Sharing photos, videos, vintage images I've discovered, and -- occasionally -- commentary and thoughts from retired life and travels.

My Wife’s “Insanity Revisited”

May 17, 2010

insanity_revisited-dear_jane_quilt

“Insanity Revisited” is actually the name of Karen’s second “Dear Jane” quilt. She still has  a couple more rows to complete and the scalloped blocks around the outside.

Dear Jane quilts are based on a Civil War era quilt made by Vermont resident  Jane A. Stickle.

A Dear Jane has 169 blocks, each with a unique pattern and has a total of about 5,600 pieces.

The original quilt was finished in 1863, during the American civil war. It is in the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont, and is on display every September and October.

original_dear_janeKaren’s first Dear Jane was named “Insanity.”

The lower quilt picture is the original 1863 quilt by Jane Stickle.

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

Rummuser May 17, 2010 at 9:58 AM

Insanity revisited looks stunning, The lower one does too. I wonder if you know that quilt making is quite common in India, particularly in the Northern parts where no cloth is ever thrown away without making square pieces from the unworn places to eventually become very attractive looking quilts. These often accompany a bride as part of her trousseau when she departs her parent’s home for her husbands.
.-= Rummuser´s last blog ..Cleric Put In Jail. =-.

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XUP May 18, 2010 at 10:15 AM

I love quilts. These two are fascinating. I do like the colours on your wife’s version a lot better, though. What does she do with her quilts?

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Barbara Swafford May 18, 2010 at 3:18 PM

Amazingly beautiful.

Karen does awesome work. I have friends who are quilters, and even tried it myself. The work that goes into them is painstakingly detailed. Her quilt is something to be very proud of.

Great job, Karen. And thank you Mike for sharing.
.-= Barbara Swafford´s last blog ..Blogs – Should We Be Dumbing Down =-.

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Karen May 19, 2010 at 8:12 AM

thank you all for your comments on my quilts.
Rummuser I have seen some of the quilt work done in India and the quilts are beautiful. So many people around the world make quilts and it is nice to see how we all make them, most of the work is similar but some really different.

XUP Some of my quilts I keep for our beds and decoration for the house. Some of the quilts go to the children and grandchildren and some of the quilts I sell. The two Dear Jane quilts are going to our daughters. The first one I made which is featured on my blog at this link http://karensquilting.com/blog/2009/11/the-quilt-and-the-family/ is going to our oldest daughter. The quilt I am working on now – the red and cream version is going to our younger daughter.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
.-= Karen´s last blog ..Another Block and a new book =-.

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teeni May 28, 2010 at 3:52 PM

Wow – that looks like an insane amount of work! I give Karen so much credit for her talent and patience. It is pretty neat to see the differences in how they look with varied colors versus a dual color scheme as well. They are both equally beautiful.

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Mike Goad May 28, 2010 at 6:21 PM

She does have a passion for her quilting. We’ll be visiting our daughter day after tomorrow when she will be given the first “Dear Jane” quilt that Karen made.

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Jelly Roll Fabrics November 24, 2010 at 7:46 AM

Oh. My. Gosh!!! That quilt is absolutely breathtaking. I have often wanted to create a masterpiece like this, but I’d get a few blocks in and get sidetracked. This quilt is to quilters what a marathon is to runners. WOW.

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