Dear Jane Block of the Month

Most quilters will have heard of the legendary Dear Jane Quilt. Jane A. Stickle, who was born on April 8, 1817 in Vermont made the quilt during the Civil War, completing it in 1863. It is a sampler quilt, comprised of 169 square 5” blocks, each one different. There are also 4 pieced corner triangles, 52 pieced border triangles, and a unique scalloped border. Altogether, there are an astounding total of 5,602 pieces in this quilt masterpiece!

Brenda Papadakis, author of Dear Jane has teamed up Paper Pieces to enable quilters to recreate a simplified version of this quilt using English Paper Piecing.

With the scalloped borders this paper pieced Dear Jane quilt is approximately 85" x 85" (216 x 216 cm).

The fabrics you choose will have a big influence on the look of your Dear Jane quilt. The quilt shown below on the right was made using Tula Pink’s fabrics which gives the design a fresh contemporary twist.

What You Get in the Dear Jane Block of the Month

Each month you receive a Paper Piece packs that includes a Modification Booklet, all the Paper Pieces for that section plus Lattices and corner stones.

The Modification Booklet simplifies some of the blocks to allow them to be paper pieced while keeping as true to the style of Jane Stickle as possible. It also includes hints and tips.

Months 1 - 13 will be the blocks that make up Row A - M
Months 14 - 17 will be the blocks to make the four borders
Month 18 will be the four corner blocks

Additional Items You Need

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

A copy of the book is required as it shows how the blocks are laid out. It is not included as part of the Block-of-the-Month programme.

Fabric Suggestions

For a version resembling the original quilt Brenda suggests:

5 to 8 yards for the background fabric if you wish to use only one consistent fabric throughout the blocks, 4 - 6 yards of assorted colours for piecing, 2-1/4 yards for the lattice strips and 1/3 yard for the corner stones

For the modern remake: around 25 Fat quarters plus yardage for back-grounds and piecing, 2-1/4 yards for the lattice strips and 1/3 yard for the corner stones. Pre-cut packs would also be great for this project.