Customer Reviews

Dear Jane: the Two Hundred Twenty-five Patterns from the 1863 Jane A. Stickle Quilt

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay, we all are hooked on making these little Dear Jane blocks. I admit I am too! I bought this book at full price and was really disappointed. There are NO detailed instructions for each block. There are some basic introductions in the beginning of the book but they are pretty worthless. The line drawings of the blocks do not tell you how to cut them, if they are able to be paper pieced or that they are different than the picture shown. Several times I made a block only to realize that it did not look like the block in the picture. When I tried to figure out why, I realized the line drawings were WRONG! If you need exact directions and precise patterns for your quilting then this book is not for you. Take a class at your local quilt store. You can get many directions for a couple of rows on the Dear Jane Web site for free. Bottom line, I am glad I have the book, I am a book addict, but given what I know about it now, I would never pay full price for it! I know I am being controversial but I just had to share my 2 cents!

If you have any interest in vintage scrap quilts or quilts of the nineteenth century, this book is for you. I became interested in this book when my local quilt guild chose twelve squares from it
to make for the block of the month auction. The patterns are very
old fashioned, but satisfying.The blocks are tiny. 4 1/2 inches!
There is a photo of the actual quilt which has 225 blocks. Brenda
has drafted out a pattern for each and every one of them. If you know how to enlarge a pattern--many of these patterns would make
a wonderfully unique vintage sampler. Or you may want to use your
favorites to make a crib quilt. Of course, like Jane Stickle, you
could make the entire quilt. It is indeed a masterpiece and would be a way to use up a full scrap bag. And the rest of your life! The author shares much of Jane's history with us in the introduction. I particularly found the inscription on the signature block to be enlightening.
"In war time 1863 pieces 5602 Jane A. Stickle" Although this quilt is inspiring, it is not a fancy piece of art like the Baltimore Album quilts from this period. It is a huge sampler of pieced and applique blocks that might be seen on a quilt made for
the bed and warmth. All 5602 pieces counted and stitched while waiting for a war to end. Even if your interest in quilts is only
to bid on vintage quilts on ebay--studying these squares would help you be able to identify lesser known block patterns from this period. I've browsed this book and read the history many a night in bed before I go to sleep. It's a great quilting book, but a nice documentation of one quilter's history too.

This is like a diary of the dissection of an antique scrap quilt. The patterns for each block are a simple line drawing. There are no instructions for each individual design. There are no seam allowances added or drafted into it. There is a general instruction section at the beginning of the book. Otherwise the bulk of the text is diary entries by the author, that relate to the creation of her own quilt. There are also pictures of other modern adaptations of finished quilts. If you're a beginner who is not faint of heart, and is a quick learner, this could be a fun "block a day" project. But there are not sufficient instructions for the person who needs each step illustrated in detail. There is something special about looking at each little block from the original quilt. It pulls you back in time to when it was being stitched.

It should be noted that this book comes without instruction. You do get a few pretty pictures . I did not enjoy the feverish prose of the author.

Brenda Papadakis' book about Jane Stickle's quilt is the most readily available source for reproducing this Civil War masterpiece. It is not a great book because, as other reviewers have noted, there are no detailed instructions for constructing the individual blocks and border triangles. There are small photos of the blocks, which are helpful for fabric choices if you are trying to make a reproduction quilt. However, these snall photos also allow you to compare Papadakis' drawings to the original and to see that some of her drawings are not accurate. If you are the obsessive-compulsive type, you will want to redraw these blocks.

It is not clear in the book that the names of the blocks were made up by Papadakis or her students and were not used by Jane Stickle. I think most quilt historians would agree that Jane's blocks are unique to her quilt and do not have a common name that quilters of Jane's time would have used.

If you want to make this quilt I would recommend getting the poster of this quilt from the Bennington Museum and using it to supplement this book.

I found this book to be like my grandmother's cookbook. I don't believe the author ever intended us to exactly copy each block but to personalize them. while there are no guides offered, an experienced quiltmaker can see, from the pictures, how to assemble most blocks. If a square doesn't turn out exactly as pictured, who will chastise you? just have fun and make it your own.

Brenda Papadakis has done a wonderful job of giving us, not only clear pictures of the original Jane, but also she has provided much insight about her journey chronicling the quilt. There is just the right amount of instruction in the book... not so much that I feel like I have to make it any certain way... she has left so much to the individual. And there are many examples included of other "Baby Janes" that others have created which was incredibly helpful for generating ideas.

I made this quilt a few years ago and boy was it a challenge. First off there are no directions in the book. No patterns. There is just a line drawing of the blocks. Having computer access is a must to make this quilt as there are plenty of sites with instructions and tips to simplify the process.

I think if one is addicted to making these small blocks a better book would beSylvia's Bridal Sampler from Elm Creek Quilts: The True Story Behind the Quilt - 140 Traditional Blocks by Jennifer Chiaverini. Like the Dear Jane blocks these are also challenging but at least you have excellent instructions and patterns in Jennifer's book.

I recieved the item in a timely manner. I was also very pleased that this was the book I was looking for and was able to purchase. The shipper did a good job!

This is a very impressive book based on an amazing quilt made during the American Civil War. The author painstakingly developed drafts of all of the squares and triangles in the quilt, and those drafted patterns are perfect for more than quilting - I'm using them for a rug hooking challenge on the Yahoo group Rughookers. Each pattern is a geometric pattern that will easily convert to a hooking pattern. There will be an article about this hooked rug challenge in Rug Hooking Magazine in the summer of 2011. For more information, join Rughookers at [...].