Dear Jane Quilt - Border Triangle Block TR4 Bennington Cross

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Triangle Block  TR4 Bennington Cross

A lot of Dear Jane quilts just use one fabric for the coloured pieces in the block against a plain background.  I have to admit, I have enjoyed co-ordinating colours and playing with fabric to mix in as many fabrics as possible in one block.  Sometimes it is just one, others two and I think some even have three.

This is Border Triangle TR4 Bennington Cross where I have used two of my blue Kim Diehl fabrics.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 34 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Triangle Block BR10 Nicholas' Diamond

Dear Jane Quilt - Border Triangle Block  BR10 Nicholas' Diamond

Today we are enjoying a little heatwave in the UK - a last hurrah before Autumn comes.  I have had a busy week and blogging and Dear Jane blocks have slipped a bit behind, but here we go with the next Draw.
More border triangles and this is BR10 Nicholas' Diamond, using up some pretty blues.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing
Pieces: 24 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 45 - Border Triangles TR4, TR10, BR4, BR10

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 44 - B8, C7, D4, I6

I hope you can see from this 'family' of blocks how there is some method to my madness when selecting my blocks for the Draws.  These all seem to go nicely together.
I am moving on to another set of Dear Jane border triangles.  There are only three sets of these left, plus the corner blocks.

Draw 45
TR4 - Bennington Cross
TR10 - Precious Gems
BR4 - Candy Dish
BR10 Nicholas' Diamond

This Draw will be in BLUE

Dear Jane Quilt - Block I6 Viewer's Choice

Dear Jane Quilt - Block I6 Viewer's Choice

I think you are getting the idea. Dear Jane block I6 Viewer's Choice was done exactly the same way as the last block.

I am hoping to get in a bit of Dear Jane stitching today so maybe a bit of Slow Stitching Sunday for me.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 9 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block B8 Water Lily

Dear Jane Quilt - Block B8 Water Lily

Once you have done Dear Jane block C7 Megan's Mountain Laurel, all these others seem quite easy.  This Dear Jane block is B8 Water Lily.  I English paper pieced the centre shape and then appliqued it on to the background.  Then another round of nicely sized melons for an applique fix.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 9 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block D4 Crystal Star

Dear Jane Quilt - Block D4 Crystal Star

Here is Dear Jane block D4 Crystal Star.  This one is only 17 pieces and once the block is stitched together, the melons are appliqued onto the corners, neatly covering up the seam lines and making it easy for accurate placement.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 17 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Block C7 Megan's Mountain Laurel

Dear Jane Quilt - Block C7 Megan's Mountain Laurel

This is Dear Jane block, C7 Megan's Mountain Laurel.  There was a choice here of piecing those diamonds or appliquing them.  Either way it was dealing with tiny pieces. I went the applique route, but I don't think either way was an easy option.  Over at The Objects of Design, Sally has opted for the piecing route, stabilizing her stitching with Molly fur.  The good news is that we both survived block C7 Megan's Mountain Laurel and we can move onto the next block.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 25 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 44 - B8, C7, D4, I6

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 43 - B12, E1, F4, H13

Thanks to everyone who took time to make a comment yesterday following my success at the Great Northern Quilt Show. It was good to hear from bloggers who have been following the Nearly Insane journey from the start.

However, after all the excitement of yesterday it is back to the Dear Jane routine.  These blocks won't stitch themselves.  Here is the latest completed set of blocks and here are the next few.  I think we are heading to a round of applique, so hold onto your hats!

Draw 44
B8 - Water Lily
C7 - Megan's Mountain Laurel
D4 - Crystal Star
I6 - Viewer's Choice

This draw will be in Yellow

Great Northern Quilt Show 2016 - Nearly Insane quilt wins Overall Champion

Frances Meredith 'Nearly Insane' quilt
Overall Champion Great Northern Show 2016

It's been an eventful weekend.
Last Thursday I was busy quilting a quilt for a customer when I had a message from the Great Northern Quilt Show in Harrogate to say that my Nearly Insane quilt had won Overall Champion in their 2016 show! A quick change of plans for the weekend and I was heading up to Harrogate for the Prize-giving presentations. 

Frances Meredith 'Nearly Insane' quilt
Overall Champion Great Northern Show 2016

It wasn't until I got to the show that I realised that I had not only won Overall Champion, but also first in the Bed Quilt category and the Longarm machine Quilting award, along with a Judge's Choice certificate from Merrilyn Orr of Kaleidoscope Books.  You can see here all the goodies I have come home with including three lovely rosettes, two shields, and a Pfaff sewing machine donated by Direct Sew and Knit in Sheffield.

The other good news is that my kind husband drove me up to Harrogate, so I was able to press on with some Dear Jane stitching as we went along and two more blocks have been completed.

Dear Jane Quilt - Block B12 Starflower

It is back to applique with Dear Jane block B12, Starflower.  These appliqued melons were slimmer than the previous one in this set, so a bit more concentration on the points.  But don't you love the fussy cut centre?
It is September now.  I usually see September as the start of my New Year.  I have a few things to look forward to, but it means back to work also.  Real world progress with Dear Jane is looking good with just 16 blocks to go.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 6 pieces