Magazines & More American Patchwork & Quilting Dear Jane Quilt Inspiration By American Patchwork & Quilting Editors American Patchwork & Quilting Editors American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine and AllPeopleQuilt.com have been the go-to resource for quilters to learn a new skill or simply sew something that brings pride and accomplishment. Our staff has over 70 years of quilting experience, and works with skilled editors, copy editors, quilt testers, and technical editors to ensure each pattern and article is accurate and up-to-date. We're passionate about quilting, and know that it's not just a hobby — it's a lifestyle. We strive to connect with other quilters and provide content that inspires them in their sewing space. American Patchwork & Quilting's Editorial Guidelines Published on June 14, 2013 Trending Videos Close this video player Browse a collection of quilts made by students in Dear Jane classes at The City Quilter in New York City to get ideas for making your own version of Jane A. Stickle's 1863 quilt featured in the book Dear Jane by Brenda Manges Papadakis. 01 of 29 Make Your Own Dear Jane Quilt Jane A. Stickle's 1863 quilt has inspired quilters worldwide to create their own treasured versions ever since Brenda Manges Papadakis drafted the 169 square blocks, 52 pieced border triangles, and four pieced corner triangles and published them in the book Dear Jane: The Two Hundred Twenty-Five Patterns from the 1863 Jane A. Stickle Quilt (EZ Quilting by Wrights; 1996). Diane Rode Schneck and Judy Doenias have been teaching Dear Jane classes at The City Quilter in New York City for 12 years. Their sample quilt, In Our Time, nicknamed "Technicolor Jane," has inspired many of their students to make their own versions. History of Conversation Prints 02 of 29 Go Bright and Bold Diane Rode Schneck and Judy Doenias used a wide range of calicos, batiks, hand-dyed fabrics, and novelty prints in bright, saturated colors in In Our Time. Dark sashing makes each block pop. History of Conversation Prints 03 of 29 Showcase Fussy-Cut Designs The quilt, which they began in 1999 and finished in 2005, also contains hidden surprises, such as a cat fussy-cut from a novelty print. Both Judy Doenias and Diane Rode Schneck stitched the square blocks; Judy assembled them. Diane constructed the triangles and did the quilting. History of Conversation Prints 04 of 29 Choose Your Method Some blocks of In Our Time are pieced, such as the orange and black triangle at the top of this photo. Others are hand-appliquéd, such as the red heart triangle block in the middle. The yellow and black triangle block at the bottom of the photo uses both techniques. There are no written instructions--only diagrams of drafted blocks--so quilters can choose the method that works best for them. Get tips and tricks for assembling blocks at dearjane.com. History of Conversation Prints 05 of 29 Unify Blocks with a Favorite Print For a cohesive look Emily Shuff Klainberg of New York City based the palette of Finished Before Barbara on a multicolor print that appears in many of the blocks. Emily gave the quilt its name because she completed her Dear Jane quilt before her twin sister, Barbara, finished hers. History of Conversation Prints 06 of 29 Make Shapes Stand Out High-contrast fabric combinations-such as pink and black-in each block give Emily Shuff Klainberg's quilt a graphic look overall. History of Conversation Prints 07 of 29 Challenge a Fellow Quilter Barbara Shuff Feinstein of Auburn, New York, named her version … But I Am a Goddess. Although she finished after her twin sister, Emily, she made all 52 triangle blocks in addition to the square blocks and corner blocks. History of Conversation Prints 08 of 29 Experiment with Values of Color Barbara Shuff Feinstein chose a range of blue and brown fabrics in varying values and styles-from plaids to batiks-to give her quilt depth and interest. Hints of red draw viewers' eyes around the quilt. History of Conversation Prints 09 of 29 Stick with a Two-Color Palette Blue Sky, Sunshine by Anna Krassy contains Dear Jane blocks in the outer border. Anna arranged the yellow blocks in two adjacent borders of the quilt and the blue blocks in the remaining borders to enhance the ombré effect created by pieced strips in her quilt center. History of Conversation Prints 10 of 29 Use Novelty Fabric to Make a Themed Quilt Some quilters can't get enough of Dear Jane. Pamela Leonard Wexler has made more than 30 Jane-inspired quilts. Each of her takes has a different theme. Jane Plays with Dolls makes use of a collection of doll-print novelty fabrics. History of Conversation Prints 11 of 29 Give Dear Jane a Seasonal Spin Jane's Christmas Tree, another quilt by Pamela Leonard Wexler, shows how Dear Jane blocks can take on a seasonal look. Pamela arranged her dark and