Flags and a Trumpet Fanfare please!

Yes, it is finally finished - My Baby Dear Jane is all done!!!!

Started in 2002, she has spent a lot of time in the cupboard with brief flourishes of activity. But at the beginning of this year I decided it was time to get some UFO's out of the way and Jane was second on my list. You can read about how I decided to cut down the size here and here.
Having added the border it was time to layer her up for quilting and I chose a plain navy backing fabric adding in a few triangles that were left over from the border.

First of all I ditch quilted around all the sashing but then felt that it needed something more so I added diagonal stitching in both directions across each block. Finally more ditch quilting around the border triangles and it was time for the binding. I used some of the leftover red fabrics to make a scrappy binding as I felt it needed a bright edge rather than more navy.
And so there she was! Last night I added my signature to the back.

Today is bright but cloudy, perfect for a photo shoot so a couple more pictures to show you.

Now for my next UFO - definitely my four seasons crazy blocks so watch this space for my progress.

Have a great week.

Easter FNSI sewing

Happy Easter everyone - I hope that you have had a good weekend.

So on Friday night Wendy very kindly invited us round for an extended FNSI to cover the whole weekend! Many thanks to Wendy for hosting us and also for your super Bunny stitchery.

All this lovely sewing time meant that my Baby Dear Jane

now has a border!

Backing fabric has been ordered and at some time this summer she will be quilted.

Do pop over to Wendy's blog to see what everyone else was working on.

Have a good week.

Dear Jane update

A week of work on my Dear Jane blocks and this is where I am now.

And so my Baby Jane is now ready for her borders - first a narrow navy border then a border of triangles of a similar shape to the originals. But for the moment she has been put away as I complete another project and prepare for our trip to Spain next month.

I am linking up with Heather at Books and Quilts Needlework Tuesday She has finished a beautiful Afghan for a baby so I hope you will go and have a look at her work.

Dear Jane - Your Time Has Come!

My Dear Jane quilt has been a work in progress since 2002 although for most of that time it has languished in a box!
I first blogged about my Dear Jane here in 2012 and for a year there were various updates on my progress, but then I discovered Crazy Patchwork and poor Jane languished again!
Well, 2016 is my year of finishes and Dear Jane has surfaced! However, I now know that she will never be a completed full size quilt and so I have decided to just make use of the blocks that I have already made and enjoy them as they are. Not to mention enjoying the stack of fabric which was also stored away and which can be added to my stash!
So first of all I got out all my blocks and laid them out on the table in order.
Here they all are.

 I had 43 completed blocks.
By consolidating them

into a 7x7 square I could make a decent lap quilt. All I needed were six more blocks and luckily when I delved into the box I found two that had escaped the photo shoot which meant I had only four to make! I chose a few fairly easy ones so they were soon complete.
This afternoon I made a start on adding the the downward sashing between the blocks and this is how Jane is looking now.

Just the long crossways sashing to add and then I can think about the border which will probably be elongated triangles similar to the ones on the original quilt.

It feels good to be doing something positive with these blocks.

PS Linking up with A Quilting Readers Garden

FNWF for December

The first Friday in December and it is Friday Night with Friends hosted as usual by Cheryl. Thank you Cheryl and welcome to any new visitors to my blog.

Having completed my latest crazy block I was looking around for some hand sewing to do in the evenings and decided that it was time that my Dear Jane saw the light of day again!

I already had some blocks cut out and ready to sew and decided that this one needed to be tackled asap so that I could get on to something a little less complicated!

Fidly this one and I must admit that I had already started it the night before, after I had completed this one

 

which took no time at all.

It is very chilly here now, winter has definitely arrived!

I hope you are having a good weekend.

Some more Dear Jane blocks

Here are a few Dear Jane blocks that I finished a while ago but have just got around to pressing.

Blue is now slowly merging into red.

After a day or two of cooler weather we are building up to a few more hot days. Although we have had a few storms and rain and our butts are now full, the ground is very dry and dusty. I have spent a couple of days clearing weeds and rubbish - very satisfying to see everywhere tidy but dispiriting that some plants are giving up.

Am enjoying a small quilting project which I will show you soon.

Happy stitching

Lin

Dear Jane update

First of all I must welcome my new followers - thank you for signing up!

I spent last weekend in snowy UK - while temperatures here in the Dordogne were soaring again! I was only away for four days but I noticed a huge difference in the garden on my return. The grass seemed to have grown by inches, there is masses of blossom on the trees especially the blackthorn which was buzzing with bees when I passed by this morning. The daffodils are nearly over and the tulips are starting to flower. Everywhere is looking a lot greener, bright and fresh.
I cut the freezer paper templates for five Dear Jane blocks and ironed them on to fabric before I left. Managed to get them all sewn while I was away, so here they are.

Spent a lovely afternoon today with friends who I have been teaching for a couple of years. One completed a very pretty table runner and the other was embarking on a flying geese quilt. It is so lovely to have been able to pass on skills that I have learnt to two enthusiastic patchworkers!

Lots to tell you so I hope to post again tomorrow.

Lin

Oh Dear Jane!

Reading various blogs I find that quite a few people are working on 'Dear Jane' Quilts.
Back in 2002 I bought the book and a stack of fabric and embarked on the journey. But soon after, I started on a City & Guilds course and Jane was parked in a box up in a top cupboard, and there she has languished for the last 10 years. (I have to say she is not my oldest UFO!)
Inspired by all the lovely work I have seen I decided to get Jane out again and instead of rushing at it like last time I would try to complete one or two blocks a month and take it steady.
Of course I did not choose an easy route - my plan was a colour wash quilt going from dark blue in the top left corner to yellow in the bottom right corner via purply reds and orange.
So here are the 11 blocks I completed in 2002.

I must say my eyesight was better in those days!

So off I go to start on my next block.

Lin