Getting My Feet Wet

Where to begin with Jane?  First I need to give you a little background.  We had moved to Greenville in October of 1998.  In November I went to a 3 night retreat over my birthday.  It had rained during the retreat.  The soil here is clay and is slick when wet.  To make a long story short-I broke my ankle chasing my dog Bear who decided to go walk-about.  He went into a not-so friendly neighbor’s yard (even to this day) and I slipped in a wet spot.  This was the day after my birthday.  I heard it break.  Luckily Stan was out with us and he went and brought the truck and I hopped in on one foot and went to ER on a Sunday afternoon.  It was dislocated and I broke the 3 wings off the bone.  I had surgery and had 5 screws put in my ankle.  I also spent the night in the hospital.  Normally it would be outpatient surgery, but I had to do it on a Sunday.

When we left Nacogdoches, my friend Paula said we needed to get a computer so we could keep in touch easier.  So we did.  She said I needed to join the Dear Jane mailing list as she said it was the friendliest place on the Internet.  What else could I do?  I was sitting here with a broken ankle, nothing really unpacked for my sewing room before I did this nasty deed to myself.  So I joined the DJ list.

I agree with her, the list is a very friendly place.  You can learn a lot-if you ask, even if you lurk.  I have been lurking for over 12 years.  Even back then they had a BOW-Block of the Week.  Paula was going to start her quilt with the BOW for the start of January 1999 which was G-1, Indianapolis.  She said she was on the 10 year plan.  She is now on the 20 year plan. 

Well, I decided I was not going to do the BOW; I couldn’t figure out how to do it.  Even reading the hints on the list.  So I kept looking through the book trying to figure out a strategy, and really, I came up with nothing but to jump right in with what I knew I could do and that was hand piecing.  I knew I could hand piece all these blocks but I also knew there was no way that way going to happen either.  I prefer to machine piece.  But I also think that every quilter or those who just piece should know how to hand piece as I think it helps you when it comes to machine piecing; a lot of things are the same in machine piecing as they are in hand piecing.  And I have found those that have not hand pieced cannot do the like procedures in machine piecing.  My first 2 quilts were hand pieced except for the sashing.

I took the 6 yards background I had purchased, picked out a red fabric and proceeded to hand piece J-5.  Then I proceeded to hand piece and hand appliqué D-11, Snow Crystal, also red. I actually completed 2 blocks on January 24, 1999.  My ankle boot I am pretty sure was off and I was walking without it, but I know it hurt me for a long time after that.  I remember sitting here on the couch sitting with my legs propped up, piecing my blocks.

It was soon after that I read on ‘The List’ that the amount of background fabric needed listed in the book was was wrong.  So I knew it was time I came up with a plan-a background plan.

So in 12 weeks time, things changed…we moved, a broken ankle, foreign world of computers, an Internet mailing list, and I finally took the plunge that I said I wouldn’t-I started the sampler quilt with no instructions.

Next time-the plan…

Sew Having Fun!

Sarah