Hello, everyone. Just wanted to let you all know that I am ready to put row (C) unto rows (A-. It will take me a bit as I am working on the BOM. and have 3 quilts to bind, so have been working on all of them a bit at the time. So I have 39 DJ blocks done and 12 border triangles, as I am doing them too. (4 blocks, 1 triangle) that way I do not have to make all the triangles at the end.

Margarita in Auburn, CA

Your poor daughter Eileen, hope she recovers well and soon.

I only started my DJ recently and A1 was the first block I tried...it almost put me off the whole thing. I did it with paper piecing and it came out lumpy as anything, didn't like it at all. I've been doing a few applique ones and another one I cut out the templates and sewed it by hand and one I did yesterday I used Inklingo triangles and sewed by machine. I've made 7 blocks altogether now and am really enjoying them - I think it's going to be a bit addictive for a while

eileenkny wrote:
I'm glad you are back. I hope Keri has a speedy recovery and you can have a little downtime to just sit and enjoy.

I think you will like doing DJ with templates much better. It definately is more relaxing for me and I have much more control or at least I feel like I do.

JoJo

Eileen -- hugs to Keri and your family.

take care, Sharon

I'm back!! It has been a very interesting several days. It's long, so if you don't want to read it, I'll understand.

As you may know, the World Series has been on TV. We've been staying up to watch as many games as we can. On Saturday, DD Keri wasn't feeling too good. She had some stomach pain but we thought it was cramps or gas. About 2/3 of the way through the game, she was worse. DH Mike tried walking her around, going up and down the stairs. She told me to turn up the TV so she could hear the game, to the point where we couldn't hear ourselves think.
After the game, we all went to bed but Keri came to the stairs doubled over with pain. Mike decided to take her to the ER and told me to get some sleep since I'd have the next shift with her.

Well, she had appendicitis! They called in a surgeon who operated around 7am on Sunday. (I sent Mike home)He did a great job, considering her appendix was higher than normal and behind her gall bladder. So she's been home recuperating, doing the best she can to get to a point where she can go back to work. Don't worry, I'm not letting her push too hard.

It's all kind of put a crimp in my sewing. I decided to do block A-1 by machine paper piecing. Lordy, Lordy!!! I think I'm going to print off the templates; I don't want this project to become something I'm not going to enjoy doing.

All this to say that I'm back!! I can get back on the DJ wagon!!!

eileenkny

Norina, I bought the Dear Jane rules at the local quilt store, they have a ongoing club of "DJ'ers" there. You might try and google Dear Jane Rulers and see what you find out.

Margarita

Of course now that I just finished my DJ quilt, I find out there was a ruler all along. LOL

Sharon

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Margarita

And tell me about the DJ rulers. Where do we get them.....

Ahhh - thanks!

BethMI

BethMI wrote:
Hi Beth,

the method that I'm using with the FP is to print the DJ block onto the non shiny side and then cut apart on the lines. Then I iron each piece to the correct fabric and using a ruler and pencil I draw the seam lines on right up next to the FP. Then, using a ruler and rotary cutter I cut out the shapes with a 1/4" seam allowance. I saw this method on Linda Franz's Writing Table Quilts DVD - the shapes being made in that are actually diamonds that are very much in the DJ style of block, the process is just the same though and it works extremely well.

What is this "freezer paper method" everyone here is talking about?

BethMI

Thank you for the advice. I started a new block last night, hand piecing using freezer paper as templates and drawing lines on for the seam allowances. I did one of the less complicated blocks as I just wanted to see if this method would suit me. The block turned out wonderfully, much better than the others I've made, I'm really pleased with it and am definitely sticking to this method now in fact, I'm just preparing another one now. I have the DJ rulers, I bought them when I got the book (3 years ago ) and would agree that they're very useful indeed.

JoJo

I cut my pieces with 1/4" seam allowance, then mark the sewing line, after sewing the pieces together, I trim the seam allowance down to about 1/8". I have not had a problem. On some of the triangles I did applique a portion of the diamonds after cutting the background a bit bigger. I have the Dear Jane rulers which makes it easy to square of the pieces when finished.

Margarita

MargaritaW wrote:
Wow....Margarita -- that was a good DJ trip. How did you like doing the triangles? Some of them have the smallest of small pieces on them. I was thinking they would have to be appliqued on but now can't decide.

JoJo