A recent trip to Paducah, KY naturally included a stop at Hancock's of Paducah. Actually, I ended up going there twice in the two days we were in town. I didn't have a specific project or plan in mind when I got there, but something about their beautiful lineup of Grunge fabrics really spoke to me, especially the teal and turquoise variations. Here's what I bought.
For some reason, these fabrics sparked the desire to get started on a quilt project that has been on my bucket list for many years. That is the Dear Jane Quilt. For those who aren't familiar with the name, "Dear Jane" refers to a book by Brenda Manges Papadakis, originally published in 1996. The full title is Dear Jane: The Two Hundred Twenty-Five Patterns from the 1863 Jane A. Stickle Quilt.
Sampler by Jane A. Blakely Stickle, 1863
80.25" x 80.25"
Brenda was a math teacher and quilt scholar when she became fascinated by the Jane Stickle quilt. She began by drafting the blocks from a photo of the quilt in a book, then later from photos taken by a friend. She was able to see the quilt in person in 1992 and traced the designs for the rest of the blocks.
The Dear Jane quilt consists of 169 square blocks (13 rows of 13 blocks.) The finished size of each block is 4.5", and there is 1/2" sashing and cornerstones between them. The border has 52 triangular blocks along the sides, and four kite-shaped blocks in the corners, bringing the grand total to 225 blocks, and all of them are different.
Block E7
The first block to be made was #E7. The blocks are numbered in the book by row, then counting across. I started with this aqua fabric to make sure it wasn't too pale. I put it up on the wall along with squares of most of the other colors. I'm glad I tested it first, because it does look too light to me. The solid squares of that color (Pool) are okay, but in lower light, the pale aqua just disappears. I don't want to put all this work into blocks that blend into the background.
The other colors featured in the above photo all made the final cut for the quilt, although they will not line up in the order shown. The colors from top to bottom are Jade, Horizon Blue, Ocean, Cabana, Turquoise and Prussian. My background choice is Cream (or Creme.)
After figuring out my color choices and assigning them to the quilt diagram, I was ready to begin making blocks. I started at the very beginning of the patterns in the book with A1 and have completed enough blocks for about half of the first row so far.
Top row: A1, A8, A2
Second row: A4, E7, A3
Third row: A6, A5, A13
Some of the blocks are very simple, but most are not. There are quite a few that include applique, and many are easiest to piece on foundations. I have found a few blogs/websites with tips for making the blocks, but I can generally figure it out for myself too.
This will be a very long-term project, with no deadline for completion. I have only 1/2 yard of each of the Grunge colors that were selected, so I need to figure out how much more of those to buy, plus I will need lots more of the background. I might end up getting a whole bolt of that. I'm sure there will be plenty of frustration at times, but I'm looking forward to the many challenges of this new project. Wish me luck!
Linking up with:
Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
Monday Musings at Songbird Designs
Wednesday Wait Loss at Inquiring Quilter
Happy quilting everyone!
Julie in GA
Your Dear Jane quilt will be gorgeous in those colors. Grunge is one of my favorite fabrics.
ReplyDeleteLove the range of blue you've chosen. Grunge is so easy of a pattern to blend with itself or any other fabrics.
ReplyDeleteThis will be a labor of love. I've seen a few of these completed and they are spectacular. Much above my pay grade, though.
ReplyDeletePat
You won't be at a loss for something to do for a while yet... I also love the teal and turquoise variations...It will be lovely when done.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those "bucket list" quilts that keeps beckoning to me over and over again every time I see it. Tula Pink is making a version of it now and the glimpses she showed on Instagram recently are so intriguing, and your Grunge version is sure to be a stunner, too. Have you seen this video about the original quilt from the Bennington, Vermont museum that owns it? So much information I didn't know about the quilt maker: https://youtu.be/hMqMUzkvQSQ. One thing I'm uncomfortable with, though, is the way the quilt has been renamed and popularized as "Dear Jane" with so much emphasis on the book by Papadakis full of what are basically letters to an imaginary friend she never met. It's so unusual for a quilt from the 1860s to be labeled with not only the maker's name, but also the name she chose for her quilt. She named it "In War Time, 1863," not "Dear Jane." It just feels so disrespectful to change the name of a masterpiece in a museum collection -- we would never do that to a work created by a male artist. Can you imagine someone writing a book called "Dear Vincent" and then from that point on, everyone calls it the Dear Vincent painting instead of Starry Night?! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWell, you are on your way! Love the teal fabrics you've chosen. This will be stunning when completed. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions/2025/03/26/wednesday-wait-loss-425
These blocks are a lot of fun to make, although some can wind up being frustrating. I started with the blocks that looked the easiest to make and worked my way up from that. Your color choices are fabulous. It will make a very modern DJ!
ReplyDeleteYour Dear Jane quilt is going to be beautiful in those fabrics. You can't go wrong with grunge.
ReplyDeleteYou picked a great color palette for this project. Looking forward to watching the progress on this project.
ReplyDeleteYour quilt will be gorgeous, Julie. I like your colors MUCH better than the original...but those little blocks...wow! Thanks for joining us at Monday Musings!
ReplyDelete