The Advent of Christmas Day 6: Christmas with Dear Jane

How about a Christmas quilt made with Dear Jane® blocks?  You probably know the history of the now-famous quilt.  It was made by Jane A. Blakely Stickle in 1863 and "discovered" by Brenda Papadakis, who documented and drafted all 225 blocks.  Since then, the little blocks have inspired legions of quilters.  We first featured Dear Jane® in two posts in 2010 (see Crazy About Jane and Crazy About Jane II).   We love seeing creative variations, such as this pretty Christmas tree.

Christmas Tree by Netty Soares, quilted by Suzi Dillinger

Netty Soares says, "This was made from squares I made in a Dear Jane exchange".  She used forty-two different blocks to create the Christmas tree and borders of this quilt.  

Close-up, Christmas Tree by Netty Soares, quilted by Suzi Dillinger

Suzi Dillinger has carefully quilted precise, symmetrical snowflakes into the background. They beautifully contrast with the curved holly leaves which comprise the outside of the tree.  Charming valentine hearts complement the rounded features of the leaves and echo the heart-shaped cardinal shown above.

Close-up, Christmas Tree by Netty Soares 

Many different shades of red and green were used to create these traditional squares, which play a large part of  America's quilting heritage. We especially like the gaily colored red polka dot block and the candy-cane striped asterisk block, which reminds us of peppermint sticks arranged like a pinwheel.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2013 Diablo Valley Quilters Guild show. Dear Jane® is the registered trademark of Brenda Papadakis and is used with permission;  for more information see the Dear Jane® website.

The Advent of Christmas: Day 5

We loved the elegant simplicity of this quilt.

Christmas at the Hoffmans by Karen G. Fisher, 2013 Arizona Quilters Guild Show

Third place winner for Small Mixed Techniques Quilts, Karen writes, "I used my 'Graduated Grid: Circle in a Square' pattern from my book [that I wrote] Easy Grid Quilts to make this quilt for the 2011 Hoffman Fabric challenge." Karen's work depicts a set of lovely Christmas ornament balls in different sizes, all ready to hang on the Christmas tree.

Close up, Christmas at the Hoffmans by Karen G. Fisher

The swirled quilting was done in red thread, which really shows up on the gold background fabrics. What a lovely way to showcase large floral Asian-themed prints! You can fussy-cut them if you wish to spotlight the centers or petals of the flowers. Look closely, and you'll see the sparkly silver tops of the ornaments, embellished with tiny silver rings.

Close-up, Christmas at the Hoffmans by Karen G. Fisher

Tucked fabric adorned with beads gives an original and creative dimensionality to this border outlined in a hue of warm festive red.


Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2013 Arizona Quilters Guild show.