!['Nearly Insane' Quilt - August 2015 Salinda Rupp]( "'Nearly Insane' Quilt - August 2015 salinda Rupp") |
| 'Nearly Insane' Quilt - August 2015 |
Well here it is. The Nearly Insane Quilt in all its glory. Once I started those Dear Jane blocks I knew they would be difficult to put down, so I put them aside and made sure that this weekend was a Nearly Insane Quilt finishing weekend. I actually finished all the blocks, sashing and cornerstones last August (2014) and got them all together last November.
![Tour de France - July 2015]( "Tour de France - July 2015") |
| Tour de France - July 2015 |
The last stretch was the hardest. The border really tested my resilience, but I set myself a target and it was finally completed and stitched onto the quilt on 26th July 2015 - the final day of the Tour de France as the cyclists were cycling up the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The removal of the papers took longer than anticipated (doesn't everything ...) and I estimate that it took me about 7 WHOLE days. The final pieces were taken out yesterday.
!['Nearly Insane' Quilt - Detail red white]( "'Nearly Insane' Quilt - Detail red white") |
| 'Nearly Insane' Quilt - Detail |
Now it is done, I am delighted with it. It looks really lovely now all the tacking thread has been removed. Without the paper it is also much lighter! Would I use English Paper Piecing again? Yes, I think this quilt done on a machine would have really driven me insane, some of the pieces are really tiny. Perhaps I would have removed the papers as I went along ...
!['Nearly Insane' Quilt - reverse]( "'Nearly Insane' Quilt - reverse") |
| 'Nearly Insane' Quilt - reverse |
I have recently purchased a photographers studio stand to display quilts from, which you can see in the top photo. I took this photo from behind the quilt with the light flooding through which makes it look like stained glass. The real joy of this quilt is that I am looking at the blocks and remembering all the different places around the world where I stitched my portable sewing project (France, Switzerland, USA, Buckingham Palace!), so it has a lot of good memories. If you are just visiting my blog for the first time you can go back to February 2013, where my journey started. I cover every block, using Electric Quilt software and you will see what a great contribution Suzi the cat made along the way. I guess the next question is 'How am I going to quilt it?' If you pop over here, you might just get a clue.Joining up with Connie at Freemotion by the River.
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![Dear Jane Block - B7 World Series]( "Dear Jane Block - B7 World Series") |
| Dear Jane Block - B7 World Series |
With the Nearly Insane quilt top completed and ready for quilting, it means that there is nothing stopping me forging ahead with the Dear Jane blocks. Here is block B7 World Series. Each draw usually means that I will be using the same colour. Draw 1 is orange, so all my orange Kim Diehl fabrics are being thrown into the mix.![Dear Jane Block - B7 World Series]( "Dear Jane Block - B7 World Series") |
| Dear Jane Block - B7 World Series |
As I said at the start, I will picking up new techniques as I go along and that learning is part of the fun for me. The construction tips I found for this block involved applique, reverse applique and then some more applique. Not the most efficient use of fabric, but I liked the idea of getting the melons looking round with the reverse applique technique. Once I have built up some confidence with all these techniques, then I hope to use my informed judgement about choosing which method to use for each block that comes my way.
