Brenda Manges Papadakis

Originally published in 1943.

This book, printed in 1996, details the 225 patterns from the 1863 Jane A. Stickle quilt, known as "The Mother", and the blocks are called "Baby Janes". It has been long out-of-print and is now considered a rare and even a high demand book. You won't find a used copy for under $70, and prices as high as $150, or even higher. I paid $73.00 (includes S & H). Of course, you can purchase the Dear Jane Electric Quilt on CD for about $45.00, or just the templates on Etsy for a little cheaper. I wanted the stories plus the templates that the book offers. I plan on making this heirloom quilt one day. But, if I don't, please don't tell my husband how much I paid for this little book.

The author writes in diary form to Jane Stickle, voicing her love and concerns over developing the patterns to Jane's specifications. She writes of a little history of Jane's family, and her own family, during the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, and gives a little history on Shaftsbury, Vermont, where Jane lived and made this quilt by hand during the Civil War.

She recreated the patterns to trace onto freezer paper, cut apart on the lines, iron onto desired fabrics, and cut out adding a scant 1/4" seam allowance to each piece. Some pieces are appliqued, but most are sewn by hand or machine. She doesn't give instructions on "how" to put together the pieces, only a few tips to get you on your way.

There are a few photos of completed quilts using Baby Jane blocks creatively into other designed quilts, or you can put the quilt together exactly as Jane Stickle's quilt, even purchasing replica fabrics from the Civil War period. The choice is yours on how creative you want to be.

I'll soon be choosing a color scheme and fabrics to begin on my newest challenge.… (mais)

I am so glad I finally got this! I unwittingly happened to get the updated 25th anniversary edition. I'm so glad for that! It has gorgeous pictures of the complete original quilt and many different versions that other people made. It is very inspiring. The quilt blocks are quite clear. I think my only squabble is this would be very difficult for someone new to quiltmaking to do with the little guidance that is provided. That being said, this is not a beginner quilt. Having made quilts for over 20 years now, I'm glad I waited and very excited to tackle this one.… (mais)

Warning: This is a highly opinionated review. The author has an enthusiastic fan club that follows her from one workshop to the next. I am not in that fan club.

During the Civil War, Jane A. Blakely Stickle made an incredible quilt using 225 distinct patterns in small blocks, with very few fabric repeats. The quilt is spectacular; I hope to actually see it someday. This book is less impressive.

The book includes general directions for assembling the quilt, but instructions are not given for assembling the individual blocks. This should not be a major obstacle, because only experienced quilters should attempt this project.

The photos are totally inadequate. The cover photo is interrupted by the book spine, and the full-view photo inside the book is too small to be of much value. If you plan to replicate this quilt, order a copy of the poster from the Bennington Museum.

The photos of individual blocks are very small (under 2"). If you use a magnifying glass to view the blocks, you will discover that the "patterns" for some blocks bear little or no resemblance to the actual block construction. It turns out the author prefers to appliqué, and redrafted some of the pieced blocks to facilitate that preference.

The original hand-pieced blocks varied in size. The author has wisely standardized the blocks, but some of the block photos are tightly cropped, while others include the narrow muslin sashings. This issue is not addressed in the text, and it increases the confusion caused by the redesigned blocks.

These shortcomings are probably acceptable if you want to make a modern quilt inspired by this masterpiece. However, if you have an impressive stash of Civil War reproduction fabric and want to make a close replica, the small photos and the inaccurately drafted patterns will make that process very difficult.

Consider also that beds were smaller in those days. A quilt made using the 4 1/2" blocks patterned in this book will finish approximately 80" square, too skimpy in length for a double bed and undersized in every way for a queen. The author has also produced a pattern CD that runs on Electric Quilt and allows you to re-size the blocks. This is probably a better resource than the book. Using 5" blocks would produce a quilt adequately sized for a queen.

What really set me off on this rant is the fact that most of the book is taken up by the author's "letters" to Jane Stickel. If she wants to indulge in that sort of thing, she should sell her work as quilt fiction (ala the Elm Creek books and that nonsense about underground railroad quilts), or possibly "conversations with dead folks" (assuming such a genre exists). Or at least move all of the "letters" to an appendix to free up space for larger photos of the quilt blocks.

And one final gripe - even the most prolific quilter will take months, if not years, to make a quilt like this. The paperback form of the book does not accommodate the copying of patterns, or the long-term storage of fabric being auditioned for each block. Members of the fan club have developed elaborate methods for improving the usability of the book (e.g. have Kinko's cut off the spine and insert a coil binding, put individual pages into page protectors in a 3-ring binder, etc.) As this book is reprinted, it should be modified so it will lie flat, and the covers should include pockets for fabric storage.… (mais)