Needing some tips about Dear Jane

Before you do anything, Trish, I suggest you visit one of the Dear Jane online groups. When you get the books, you will see that there are no instructions. Now, instructions have been created elsewhere than in the book, and tips etc and have been gathered together on the dedicated sites (you can discuss etc just like here). If you have found the blogs and such, that will do you fine. I didn't use them - not because I am arrogant, but I have ways I like to work and we are all different. The very fact that it had been proved that they were do-able was enough for me!

One thing, you may find that the background fabric quantity which is usually given has been overestimated. It would be awful to have to buy the large amount - at Australian prices - and then find you had a lot left over. I bought a lot less background that it said and think I will have enough; but it does depend very much on how you work with the blocks.

Working slowly is good; just set an easy target - even one or two a month will keep you going. You will find that some are very easy and you can get quite a few of those done quite quickly. Others will take more time. It is a very appealing project and you will have great adventures along the way. When you have examined all the pros and cons, don't be afraid to make them your own by, perhaps doing fewer blocks (if you are finding it hard-going), or re-arranging them.

By the way, I know this is going to sound scarcely believable: but, when you have finished and are labelling your quilts, you must be careful not to call them 'Dear Jane'. You might want to put them in a show or make them public in some way, and the 'Dear Jane' title is copyrighted by the author of the book; and there is at least one record of her taking someone to court over the name. Many of us use the Dear Jane name as a sort of shorthand. You can always use the name of the original designer and call it something like 'Trish's quilt in the style of the Jane Stickle Quilt of 1863'.

Hope something here helps. . In message , Trish Brown writes

I don't know what I'm talking about but has that ever stopped me? NOoooo. Trish mentioned thinking of using 30's repros for her fabric. 30's repros to my mind are mostly happy silly grandma's apron, bubblegum pink and kittens with mittens. The Dear Jane quilts I've seen (not many) have been created with much more somber (how's that for a word?) tones. Will somebody who knows please climb in here? Polly

Oo! MeMe! I'll climb in! See, I've been checking out as many blogs and quilt-alongs as I can find, and people have done them in rainbow batiks, marbles, 30s repros and even single colours on white or black. It was the 30s prints that got me going: they're so darned pretty! The lovely gelato-flavoured ones are my favourites and there's something about the simple florals that's just so relaxing.

Do you think a charm square per block (plus background yardage) will do it, Polly, or am I kidding meself?

Yep! Lots of help is out there, but hardly anyone mentions what quantities of fabrics they bought beyond the background. Because Trisha and I are so beginnish, we're embarrased to ask silly questions at a dedicated group. Rctq seems - cosier - y'know?

Yeah - we feel a bit the same way. I'm thinking paper piecing might be our preferred method. We've already done a big fat Mariner's Compass each by paper piecing them and it was great fun.

Whew! Oz prices are the Pitz - so great, in fact, that it's well worthwhile to buy from the US! (Massive postage included).

Hah! That's *exactly* what I needed to hear! Thank you! The whole project (especially the cost) is pretty daunting if you sit still long enough to think about it. It's nice to be reminded that perfection isn't required! LOL!

Gee, it is amazing! I mean, the JASQ is an historical item and, I'd've thought, priceless. How can anyone 'own' its name, or even its nickname, even if s/he coined it? Oh well. I shall call it JASQ in future.

Yes! Thank you! My family thinks I'm mental because I keep googling Dear J - erm - JASQ and drooling over the lovely fabrics.

Hokay! Thanks for that! It's pus, isn't it, working with colours that just lose their appeal? I've been collecting fabrix from a line called 'Under the Australian Sun' and they're really, really gorgeous. So much so that I'm disciplining myself to complete all UFOs before I'm allowed to even think about cutting them. They're Oz florals in our native colours of drab olive, cream, burnt orange(-ish) and brown. I studied Botany many years ago and I've always wanted to do a quilt or something to commemorate that. These fabrix are just the ticket!

If you'd like to see them, they're a Robert Kaufman line and they show up on Google... ;-D

I was an absolute beginner when I started my first Dear Jane - and for that one I started with the easiest block I could find and once that was completed, went on to the next one. That was a great way for a beginner to start, because it meant that, by the time you reached the real stinkers, you had some skills behind you.

Ditto. And I never spoke to anyone in person about the quilt and my difficulties before I completed it. And I finished it.

I scraped by with a fat 1/8th (or a tad less at times) for a block AND a plain triangle and a pieced triangle. In my first DJ, I repeated quite a few fabrics, but the second only about six duplicates. (Make a spreadsheet or something to track your fabrics. I had little squares stuck on a paper replica). Certainly, if you are careful, a charm square could do you.

I did use (very cheap) muslin for the background. Good was that it was cheap so that it didn't really matter how much I used. Bad was that it was a bear for the small applique, so be warned on that. Also be aware that if you are doing a lot of paper piecing, you tend (however miserly you are, to use a bit more fabric). I used 6m of 150cm wide - and that gave me quite a bit of wriggle room. That did NOT include the sashings.

I got The Book and then redrafted each one in EQ4 (that dates me, doesn't it). Now things are a lot easier with EQ's DJ software (you'll see my quilts in there and some of my tips too). I would seriously recommend purchasing the software unless you are going to hand piece everything using freezer paper or some other precise method.