light blocks in rows to form a Christmas tree shape. The red and green blocks resemble ornaments and the beige blocks add subtle interest to the background. Pieced holly leaf blocks on either side of the red-and-green blocks add to the tree effect. History of Conversation Prints 12 of 29 Position Blocks to Form Bands of Color Gold Rush, another Dear Jane quilt by Pamela Leonard Wexler, contains a sunshine yellow band through the middle that's framed in fiery red. History of Conversation Prints 13 of 29 Add Special Touches While the quilt has a stunning overall pattern, Pamela Leonard Wexler still included fun surprises, such as fussy-cut stars, for those who see the quilt up close. History of Conversation Prints 14 of 29 Try Hand Appliqué Janalyn Martinez learned a new skill-hand appliqué-when she made Jane Taught Me How to Appliqué. She hand-appliquéd colorful shapes to black foundations rather than piecing the blocks. The small blocks make it easy to practice new techniques in manageable sessions. History of Conversation Prints 15 of 29 Work with a Group Members of the Empire Quilters Guild pieced the queen-size Broadway Jane for a raffle. The quilters used just one color and black for each block and arranged them diagonally to form a rainbow. History of Conversation Prints 16 of 29 Choose a Light Color Palette Ayako Ishizuku chose a subtle colorway featuring Japanese taupes, batiks, and various prints for My Dear Jane. History of Conversation Prints 17 of 29 Customize Blocks Based on Your Interests To personalize her interpretation, Ayako Ishizuku fussy-cut designs, such as piano keys from a music-theme novelty print, to showcase in some of her blocks. History of Conversation Prints 18 of 29 Represent a Time Period Amy Ronis saluted the 1950s and '60s by combining an array of novelty prints-from aliens to martini glasses-in Kitschin' Jane. History of Conversation Prints 19 of 29 Match Fabric Designs with Block Shapes What 1950s-theme quilt would be complete without a block dedicated to Elvis Presley? Amy Ronis chose a block with large squares that could accommodate the size of the designs. History of Conversation Prints 20 of 29 Focus on the Triangle Blocks Pamela Leonard Wexler focused on the 52 Dear Jane triangle blocks and the four corner blocks when creating Peridot and Periwinkle Blue Medallion. She surrounded a multicolor panel with 12 of the triangles and used the remaining ones for a border. History of Conversation Prints 21 of 29 Use a Monochromatic Color Scheme From periwinkle to navy, various shades of blue create a monochromatic border for Pamela Leonard Wexler's quilt. History of Conversation Prints 22 of 29 Let One Color Pop Pamela Leonard Wexler reserved orange for the quilt corner blocks to draw attention to them. History of Conversation Prints 23 of 29 Use Small-Scale Prints Prints with a small pattern work well for Dear Jane blocks. Here graphic prints make Randy Keenan's block look even more intricate. History of Conversation Prints 24 of 29 Make Blocks Appear to Be Set on Point Woman in Transition by Leslie Morgan reveals how adding black sashing and four dark triangles around each Dear Jane block allows individual blocks to stand out. In this case they almost appear to be set on point. History of Conversation Prints 25 of 29 Combine Dear Jane Blocks with Another Pattern Pamela Leonard Wexler re-created Trail Mixby Mabeth Oxenreider from the June 2004 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. She then surrounded the design with a border of dark blue Dear Jane blocks. History of Conversation Prints 26 of 29 Use Vintage Textiles Vintage lace takes center stage on Lady Jane, a wall hanging by Pamela Leonard Wexler. Pamela surrounded the lace with nine Dear Jane blocks and gave the quilt a scalloped edge similar to the original quilt. History of Conversation Prints 27 of 29 Re-Imagine Dear Jane Blocks Dear Jane blocks made in blue and white look like falling snow in Like Snowflakes, Every Dream is Different by Pamela Leonard Wexler. She enhanced the winter look by using a snowflake-theme print for the borders. History of Conversation Prints 28 of 29 Use a Single Fabric Collection Fairy-theme fabric provides the concept for Fairy Tails by Pamela Leonard Wexler. Pamela arranged her Dear Jane blocks diagonally so pops of red and pink flit and flutter around the quilt. History of Conversation Prints 29 of 29 Get the Dear Jane Book To make your own Dear Jane quilt, get your copy of Dear Jane: The Two Hundred Twenty-Five Patterns from the 1863 Jane A. Stickle Quilt (EZ Quilting by Wrights; 1996) by Brenda Manges Papadakis. The book contains drafted patterns for all blocks and letters written by Brenda to Jane. Purchase the book and learn more about Dear Jane at dearjane.com. History of Conversation Prints Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit