Shall we do this for 2011?

[Eileen K.]

I'm going to be making the Ruffled Roses BOM this coming year but I'm also going to try to get back to my Dear Jane quilt. Anyone want to do this with me? I need some accountability buddies. JoJo, are you out there?

[Margo C.]

Margarita is working on one, and it's BEAUTIFUL!!

[Jo H.]

I'm going to be making the Ruffled Roses BOM this coming year but I'm also going to try to get back to my Dear Jane quilt. Anyone want to do this with me? I need some accountability buddies. JoJo, are you out there?

I'm here and I NEED ( ) someone to keep me on track. I'm here to help you if you help me. :wink:

[Jo H.]

"Dear Jane" is one of my ongoing projects, all done by hand, I have to check to see how far along I am, and will let you know. Lets keep this going. Just finished one more block today. (I did quite a few this year when I was laid up waiting for hip replacement and after wards) . I want to keep it going.

Margarita in rainy (again) Auburn, CA

[Robin G.]

Oh dear, now I know how Sharon (sewengel) and others have felt about getting roped into Ruffled Roses. I have not yet started my Dear Jane, but I have a lot of fabric for it. Actually, I just bought another bunch of fat quarters in my color scheme (creams, browns, gray blues, and soft reds) because they were on sale -- knowing full well that I am way too overloaded to even consider doing this now, but oh, how I'd love to! Especially because JoJo, Eileen, and Margarita are! I want to do as much of it by hand as possible, but might do a few blocks paper pieced. I'm also planning to do quilt as you go, though I'll be connecting the blocks together by machine (it won't show, though). Let's see, if I manage to do one block a month, it will take me how many years? Ouch!

[Jo H.]

Robin, I'm doing my by hand as well. I only have 4 blocks done so far. I think starting off with one block a month is a good start. I haven't been able to do even that. I'm also going to do a quilt as you go method. Me being me had to also make some changes. There will be a large center applique block that I created (it will be 4 rolls high by 4 blocks wide if I calculated correctly). I will not be doing the triangles I don't think but I may change my mind depending on the size it ends up.

[Margo C.]

For what it's worth, this gorgeous Dear Jane quilt was on display at the 2009 International Quilt Festival in Houston. The quilter had not pieced the triangular border blocks, but they had all been stitched in place with the quilting as ghost blocks! It is a fabulous treatment!
(Click on the photo for a larger view.)

[Robin G.]

JoJo, that sounds wonderful! I can't wait to see your design for your center block. I've been reading through some of the earlier DJ Forum entries and it's made me feel better about how long this will realistically take me. So, one block a month is good for me. I think I'm going to get several months of blocks done before I start quilting them, though, instead of quilting right away. I spent a lot of time two years ago figuring out what order to do the blocks in and which fabrics to use in which blocks (and I still didn't get it all worked out!), but I think I might just get started and see what happens ...
Margo, I saw that quilt in Houston and it was lovely!! Inspired me!
Margarita, in reading through the Forum entries, I found lots of references to how lovely your DJ blocks are, but I couldn't find any photos. Can you post one? Thanks, Robin

[Jo H.]

Wow Margo --- thanks for posting a pic of the DJ quilt. I love the triangle blocks being quilted.......

Robin, I am planning on quilting the blocks in sections. So once I get say 16 blocks done, I will quilt them in a 4 by 4 block chunk. This will provide for less seaming for me later.

[Robin G.]

JoJo, that's a really good idea! Thank you. I think I will try that, too. Will also mean fewer patches on the back.

[Margo C.]

Here is a link to a photo in Margarita's profile that shows some of her blocks. She is doing these by hand and is only fussy cutting ONE piece of fabric (in addition to her background fabric) for all the blocks. It looks even more gorgeous in person!!

Robin, I'm sorry you missed it at the dinner in Houston when Margarita was showing it.

see-quilts/show-and-tell-quilts/

[Margo C.]

Margo thanks for getting the url for me, Robin here is the other one I posted with portions of the fabric. I hope this works for you.

community/my-profile/MargaritaW

[Robin G.]

Margo and Margarita, thank you for the URLs. Oh my, this is stunning, Margarita!! Now I see why you are only using two fabrics!! I was wondering about that before! How fun!!

[Eileen K.]

If you're going to do quilt as you go, take a close look at the pictures in the book, if you have it. There's sashing, if I'm not mistaken. I don't know if that will affect what you want to do.
I'm so happy to see so many on here!! It's killing me that I haven't been as productive with this as I've wanted to be.

[Robin G.]

If you're going to do quilt as you go, take a close look at the pictures in the book, if you have it. There's sashing, if I'm not mistaken. I don't know if that will affect what you want to do.
I'm so happy to see so many on here!! It's killing me that I haven't been as productive with this as I've wanted to be.

Yes, I was thinking about this. There is sashing, which is fine for most quilt as you go techniques, but you're right, calculating how to make that work when quilting the blocks in groups instead of individually will require some mental gymnastics, I think :? More than I'm capable of today, but then it won't be an issue for me for a while yet. :wink: So, to paraphrase Scarlett O'Hara, that's a problem for another day ...