And finally, good luck and enjoy the journey. Shout if you have specific problems - there's a number of people here who can help.

There are quite a number of "Janiac's" in my quilting guild. The "leader" of the group is making her 2nd DJ now. She was going to make #2 all in Kaffe Fassett's fabrics. As trite as the saying is, it's your quilt & you can make it out of anything you want to. I personally love the 30's fabrics, because they are so cheery looking! There is a spin-off group that is making their DJ out of Xmas fabrics. I do not have a DJ in my future. It's bad enough that I got sucked into making Sylvia's Bridal Sampler, which is a lot less blocks & somewhat larger blocks.

The facilitator of the DJ groups & Sylvia's Bridal Sampler groups from my guild send an email on Friday's with the next block to make. SBS sends a

I understand this is not an easy quilt to make & without the software, extremely difficult, so you may want to look into that. Enjoy the journey & the experience!

I think when I was a little girl, we spent the night in Newcastle on our way from Sydney to Rockhampton in QLD. It was a small town at the time (50 + years ago:(

sage

G'day Trish I'm just 'up the road' on the Gold Coast. If you are ever holidaying up this way, holler thru this group, love to meet up with you. My quilting buddy a street away has recently finished a DJ so can always rope her in. She does beautiful applique and is presently doing one with 1000+ little leaves. And she'll finish it too. Myself, I'm not into traditional applique - I know, it's holding my abilities back - I do machine applique on art quilts.

Enjoy the journey and follow the paths that are unexpected. Cheers Bronnie

I just love it that you and your quilt buddy are Trish and Trisha! How good is that? Is she in Perth??

Thanks for that, Tutu! I'm thinking of using coloured backgrounds to tone with my prints. Dunno yet... Gee, I wish my friend could come over for a day or two so we could do all our planning together! We make a good team, each seeing things the other usually misses.

I usually draft my blocks in CorelDraw, only it's not working on my machine at the moment (Hnnnnh!!!) I'd love to see the DJ software at work, but for now it's beyond the budget. Trisha (my friend) and I have used light sew-in interfacing in the past (for paper piecing, that is). You can leave it in the quilt and it adds a bit of 'oomph' if that's what you're after. We'll no doubt do quite a bit of experimenting before we start, though. Trisha is a dedicated machine piecer while I rather enjoy hand-work and appliqué.

The help I've had from rctqers already is what allowed me to make the final decision and go ahead with my JASQ. Thanks to you and everyone who has emailed! ;-D

Oooo! How I envy the idea of a quilting guild! I'm not aware of one near where I live, only the groups attached to local shops. They cost >>>$$$, so they're not really an option. The best hope I've had for a new local quilting buddy is my two great-nieces (aged 6 and 9). They're begging me to teach them to sew and quilt! Yay!

Thank you! I've already started drafting a few blox and even that process has been fun. Can't wait for my fabrix to start arriving!

LOL! I was here then! Why didn't you call in for tea and cake?

N'cle's a lot nicer these days - our heavy industries have all but dried up and so tourism is our major employer. This means the town is a lot cleaner and prettier than ever. You should come back some time (and bring your UFOs with you)!

Thanks, Bronnie! And of course, if you ever make it down to chilly N'cle, please give me a hoy! Maybe I can infect you with the hand appliqué bug? ;->

LOL! Trish and I have been great friends since we were twelve and now our daughters are besties as well. Every St Patrick's day, we ring each other and say 'Hello Trisha? This is Trisha!' When we were in high school, there were five Trishas in our class - it was confusing.

My advice re fabric buying is to get all you can afford of anything you love. (then you'll need to get a bit of other stuff for contrast, but you knew that already.) Having a friend to share the experience is a great way to push yourself into more adventurous combinations -you have to use what she sends you! But if all you can afford is charm size, this is not impossible. It might force you to mix up your fabrics. If you don't have enough of one thing, you can make the block a little bit different by adding another fabric to the mix.

If you were to send me your snail addy off list, I might be able to f>All right, then. That answers that. If the 30's fabrics make you happy, go

Hee! Thank you for the permission, Roberta. I'll just let my DH know that I'm officially *allowed* to purchase all those scrumptious 30s prints by the yard! LOLOLOLOLOLOL!

Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm sure Trish and I will manage. It's all part of the drama (ie sourcing the fabrix). :-)

Please email me off group (slpdesigns at speakeasy dot net) I am also working on a DJ and would like to share information.

Susan Price

Should the background of every DJ block always have to be the very same? ( I realize that someone can make a DJ out of tie-dyed t-shirts if they take a notion.) Why I pose the question is - I am making a 'simple star' quilt and the blocks' backgrounds are sort of similar but they are not the same. The result, methinks, is very nice. Just wondered if you couldn't do a DJ with various backgrounds without an initial outlay for 15 yards - a staggering thought. Polly

Polly, this is the one that got me hooked:

Looked your 'Simple Star' pattern up. I knew it as Ohio Star....maybe cause I learned the name in MI? I didn't think 'flying geese' were that easy to make back then....still ahve to concentrate when I make them now.

I enjoy _Dear Janes_ but can't see attempting one and admire those that have.

Butterfly (hoping she's back for awhile this time)

Still LOVE your blue one.

Butterfly