one, which is a set of border triangles.

Draw 57
TR2 - Australian Pines
TR12 - Jane's Oak
BR2 - Leigh's Woods
BR12 - Jessie's Stained Glass

This Draw will be in Red

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge - February Sea Green

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge - February Sea Green

It is the end of February and I am just about managing to keep up with the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge at So Scrappy.  It is only now that I realise how prolific these Scrap Challenge quilters are.  I have managed sixteen blocks this month in colours which stretch from the blue and green end of sea green.

Dear Jane Quilt - Block M11 Rickshaw

Dear Jane Quilt - Block M11 Rickshaw

I am scraping together the final blocks of my Dear Jane quilt.  This one is M11 Rickshaw.  As I said before, the photo is taken with the block sewn into the quilt, the paper and basting stitches still in, so it looks a little peculiar.

The next job with this quilt is to add up the number of pieces, maybe I should have done as I was going along ....

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 29 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block E12 Mary Ruth's Corset

Dear Jane Quilt - Block E12 Mary Ruth's Corset

Here is Dear Jane block E12 Mary Ruth's Corset. 
It is a bit of a 'warts and all' photo as I have had to take it stitched into the quilt.  To me it appears to highlight the English Paper tacking / basting threads.   Below you can see the evidence that the paper is still in.

Dear Jane quilt helper

Suzi and I have reached a compromise regarding my priority of role of main lap provider versus Dear Jane quilt stitcher.

Dear Jane Quilt - Block L8 Box Kite

Dear Jane Quilt - Block L8 Box Kite

More Dear Jane blocks, this time L8 Box Kite. 
Through this Dear Jane journey I have had plenty of ideas for different Dear Jane's.  I know many, many people make more than one Dear Jane quilt.  This is a true fact.  Yes, I think I could join the group, but then there are so many other projects I could be doing.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing
Pieces: 15 pieces

Hidden Gems Quilt - Scraphappy with Purple in January 2017

Hidden Gems Quilt - Scraphappy with Purple

I have resisted for many years, but the flurry of Hidden Gems quilt blocks I have seen has tipped me over the edge.  I have given in and one of my 2017 projects will be joining the Scraphappy gang at So Scrappy.  I am a long time visitor to the blog and often see the fun everyone is having with their scraps.  The Hidden Gems pattern was one of the first 'Pins' I pinned on Pinterest several years ago and these are the first four blocks completed in purple fabrics - not without pain, but complete nonetheless.  The blocks are 4" square.

Leftovers from a Dear Jane quilt

With all the pieces for my Dear Jane quilt cut I still have ALL THIS Kim Diehl fabric left over.  Clearly I didn't want to run out of the fabric.  I probably have enough remaining fabric to make several Dear Jane quilts, but instead I will be turning them into a Hidden Gems quilt over the next 12 months, following the colour guidance of SoScrappy.

Dear Jane Quilt - Block H7 Bennington Star

Dear Jane Quilt - Block H7 Bennington Star

I am sure this Dear Jane block, H7 Bennington Star, has hijacked its namesake, the Ohio Star.  Quick, where are the quilt police.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 25 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 56 - E12, H7, M11, L8

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

Thank you for all the supportive comments about my last post.  My Dear Jane blocks have been laid out on my floor since October, so they are quite a familiar sight for me, but I guess the glimpse I gave you revealed the actual progress I am making.

In getting this blog post together I have realised that my photographic record taking of each block and set of blocks lapsed near the end when the excitement of getting it together took momentum.  This is the last 'set' picture I have and some of the blocks did not even get their photo taken before I had sewn them in!

In our progress there are only 8 more blocks to show you.  Once they are done what will I have to show you each day?  I still don't have anything planned for 2017.

Draw 56
E12 - Mary Ruth's Corset
H7 - Bennington Star
M11 - Ricshaw
L8 - Box Kite

This Draw will be in Orange

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