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.