Still working on it!!

Well - it certainly has been a long time since I posted any blocks - although I  have still been puttering away at my Dear Jane quilt.  I needed to do a bit of housekeeping on my blog before I could even start this post.

I have been working on another hand stitching project and the Dear Jane has been set aside for the past 8-9 months but I am starting to feel like getting back to work at it.  I have 50 blocks completed now!!


A couple of weeks ago - I fell/slipped while walking Jenny in the forest - Cypress Trails - and I fractured my ankle. So I am in a boot cast and non weight bearing on crutches until September 9th - at which time I go back to see the doctor and find out what's next.  He says this will take 3 months!!  So this summer is being spent sitting on the deck with the computer playing some Netflix TV and some hand stitching projects.  So that leads to my ability and desire to get back to my Dear Jane.  I think it needs a name -- I need to think about that for awhile - but I definitely think I need to give it a name sooner rather than later. 

I have completed four blocks since my last post - in 2009!!  Good heavens - 2009!  I need to get cracking on it.  If I only do two blocks a year it will take me 87.5 years to finish the rest of the 175 blocks!  I don't think I have that much time!  So time to get back into the swing of it.




M1


 I usually like to put the names of the block as well but I have the book downstairs and right now it is a bit of an event to get to my quilting room  - I can do it but it takes a bit of bumping up and down the stairs on my butt - and it is a slow process.  So I will add the names at some later time.





M6






M11

I have not been neglecting my Dear Jane

It has been a very busy year here - with a big house renovation - a new grandbaby and all trips back and forth to Calgary to see the grandbabies!! But I have been puttering away on my Dear Jane.

I completed this block M9 -- Fan Dance.




I am up to 46 blocks now - which is not too bad -LOL. It seems to work out to about 12 -14 blocks a year for me. I really do need to pick up the pace!! I should try doing a triangle block - I have yet to do one and I think it is about time. Most of the block I have done so far are the pieced blocks - so I need to do a few applique blocks as well. I find the pieced blocks are so easy to cut out and prep for taking to my Friday stitch group. I have started a wool applique block of the month and my poor Dear Jane has been put a bit on the back burner at the last few Friday stitches - so I am feeling a bit guilty about not working on the blocks much since about mid October.
Hmmm -- something to put on my New Years Resolution list -LOL!!

Two more blocks

A-12 Framed Fancy






B-13 Four Corner Press



Although we have been busy with the renovation I have been working on my Dear Jane quilt when ever I get together with my Friday stitch group -- The Gathered Threads. I have another block almost completed as well.

A10 - Which Points West

Another block completed. This one I did reverse applique on the centre melon and then pieced the rest of the block together by hand and finally just appliqued the little triangles on top. I think it turned out okay - finished is better than perfect. That is block 44! I seem to be moving along a little faster right now. I just laid out the next block -A12. It has thousands of pieces!! I think that will take a little longer -LOL. I think that will complete the first row for me. I must get Eric to update my website!

M12 - Hopscotch

After the last block with all those many, many tiny pieces it was nice to do a block that was pretty easy and had just a few straight seams.



This one went together very quickly. This block is number 43. I thought I was doing pretty good with my block count - thinking I had done 43 blocks since I started my Dear Jane journey in March 2007 but I check back in my blog posts and discovered that I started this journey in March 2006! So that is not so quick - 43 blocks in 3 years - less than 15 blocks a year. About 1 block a month - so I really should pick up the pace a bit or even my 10 year goal will not be reached. I will not give up!

A9 Cabin Fever

The date on this picture is October 9th. I thought I had started it months and months ago - so I think all in all the fact that it is finished is pretty good.



I took this block to Seattle to work on while Jim attended his fisheries conference. I quite often take my Dear Jane blocks with me - I find the hotel ironing boards come in quite handy - and it is nice that I don't have to bring my own ironing board along.



I actually worked on the block quite a bit in Seattle - sometimes the blocks come along for a ride and never make it out of the bag!



And here is the finished block.

Cabin Fever.



Cabin Fever -- thats a good name for this block that I just finished while living through the most snowfall in the history of Vancouver!

I am still slowly but surely plodding away at my quilt. This one had many, many pieces - something like 45 or so. I am glad this one is finished. I started one with a few less pieces -- M12. Just a few little short seams - so hopefully it will be done quickly. Maybe I should do a triangle. I haven't done any of those yet.

Happy New Year. Here's to a productive and fruitful 2009. One year to Olympics!

L-11 Caitlin's Rose

This one has certainly taken a long time to finish -- and it has done quite a bit of traveling as well. Back and forth to Calgary a couple of times and to Inuvik and back this past September. Talk about slow going - at this rate I will not make my 10 year deadline!!

I have been busy with other things though I must admit. I also have bought a fair amount of civil war fabrics on my recent shopping frenzy of the summer. So now that it is fall I will hopefully get back to quilting with some commitment on my part. Wash up all my new fabric and get it ready for future blocks. And hopefully the next block won't take 5 months!!!