2009 Dear Jane Siggie Swap

I received my blocks from the 2009 Dear Jane Siggie Swap. If you don't know what a siggie swap is, it is a signature block swap. Each person sews a specified block for each person that signed up for the swap. For this one, I made 79 of the same block. I then signed the center block with my name, city, state, and country. The blocks are mailed to the swap hostess. After receiving blocks from everyone, she sorts them so everyone receives one block created by each person.

I love receiving the package in the mail and then looking and touching each one. You cannot look at a block without wondering about the person that created it.

I received blocks from as close as the next city over and as far away as Australia. The creativity in these simple blocks is astounding. My favorites where the ones the used a stamp that represented their state. Such a simple idea, but so effective.

If you have never participated in a quilt block swap, I recommend that you do. Do a little research to make sure that the organizer has done a swap with success in the past. Do not hesitate to email the organizer and ask how many swaps they have organized. Remember, organizing and participating in are very different.

Also, have patience. It always takes longer to receive the packages than what is stated in the swap instructions, but life happens. Sometimes the hostess decides to wait for a few people that are late in sending their blocks. Sometimes the turn-around is too ambitious. Sorting all of the blocks is a very time consuming process and then you have to package and mail. Don't even get me started on shipping international. The hostess deserves all the respect in the world! (Thank you giggles2. I hope you know how much your work is appreciated!)

I am working on a map that marks the location of everyone that participated in the swap. I am halfway done. When I complete it, I'll post the link. It is interesting how a swap can cross seas and bridge language barriers. (Okay, that was a bit sappy, but it is neat!)

Dear Jane Additions

I have not been completely inactive these past weeks since my last post. I have completed a few more Dear Jane blocks, but I have spent most of my time reading All New Square Foot Gardening. I am learning how to plant a garden using 80% less space with perfect soil. I have finished the book and intend to start building my new garden this afternoon. I will post pictures when I am done and let you know how it went.

Here are the Dear Jane blocks that I have finished.

C-2 Streak of Lightning	C-3 Rayelle’s Fence
C-4 Tic Tac Toe	C-5 Eye of the Cyclone
C-6 Ashley’s Aura

Oh, I also expect to soon receive my signature blocks from the Dear Jane swap. I'll be sure to post pics of those. too.

Dear Jane Row B Complete

I finished up row B of Dear Jane and started on row C. Wow, three blocks in as many days. I think this is a new record for me.

The first is just standard hand applique and the last two are hand pieced. Nothing fancy or too difficult with these. That probably explains why I was able to finish them so quickly.

Smaller Blocks, Bigger Variety - Sampler Quilts

Sampler quilts are great fun for several reasons. First there is the variety. Making the same quilt block over and over can become tedious. With a sampler quilt each block is different. Secondly, you get to use several different quilting techniques in one quilt. Some blocks are hand pieced, foundation pieced, appliqued, or sometimes machine pieced. Another benefit to sampler quilts is that the blocks tend to be smaller, so the blocks are very portable and easy to work on while waiting for ballet class to finish or school to let out.

A great book with block patterns ranging from traditional to farm animals is 501 Quilt Blocks: A Treasury of Patterns for Patchwork & Appliqué (Crafts)by Lynett Chiles and Joan Lewis. There are wonderful blocks for every holiday, season, and mood. The block patterns are for four inch blocks and are ready for your template paper (I use freezer paper).

Another sampler quilt is the State Fair Sampler. Patterns can be found at Sentimental Stitches. From this site you can download and print PDF patterns of each block. The patterns include instructions and printed patterns for six inch blocks. I am doing mine in red and white since the quilt won second place in the Ohio State Fair in the early 1900's.

Finally, one of the most famous sampler quilts is the Dear Jane Quilt. Brenda Manges Papadakis mapped each 5 inch block by hand. The original quilt was sewn by Jane A. Blakely Sickle in 1863. The Dear Jane Quilt has a large following and the friendliest list-serv I have ever encountered. I will not turn this post into a Dear Jane post, but take a few moments to look at the Dear Jane site for information on the quilt, the pattern book, and the "List-That-Knows-All." I have been working on my Baby Jane (what copies of the original Jane Quilt are called) for several years, and am still enjoying my journey.