Remembering Liba (and some Dear Jane)

This is one panel of a round robin quilt that I made with some members of my quilt group (Richmond and Kew Quilters) a couple of years ago.  This particular panel was made by Liba, who was the oldest member of the group.

My title for the project was 'dancing hens in a magical moonlit garden'.

Liba used a wonderful printed panel and added some beautiful, delicate applique.

I am trying to show you the detail of the embroidered embellishment she used.  Isn't it great?

I think that these chicks are looking for their supper and a bit of a sit down before they carry on dancing!

Liba died earlier this year.  She was in her nineties, so although it's a shame, I don't feel that she died 'out of her time'.  I remember her with great affection and a deep admiration for her zest for quilting and ability to keep sewing into very old age.  I hope that I am able to do the same with the same enthusiasm that she showed.

So why am I telling you this?  When she died she left a project that was incomplete - a Dear Jane quilt.  She also left some fabric (of course, she was, after all, a quilter!).  One of her friends, Ruth, assisted by some other members the group, have put together packs of fabric and patterns for each of the blocks that are left to make.   If, as a group, we can finish all the blocks then we can put it together and use it as the raffle quilt at our next exhibition.  It's too soon to sell you raffle tickets, but in another 18 months or so I'll be reminding you of this post!

 Last night I pulled out a lucky dip of three (and was quite relieved not to get any that screamed 'applique' at me.  Brenda P  - author of Dear Jane - might say "Finished is better than perfect." but she has never seen my small scale applique attempts.  She might have to rephrase if she did!

As it happens, I also have a partially completed Dear Jane quilt.  It is several years since I've made any progress on it, despite good intentions and setting myself stitching goals every January!

This morning I have made two DJ blocks from Liba's fabrics.  The photo shows K-12.  Liba's fabrics on the left, my original version on the right.

Here is block G-10.  I've enjoyed making them both, but I'm leaving the trickiest looking of the three blocks I collected until another day.

I've enjoyed remembering Liba as I stitched, and I hope that everyone else who has picked up blocks to make does the same.

Of course, the best legacy that Liba could leave me is the motivation to make forward progress on my own Dear Jane.  I think that it is time to start making up my own 'block packs' for sewing so that I can kick myself into a restart.  Just three more rows and I'll have finished the square part of the quilt!

Perhaps you have a project that's stalled?  I wish you well in re-finding the mo-jo required to take it to completion.