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September 1, 2015, 4:45 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block M7 Junko's Rose Garden]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block M7 Junko's Rose Garden") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block M7 Junko's Rose Garden |
I am quickly learning that some Dear Jane blocks are harder than others. This is M7 Junko's Rose Garden - perhaps not the best year for roses as far as this block is concerned.![Dear Jane Quilt - Block M7 Junko's Rose Garden]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block M7 Junko's Rose Garden") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block M7 Junko's Rose Garden |
I started off by using reverse applique to form the outer shape. Blood - Sweat - Tears. It took me AGES and I still think I need to stitch it again. Then I stitched on eight melons. I used three different techniques with different results. In the end (at the recommendation of my sister) I used the tried and tested English Paper Piecing technique that I use for most of my sewing, remembering to remove the paper inside before you sew the final part. This gave the sharpest finish. I ironed on the freezer paper in the centre to help with placement but it soon fell off. I think this might be because it is quite lightweight and I might need to upgrade to the normal freezer paper on the roll. Otherwise, I am enjoying the invisible stitching effect of the silk thread I am using.I am clearly lacking in the applique department, so a good dose of Dear Jane blocks should sort me out. Techniques: Reverse applique, AppliquePieces: 10
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September 2, 2015, 1:30 am
![Dear Jane Blocks, B7, D3, L9, M7]( "Dear Jane Blocks, B7, D3, L9, M7") |
| Dear Jane Blocks, B7, D3, L9, M7 |
As you can see I have completed the first four Dear Jane blocks for my quilt. It has been a steep learning curve with regard to applique techniques and I still have a way to go. So, moving onto Draw 2G7 - IndianapolisOh. For most of the draws there will be four blocks, but it just so happens that this one is the central block, G7 Indianapolis, so in my little system, this draw only has one block.I have devised a colour scheme for the quilt so I know which colours I want for each block. If my system is working, each of the blocks in a draw will be in the same colour. For this draw the centre block will be in red.Many of you who followed my Nearly Insane quilt journey have commented on your excitement of seeing my Dear Jane quilt started. Many of you also mention that you have started a Dear Jane quilt, but the project has fallen by the wayside. Please stitch along with me if your quilt needs resurrecting ....PS: Pets on Quilts voting closes on Thursday 3rd September 2015 - Suzi the cat is counting on your vote!
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September 3, 2015, 12:00 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block G-7 Indianapolis]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block G-7 Indianapolis") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block G-7 Indianapolis |
I am very pleased with this block. It is the first time I have used my red Kim Diehl fabric. Also I am very pleased with my striped fabric which has been fussy cut. I am also very pleased with the neat circle. English Paper Piecing - ROCKS.This block is in the centre of the Dear Jane quilt, so it had to look good.Living in the UK, I thought I ought to check where Indianapolis was in the USA. It is in the state of Indiana, towards the East coast. This is the state Brenda Papdakis was living when she wrote the Dear Jane quilt book.Techniques: English Paper Piecing
Pieces: 21
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September 6, 2015, 1:48 am
![Dear Jane Quilt blocks]( "Dear Jane Quilt blocks") |
| Dear Jane Quilt blocks |
Here is my collection of blocks so far. This is not bad for just over a fortnight into the Dear Jane quilt journey. Draw 2 was a bit of an anti-climax with just the one block, but Draw 3 puts me back on track.C12 - Family ReunionE8 - Mama's MazeF5 - ParcheesiG10 - Woven MeadowThere is plenty of English Paper Piecing which I can do here, so expect good progress in the next few days.It just so happens that this set of blocks will also be in orange.
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September 7, 2015, 3:00 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block E-8 Mama's Maze]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block E-8 Mama's Maze") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block E-8 Mama's Maze |
I am never happier than when I am doing English Paper Piecing. I know what I am doing, I know what result I want and I can take it anywhere. E8 Mama's Maze was a joy to do as it was lovely little squares and rectangles that all went neatly together. The small squares are half an inch square.![Dear Jane Quilt - Block E-8 Mama's Maze]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block E-8 Mama's Maze") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block E-8 Mama's Maze |
I completed this block whilst away over the wet August Bank Holiday weekend. We were in our camper van and I had many happy hours sewing whilst I waited for the rain to stop. It did eventually.![Dear Jane Quilt - Block E-8 Mama's Maze]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block E-8 Mama's Maze") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block E-8 Mama's Maze |
Techniques: English Paper PiecingPieces:33
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September 8, 2015, 7:00 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block C-12 Family Reunion]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block C-12 Family Reunion") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block C-12 Family Reunion |
I was back in my comfort zone with this one. Lots of little English Paper Piecing squares, again just half an inch square. Block C12, Family Reunion is a mini Irish Chain block and whenever I do small squares like this it reminds me of my scrappy Irish Chain quilt and makes me think how great it would be to do one with just half inch squares...![Suzi the cat helps out with rotary cutting]( "Suzi the cat helps out with rotary cutting") |
| Suzi the cat helps out with rotary cutting |
You will see from the photo that Suzi the cat is pleased that I am on another marathon sewing project. She has been helping out with the rotary cutting and with only a few blocks done so far she is able to get them all onto the floor with just one swipe of her tail.Techniques: English Paper PiecingPieces: 49
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September 9, 2015, 10:00 pm
