Welcome to my Dear Jane 2 Blog

This is a new blog I recently started to chronicle my journey making my second Dear Jane Quilt.

Dear Jane Quilt in Civil War reproduction fabrics - started Oct 2009 completed Sept 2014

Here you will find a post for every one of the 169 four and half inch blocks and 52 triangles and 4 corner kites. I will not be posting them in order, but rather by technique. Each block will have its own post and will be found in order on the right side bar. Anyone can follow along to make it, but really should have their own book. Its a copyright thing.

I started with the easiest pieced blocks. These can be made by simply measuring the pattern in the book and adding 1/4 inch seam allowance all around. I will be showing brief tutorials for several different applique techniques. The tutorials are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather the way I am making mine. I do make mistakes, so don't hesitate to tell me so I can correct it here. I am using the Dear Jane software for the foundation piecing and printing the patterns.

Bright Jane

It was a very hard decision to finally settle on just 1 new colour scheme for this quilt, since there are so many versions out there in cyberspace to see and drool over. I am using bright colours on a crisp Kona white background. I have not yet decided if I will be framing it in black or white. There is something about the crispness of the colour on white that I like. And there is something about the brazenness of the bright colours on the black. My now 7 year old granddaughter designed the layout on EQ7 and the Dear Jane software that she has been playing on for about 3 years. Since before she could read, she has been doing things of computer and colouring and saving. I think I will ask her advise after I have a few more completed.

DJ2 Applique Blocks

These are the applique blocks I am working on this month. Do I want to hand applique them or machine applique? Any thoughts? I have matching bright thread.Or should I use contrasting thread and showcase the applique?

Blessings,
Chris

J-6 Granny Weaver

This block uses a combination of techniques that have already been used in M-12 and J-7.


Cut 1 strip focus fabric 9.5 x 1 inch.
Cut 2 strips background 9.5 x 1 inch.
Sew together.

I cut these into 4 squares that are 2 inches square.
Then cut 1 piece that is 1 inch wide.
This last piece is for the center 9-patch.






At the far right are 2 units that I made by cutting 2 red strips 1" x 2"
and 1 white strip 1" x 2"
sewn together then cut into half.

I laid out the small bits to make a tiny 9-patch.
These measure 2" x 2" for the center of the block.

I cut 4 red squares 2" x 2" for the corners.


I laid out all the squares like this
then sewed them together and pressed.

And this is what I got.













Blessings,
Chris

C-12 Family Reunion

                                                           

One of the joys of blogging is formatting. I cannot figure out some days how to get the formatting the way I want it. But this works for now.     C-12 uses the same  construction technique as J-7. The DJ software says to cut 25  one inch patches of focus fabric and 20 one inch patches of background. Then cut 4 background squares that are 2 inches square.       

I cut long strips like this that were
1 inch wide. 
Lay out one set of strips with the background in the center and another with 2 background on the outside like this.
Sew together and press to the dark.

I was working on 4 blocks at a time the other day and did not take as many pictures as I could have.






Cut 1 inch strips of each of the above and lay out like this to make the 9-patch units. Sew together.

This block is a tiny double 9-patch. 

Blessings,

Chris

K-2 Grampa's Chickens

The DJ software gives directions to cut 18 patches focus fabric (ff)
1 1/8"  x 1 1/8". 
(wish my computer did the fractions properly)
.

Cut focus fabric 25" x 1 1/8", or
I cut 2 strips that were 9. 5" x 1 1/8"
and 1 that was 6" x 1 1/8".
I am using fat 1/8ths and they are 9.5" wide.

I like to cut the strips along the straight of grain and not the cross grain since the cross grain will stretch when the long strips are sewn together.


Sew together and press to the dark.

Now cut 1 1/8".
There should be 18 total.

Now it is really really important to have the same pair on the top when sewing together or they will not line up at the end.
I started with white on top and blue below.

All sewn together it looks like this.
When will I learn to shut off the steam on the iron?
That wavy side is a result of steam stretching the edge.
Since I sewed the first seam on the straight of grain. all those outside edges are cross grain and stretch easily. 

Sew 1" coping strips around the outside log cabin style and then trim to
5".











Blessings,
Chris

E-9 Quilt Jail

The Dear Jane software gives instructions for this block to cut 16 patches 1 1/4" x 1 1/4".
and 12 patches 3/4" x 1 1/4".

