I plotted my rug, named Sincerely Jane, in detail before I began. The finished rug will measure just over 4′ x 6′. JO-ANNE HARRIS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY IMPACT XPOZURES
A rug hooker’s tale of a quilting pattern—and a challenge!
Sometimes the most amazing things come from the simplest mistakes. That’s how the idea for Sincerely Jane came about.
It all began on our online rug hooking group when someone mistakenly posted a link to the Dear Jane quilt on the rug hooking group’s discussion board. That one little post reminded me of a long-since-forgotten wish to recreate that antique quilt as a hooked rug.
I knew the task ahead of me would be daunting. The original Civil War–era quilt by Jane A. Stickle measures 80 ¼” x 80 ¼” and includes 225 unique patterns, and I knew from experience that many quilt patterns, just by their nature, might not translate easily to rug hooking. If done properly and worked on diligently, a comparable rug, I figured, should take me about 12 to 18 months to complete.
I posted information about my new endeavor to the online group, and interest on the discussion board grew. So I decided to present a yearlong Sincerely Jane challenge to other hookers. Each of us would hook our own version of this quilt in whatever size we could manage. We would share square suggestions and color ideas, and encourage each other along the way. The challenge, started in April 2011, would run until April 2012. If all the participants managed to finish, we would see at least 15 Sincerely Jane hooked rugs.
These quilt blocks are just four of Brenda Papadakis’ reproduced blocks found in Jane A. Stickle’s original 1863 quilt. By using 4½” squares in my hooked rug, I will be able to use most of the quilt block designs as is. However, because I am using #8-cut wool strips, I may need to make a few alterations. FROM DEAR JANE, BRENDA PAPADAKIS. DEAR JANE IS THE REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF BRENDA PAPADAKIS AND IS USED WITH PERMISSION.
Making It Happen
I decided to use 4 1/2″ squares for each of the quilt blocks so I could use most of the quilt patterns with little adaptation. I started with a piece of linen 64″ x 88″ and plotted out a grid of 9 squares across the bottom and 13 along the side. Then I added an 8″ border all around: 4″ for the border, 3″ for excess, and 1″ to make sure I had room for a scalloped edge—if I decide to add one later. The entire pattern measures 43/4′ x 6′. It is the largest rug I have ever undertaken, and considering the complexity of the design, it will be quite an achievement to finish.
To create my hooked rug squares, I used the quilt block patterns that Brenda Papadakis designed based on the original 1863 quilt. The patterns are published in Brenda’s book, Dear Jane (EZ Quilting by Wrights, 1996), and have spawned a quilting community dedicated to recreating the quilt and individual quilt blocks, called “Baby Janes.” (Dear Jane is available at www.dearjane.com.)
Working with a deadline of March 2012 (with the intention of using the last month to bind my rug), I decided I needed a schedule to keep myself on track. Multiplying the length by the width of the pattern, I figured out that the rug would be over 4,200 square inches when it’s finished. Breaking the work down weekly, I would have to hook four 4 1/2″ squares or five triangles each week in order to finish on time. That’s approximately 80 square inches of hooking each week. Given that the squares are similar to coasters I’ve done in an evening, this seemed like a schedule I could keep.
I will hook the grid of quilt blocks first to give myself time to think about the border and the scalloped edge. I didn’t draw out all of the quilt patterns before I started since I’m not sure which designs will work with a #8-cut strip. As I work, I will follow the Dear Jane layout as closely as possible, modifying for strip size if necessary.
I usually don’t do this much planning when I start a rug, but because this rug is so big, it is a substantial undertaking. The encouragement and feedback from my online rug hooking group is invaluable, and knowing others are working on a rug this size with the same types of challenges and rewards is comforting.
The Inspiration
The original, unnamed quilt, finished during or around 1863, was made by Jane A. Stickle, a Vermont farm wife. It was pictured in Donna Bister and Richard Cleveland’s book Plain and Fancy (NTC/Contemporary Publishing, 1995) and later became the subject of a book called Dear Jane by Brenda Papadakis.
Brenda, a dedicated quilter and math teacher, came across the original quilt almost 20 years ago and was immediately taken by the geometric nature of its 225 unique patterns. She wanted to replicate the quilt and began drafting each of the unique patterns. The quilt comprises one hundred sixty-nine 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ squares with a border of 8″-high triangles and a beautiful scalloped edge. Each of the center squares, the four corner kite blocks, and the border triangles has a different pattern, making up the 225 patterns used in the quilt. Some of the patterns used are well-known quilt blocks, while others were either the invention of Jane Stickle or were little known and have been forgotten over time.
You can read more about Brenda’s process of replicating the original quilt, the community of quilters inspired by Jane Stickle, and a more detailed history of the rug on the Dear Jane website, www.dearjane.com.
Jane Stickle’s original quilt is displayed every September and October in the Rotating Textile Study Area of the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont. For more information visit www.benningtonmuseum.org.