Dear Jane Returns!

"Dear Jane" quilting craze began three decades ago (my, how time flies!) The original civil war-era quilt was made by Jane A. Blakely Stickle in 1863. Jane's quilt received scant attention until it was 'discovered' by Brenda Papadakis. One of our first posts, titled Crazy about Jane, covered the challenges of this design with its 225 blocks (169 squares, 52 triangles, and 4 corners.) We were thrilled to see THREE outstanding Dear Jane quilts at the 2024 Springville, Utah quilt show.  

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It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (2023) by Katrina Crane, quilted by Debbie Lee.

There are so many gorgeous details in this quilt. Winner of a Blue ribbon (Award of Excellence), Katrina Crane says, "I took a class to reproduce my own "Dear Jane" which seemed like a good idea while, at 50 years old, my eyesight and faculties were in working order. Having never done much applique, and no foundation piecing, this was terrifying. But with a class and a deadline to guide me I vowed to complete it in a year or less. Things will take as long as you give them. Please enjoy!  If I can do it, so can you!" 

 

 

Some of the blocks are appliqued and some are pieced; each one is a work of art.

 

 

Debbie Lee's beautiful quilting especially stands out in the border triangles, as shown below.

Dear Jane (2024) by Lisa Delora, quilted by Tonya Colbert.

Lisa Delora says, "I attended a wonderful class that aided me in creating this quilt.  It was fun to work on each block and learn new skills." The bright, saturated colors come from a variety of prints including many Kaffe Fassett classics. Tonya Colbert's quilting stands out in these closeup photos.

My Dear Jane (2023) by Gay Jackson, quilted by Gay Jackson.

We love this dramatic black-and-white version! Gay Jackson says, "I was invited by a friend to take a quilting class. I had no idea what I was in for! I decided to make the pattern my way and used a monochrome palette I also wanted to finish it, so I chose to do raw edge applique when called for.  I used double batting for the free motion quilting."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Springville Museum of Art (Springville, Utah) in August 2024.