I cut 4 red strips 1 1/4" x 6".
and 3 white strips 3/4" x 6".
I wanted to make sure there was a bit extra for straightening the cut. I got caught short with one of the earlier blocks and had to cut some more strips.

I sewed the white strips to the red and then joined them all together pressing to the red.

I forgot to take a picture of the next step.

Then I cut this into 1 1/4" sections and laid them out like this.
This block is the same technique as I-3 which is a 9-patch with different measurements.

I sewed all these together and got this.
No matter how carefully I sew, I end up with irregular 3/4" strips.
I do pin when I am connecting these rows

This time I sewed 1" strips around the outside to frame it.











And trimmed to a 5" square.

Remember that my intent here is not to write a full tutorial for every block for the whole quilt. You can find this block at that quilt.
I am posting how I am doing the blocks. When I get stuck and need some help, then I will go to thatquilt.blogspot and get some help. I had half of my first DJ blocks competed before I ever found it and was grateful that I did because that is where I discovered their reverse applique tutorials. Also, they did paper piecing by tracing the pattern from the DJ book onto freezer paper and give excellent directions to do it that way. This will be very handy for anyone who does not have the DJ software to print off paper piecing patterns like I did and will do again.

Blessings,
Chris

I-3 Family Album

I made this one quickly early one morning between flights and it turned out a bit off. I might redo it, but not right now.


Cut 1 coloured strip 1 5/8 x 10 inches.
Cut background 3/4 x 10 inches.
This is where the pre-cuts come in handy. 
Sew together.
Press to the dark. 

Cut into 6 smaller sections that are
1 5/8 inches wide.

Cut another 1 5/8 x 6 inch coloured strip.
Cut 3 squares 1 5/8 inch.

Lay out the 9 squares like this.
Sew together each row across separately.

 Cut 2 background strips 3/4" x 5"

Lay out each row to look like this.

Sew together.
Press.



 Good luck figuring out which way to press since the strips are so narrow.




At this point, I had cut coloured strips 3/4" x 5" for the log cabin strips around the outside and will square it up using the 5" Dear Jane ruler.
I would recommend cutting these strips 1" wide and then squaring up.
If the center of the block is a bit too small, which happens often even when cutting everything precisely, it can be made to the 5" size by adding coping strips which is what Jane did with many of her blocks.




When I started my first DJ quilt, I had no idea what I was doing but did find the block tips on the Dear Jane website. There are many suggestions for cutting and assembly  here and here.
Just scroll down until you find the block you are working on.
Blessings,
Chris

J-7 Chicken Tracks

Using the pre-cut 1 inch strips,
cut 2 background pieces 1 x 4.5 inches.
Cut 1 coloured strip 1 x 4.5 inches.

Stitch together.
Press to the dark.










Trim the end of the unit to straighten the cut. 











 Cut 4 units that are 1 inch wide.

Now I am having difficulty formatting so bear with me.

Cut 2 coloured strips  1 x 8.5 inches
Cut 1 background strip 1 x 8.5 inches.
Stitch together.
Press to the dark.
Cut into 8 one inch units.

Lay out all the pieces like this.
Stitch them together to create four nine-patch squares.

Cut 5 background squares from the pre-cut 2 inch strip.


Lay out the small nine patch and the background squares into a new nine patch.

Now comes the flip and stitch method I learned from Eleanor Burns when I did my first log cabin Quilt in a Day that took me a year and a half. 

Flip the blocks in the second row back onto the blocks in the first row.

Pin. It saves frustration later.

Chain piece the blocks together by sewing right off the first block and onto the second without cutting the thread.

Make sure to leave the these connected.

Press lightly to the solid square.
The seams have less bulk this way.

Lay out the nine patch again.

Flip the pieces from the third row back onto the middle row.

 Pin.

Sew together like before.
Lay it out again to make sure it all fits.

Now pin the last 2 rows together.
Sew carefully.
 At this point, I found that my corners did not line up as perfectly as I would like. Will I re-do that seam?
Possibly.
But not now. I have a plane to catch in 2 days to visit my sister in England than my aunt in Poland.  But first, all 25 geraniums must be brought in for the winter and there is a local quilt show just 3 km up the road.

Blessings,
Chris