Dear Jane Quilt - Christmas 2016 Edition

Dear Jane Quilt - Christmas 2016 Edition 

Christmas is a good time to give you all a little present of a long overdue update on my Dear Jane quilt progress.  I am slowly posting the individual blocks on this blog, but it reached a point where I could start to put it together and sitting in front of the telly over the Christmas break is helping me move the whole project on.

Dear Jane Quilt - Christmas 2016 Edition 

All these blocks are actually together and it is great to start having just one big piece to haul around, rather than wobbly piles of 4.5" blocks.  Have I removed the papers yet?  I did remove one line of papers and that showed me that it was not going to be as onerous as the Nearly Insane paper removal (which took 7 whole days!), so it will get done in its own time.

Dear Jane Quilt - Christmas 2016 Edition  Electric Quilt

This is how it is looking as its virtual self, in my Electric Quilt software.  I still have a load of edge triangles, sashing and cornerstones to baste before I can even sew them together into the quilt, which slows me down at the moment.  No statistics either at the moment.  Do you notice one edge triangle not done yet?  That is Jane's Oak - it has proved troublesome ...  Otherwise I am SO pleased to see this quilt come together and I hope to give it a big push over the next week.

Dear Jane Quilt - Christmas 2016 Edition with Suzi the cat

Suzi the cat has taken a break from sitting on the Easy Street quilt to check out the Dear Jane progress, but not much sewing from her so far this Christmas season.

Wishing you a Happy Christmas!

Dear Jane Quilt - Block H10 Ben's Bowtie

Dear Jane Quilt - Block H10 Ben's Bowtie

With the shorter days, photo shoots for Dear Jane are becoming more difficult.  The light is dark and at the moment Storm Barbara is on her way.  All the Christmas shopping has been done and I am just finishing off the last customer quilt for my long arm business before I stop for Christmas.  It is time to settle indoors and enjoy the Christmas spirit of home. 

This hopefully means more Dear Jane stitching. This is Dear Jane block H10 Ben's Bowtie.

I am still open to ideas for the next project ....

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 18  pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 54 - A5, H10, J8, J13

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 53  - Corner Blocks TLC, BRC, BLC, TRC

Completing the Dear Jane quilt corner blocks does feel like a major achievement.  For the record, they are just a regular 4.5" block placed in a corner shape, so not too far off piste if you have your Dear Jane head on.

Thanks to everyone who pointed out a few projects for 2017.  The Quilt Room in the UK is starting a BOM Dear Jane with all the paper pieces cut - bit late for that one!

Draw 54
A5 - Cathie's Campfire
H10 - Ben's Bowtie
J8 - Anna's Anchor
J13 - Pam's Bells

This Draw will be in Green

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block TRC Longwood

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block TRC Longwood

This is the last of the four Dear Jane Corner blocks which I will be showing you, TRC Longwood.  This block has 61 pieces in it which has to be the most of any block in this quilt.

Construction of the whole quilt is quietly going on in the background.  I keep running out of sashing and now it is less portable, I get less stitching time.  If there was some good Christmas telly that would really help ..

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 61 pieces

Part 4 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

Part 4 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

As Bonnie promised, quite an easy week this week for the En Provence 2016 Mystery Quilt.  Something we have done before, just a slightly different colour way.  I have made about 42 sets of these, which is just ove half, so I expect to be making a few more maybe.  I used my Accuquilt cutter and this made light work of the cutting.

So this is what we have after four weeks of the En Provence Mystery Quilt - four sets of 3.5" blocks.  I can't believe we have done a month already and to think that in four weeks time there will be some completed ones! There are still two more colours to use and  hopefully a bit more variety in the blocks this week.

Easy Street Mystery Quilt , modelled by Suzi the cat

Suzi doesn't seem quite as enthused by the current Mystery quilt as she has been in previous years.  We switched the quilt on the bed for my Easy Street 2012 Mystery quilt and this is where you will find Suzi the cat.

Linking up with the Monday group.

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block BLC Goshen

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block BLC Goshen

Here is another corner block for my Dear Jane quilt, BLC Goshen. 

Although I am in the middle of the Bonnie Hunter 2016 En Provence Mystery Quilt, I am starting to look for some new online projects starting in the New Year. I have resisted the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge for years, but feel I am starting to weaken with all the lovely projects that are being shared at this time of year.  Do you know of any that are starting in the beginning of 2017?  I think a monthly 'thing' would work with my schedule.  I am all ears.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing
Pieces: 72 pieces

Part 3 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

Part 3 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

How about this as a guess?  For Part 3 of the En Provence Mystery Quilt I used my Accuquilt cutter again, but refrained form cutting the strips into squares and the 4-patches came together much quicker.  However, I have been struggling with a cough and a cold this weekend and I have only just finished pressing all those spinning seams which seemed to take for ages.

Part 3 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

In total I have done 105 4-patches and I can see that when Bonnie does her BIG REVEAL I am going to have to do a bit of last minute 'fixing' to get a convenient amount.  I have always done the full size until this year, so my 'different size' decision has added another level of jeopardy into the Mystery process.  Will the quilt be square?  Will it be oblong?  I don't know, but the start of 2017 is going to be interesting for sure.  I am loving all these parts just building up ready for the final construction.

Part 3 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

Here is another idea. 
I will be linking up on Monday!

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block TLC Sadie Rose

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner  Block TLC Sadie Rose

As you know, the Fabadashery Blog is a haven for English Paper Piecing with other techniques only occasionally getting a look in.  However, you very rarely see my touching a hexagon, perhaps the most traditional of all English Paper Piecing shapes.  To be honest I find them an awkward shape to deal with, so I avoid them if I can.  Today I am showcasing Dear Jane corner block TLC Sadie Rose which is made up of octagons, OK, still not a hexagon, but I think I deserve some congratulation for my attempts.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 30 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block BRC Sarah Jane

Dear Jane Quilt - Corner Block BRC Sarah Jane

Let's start off simply.  Six appliqued melons and an appliqued pieced star for the first Dear Jane corner block, BRC Sarah Jane.  I think this is the block where I am meant to embroider my name and the number of pieces I have used throughout the whole quilt.  I imagine that this figure varies wildly across Dear Jane quilts depending on the techniques you choose.  I haven't added that number up yet - maybe a task for the Christmas holiday period.

Techniques: English Paper Piecing and Applique
Pieces: 11 pieces

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 53 - Corner Blocks TLC, BRC, BLC, TRC

Dear Jane Quilt - Draw 52 - B4, E9, K2, K3

Lots of little pieces for this Draw of Dear Jane blocks, but fun working in the red fabrics.
There are only 5 Draws left for this project and to add to the excitement, the next draw includes the Dear Jane corner blocks - slightly bigger and slightly more involved.

Draw 53
TLC - Sadie Rose
BRC- Sarah Jane
BLC - Goshen
TRC - Longwood

These are the corner blocks and this Draw will be in Yellow