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block F-5 Parcheesi]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block F-5 Parcheesi") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block F-5 Parcheesi |
One of the reasons I enjoy English Paper Piecing is that I can take it anywhere and that I can stitch whilst we are in the car. I am finding the applique blocks a bit more of a challenge when we are driving and had to wait until we were stationary to stitch this one. Because of the applique, this block took me ages. For block F5 Parcheesi, I have sewn eight pieces of fabric onto another and it seemed to take all the mental energy of running a marathon. However, I am more satisfied with the neatness with this one - I think we are moving forward.BTW: Parcheesi is a board gameNext block, please ....Techniques: AppliquePieces: 9
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September 11, 2015, 7:23 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block G-10 Woven Meadow]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block G-10 Woven Meadow") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block G-10 Woven Meadow |
I think this quilt block pops up in all the various sampler quilts. It is called G10 Woven Meadow in this quilt, but is also known as Chimney Sweep or Album block. It was one of the early blocks I did for my Nearly Insane quilt, but even though it was a bigger block it had ten less pieces than this one which is just 4.5".I am using an orange fabric from Kim Diehl's Hearthside Seasons range in this block.Techniques: English Paper PiecingPieces: 39
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September 13, 2015, 10:48 pm
![Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 3, C12, E8, F5, G10]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 3, C12, E8, F5, G10") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 3, C12, E8, F5, G10 |
With much fewer pieces and smaller blocks, some of these Dear Jane blocks can be completed in just an evening. I think I averaged about four blocks a month with the Nearly Insane, but these are being completed much faster. But then again there are quite a few more.The blocks for Draw 4 are :B11 - Melissa's CrossD5 - Cathedral WindowF8 - Church WindowL11 - Caitlin's RoseLooking at my colour scheme this draw is orange AGAIN. All this orange made me wonder how many of each colour I would actually be doing, so here is the data. | Blocks | Triangle |
Red | 29 (17%) | 8 (14%) |
Purple | 12 (7%) | 8 (14%) |
Blue | 20 (12%) | 8 (14%) |
Green | 28 (16%) | 8 (14%) |
Yellow | 36 (21%) | 12 (22%) |
Orange | 44 (26%) | 12 (22%) |
So, yes, there are twice as many orange blocks than some of the other colours which explains why they keep coming up in the draw.
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September 16, 2015, 8:22 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block D5 Cathedral Window]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block D5 Cathedral Window") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block D5 Cathedral Window |
This was a lovely simple Dear Jane block called Cathedral Window (D5). Easy to cut out, easy to sew together. Still no papers have been taken out so far. You would think I would learn from the Nearly Insane quilt. I just need to sort out my sashings, which is a project in the pipeline.BTW I am amazed by all the encouraging comments you are sending. I would love to reply, but it appears that many of you are No Reply Bloggers. I know when I started blogging I didn't realise I was a No Reply Blogger. Here at Happy Hour Projects there is post on how to check your status.Techniques: English Paper PiecingPieces: 21
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September 18, 2015, 6:30 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block F8 Church Window]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block F8 Church Window") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block F8 Church Window |
Having just done a Cathedral window for the Dear Jane quilt, I have now done a Church Window (Block F8). Again, another easy one as far as I am concerned.Whenever I do a block from the 'F' row it reminds me of the function keys on a computer and how in the pre-Windows era that was how we did fancy stuff on a computer. Techniques: English Paper PiecingPieces: 37
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September 21, 2015, 5:54 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block L11 Caitlin's Rose]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block L11 Caitlin's Rose") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block L11 Caitlin's Rose |
I have a had a busy few days working on my Dear Jane blocks. I am still working in orange and I am still using English Paper Piecing, which seems to be working out very satisfactorily for this project.Although this looks like a simple Dear Jane block, I was a little scared of it because of the diamond shapes. I got caught out on diamond shapes on some of my Nearly Insane blocks, so I was sure to mark which were long edges and which were short edges before I started to construct it.Techniques: English Paper PiecingPieces: 21Linking Up with Design Wall Monday
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September 21, 2015, 10:00 pm
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block B11 Melissa's Cross]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block B11 Melissa's Cross") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block B11 Melissa's Cross |
Before I started this Dear Jane block, I could see that there were a number of different ways to approach it. For the majority of it English Paper Piecing would do a sound job, but those curved corner bits which end up as nothing were going to be a bit tricky. I did it EPP, but you can see that the edges are a bit shabby. I intend to hide all this once it is constructed and the sashing goes on.Techniques: English Paper PiecingPieces: 21
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September 23, 2015, 2:00 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Blocks B11, D5, F8 L11]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Blocks B11, D5, F8 L11") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Blocks B11, D5, F8 L11 |
Here is a pleasing set of blocks from my Dear Jane Quilt, Draw 4. They are going to be placed in the same position, but mirrored in four different corners of the quilt, so I hope that in the overall scheme of things they will balance nicely. You can get the idea of how my quilt is coming along by the image on the sidebar. The next Draw has taken placeA2 - One Two Buckle My ShoeH9 - Snowflake MeltI11 - Coyote ChaseM3 - Fireweed FlowerYes, believe it or not it is ORANGE AGAIN! If only I had a consistent run on the lottery ....
