Thank you "Dear Jane"

My Dear "Jane Blocks"

For 25 years I refused to embrace the sewing technique called hand applique.  It was just too labor intensive. That is until Judy Doenius and Diane Rhode Schneck invited me to Judy's Studio and showed me their Dear Jane quilt. It was amazing.  

Jane Stickle made a quilt right at the end of the civil war - using left over scraps of dress material.  It was extremely complicated - which was partly why the obsession/attraction!  Then Brenda Papadakis - a retired math teacher drafted all 221 blocks, so crazy folks like me could make our own version.

After making all of the machine pieced blocks (which taught me amazing techniques), to finish the quilt I had to gather my strength and start learning applique.  I really got going and made most of her designs, but then I got bored and wanted to design my own.  

I found a gorgeous iris design on some elevator in NYC, the tree came from a gift catalog, and the 3rd one - is from a Motowi Tile my significant other had purchased for me.  So - the quilt isn't an exact replica - but I surely earned the right to call myself a "Janiac"!