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September 24, 2015, 7:00 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block M3 Fireweed Flower]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block M3 Fireweed Flower") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block M3 Fireweed Flower |
This is Fireweed Flower, Block M3. I think I have mixed up the colour / neutral positions of the fabric on this compared to the original. I suggest you don't compare my Dear Jane quilt to the original as it is already doing a lot of things to suit itself.Again, this was a block that I was bit nervous about. I did it English Paper Piecing (what else?), but lots of the pieces were not symmetrical, as you can see from these little beasties which are just 1/4" wide with random pointy bits on them. If you are doing this block yourself, I suggest you refer to the diagram A LOT, to ensure you are getting everything in the right place at the right time. Just two unpicks for me on this one. Techniques: English Paper PiecingPieces: 25
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September 25, 2015, 6:08 am
![Miniature Block of the Month September 2015 - The Quilt Room]( "Miniature Block of the Month September 2015 - The Quilt Room") |
| Miniature Block of the Month September 2015 - The Quilt Room |
I had been hoping to get this BOM done earlier this month, but it was only released earlier this week. It is nearly six weeks ago that I did the last one and the foundation piecing never seems to get easier. It goes in a pattern of stitch a row, unpick it, stitch it again, move on. With the magic of editing software I have digitally trimmed it so you can't see the errors!![Miniature Block of the Month September 2015 - The Quilt Room]( "Miniature Block of the Month September 2015 - The Quilt Room") |
| Miniature Block of the Month September 2015 - The Quilt Room |
There are only three left to go and then I will have to think about how I will set them as a quilt.
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September 25, 2015, 10:30 pm
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block H 9 Snowflake Melt]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block H 9 Snowflake Melt") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block H 9 Snowflake Melt |
I took this block away with me over the weekend, only to realise that I had forgotten to pack my fine silk thread for applique. I used the time to English Paper Piece the background and then added the four diamonds on top as applique pieces once I returned home. They were quite small (less than an inch) and I found them quite fiddly to attach, but again I got there in the end.Techniques: English Paper Piecing, AppliquePieces: 20
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September 27, 2015, 6:00 am
![Dear Jane Quilt - Block A2 One, Two Buckle My Shoe]( "Dear Jane Quilt - Block A2 One, Two Buckle My Shoe") |
| Dear Jane Quilt - Block A2 One, Two Buckle My Shoe |
One, Two, Buckle Your Shoe, Block A2, is made up of squares, rectangles and triangles. Simple to put together with EPP.Way back when I started this blog in 2012 I was considering doing the Farmers Wife Sampler Quilt. I got the book and everything, but in the end I chose to do the Nearly Insane quilt. You may have seen on Facebook or at Gnome Angel that there is a Farmers Wife Quilt Along. Looking at the book again, most of the Farmer Wife blocks are made up from squares and triangles, just like this block. Some naughty people are encouraging me to join in with the quilt along - will I resist ... Techniques: English Paper PiecingPieces: 40
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