Operation Jane's

 "Imperfect Blocks"

I decided to let you see my "Imperfect Blocks, with hopes that would get a chuckle or two, and if nothing else, realize that we all do goof up every now and then...

 

NOTE: I've asked other "Janiacs" if they wished to submit their "Imperfect Blocks". A few people were brave enough (so far) and as others send me their pictures, I'll be updating this page.

(UPDATED: 15 May 2008)

This is the first block that I made. I didn't have the book and by reading the instructions (on the DJ website) I thought I was doing okay and REALLY enjoyed it. But, once I had finished it and showed it off to my DH, he said, "Aren't the blocks supposed to be 5 inches?"

*groan*

Back to the drawing board. It was then that I realized that this was WAY too complicated for my little brain to try and figure this one out (and all the OTHER blocks) and after surfing and surfing the net - couldn't find ANY free patterns, etc., DH (bless him), offered to buy me the Dear Jane book. WOO HOO!!!

I think this is the first "block", which is really a triangle, that I made once I received the Dear Jane book.

It ended up with a nice little "twist"... plus (duh??), I had marked the lines with pen, which shows up rather nicely, wouldn't you agree?!?.... LOL

Plus, I didn't know about "Freezer Paper" and "Paper Piercing" - two things which I've since learned - invaluable tools, in my opinion. *s*

 

The one on the left was hand sewn. I think this block might have been the "deciding factor" that made me change my mind.

I was going to do ALL my blocks by hand. I suppose I could have continued, with hopes that my skills would have improved, but my machine & I BOTH decided who would win. LOL

Obviously, the right triangle will make it into my official "Operation Jane" quilt. *s*

Do I need to say more?

LOL

Not quite "square".
Another, not quite "square".

Don't ask me how I do it, but it happened.

This another "no-brainer". My appliques aren't too bad, but my skills stop at the "hand-sewn" part. LOL

And the worst part, is that my pictures usually don't do justice to the beauty of these blocks.

But in this case, this block is actually UGLIER than the picture. LOL

This one I MUST have done AT LEAST 4 or 5 times, HAND SEWN! I even debated if there was a possible way to do it by machine.

Sew, take apart... re-sew... take apart...

Cut more fabric... sew... hang it up on my bulletin board and forget about taking that one apart! LOL

Browse around on the internet - finally found a site with detailed instructions.

The 4th or 5th time was the charm....

Another crooked (hand-sewn) jewel! LOL

This is Claudia Donolli's DJ block, that she kindly submitted.

She writes:

 

"Indianapolis is G7 - You can clearly see that the circle is not round and that I pieced the strips before placing them on the block -- some of that fabric is three deep layers and the DMC white floss definitely shows up. I even added the white corners on the strips.

It is before the CD and cut out by hand not a pattern. I made the strips myself in March, 2003. I thought at the time I was just great! Little did I know!"

(17 Dec. 2005)
 

Here's one that Jo Spindle submitted. She writes:

 

I had decided that I could appliqué the daisy in the center block and then put the whole block together as a 9 patch. As you can see, that was a big mistake. I ended up making the whole block and then doing the appliqué.

 

I think I will turn the extra daisy into a key chain, LOL!

(8 Jan. 2006)

Frank's Rickrack:

Better known here as

"Frank the Drunken Sailor"

NOTE: Frank's "tipped" sailor hat

 

The TOW or Triangle of the Week looked REAL EASY - Paper Piecing Heaven!

 

It was only AFTER I sewed the first side of triangles on, that I realized...

 

"Oh, Oh, Rosa. This is one of these Triangles that you have to do the reverse thingy, in your head, and while sewing... (groan)"

 

Enough done for tonight.

Tomorrow is another day.

 LOL

 

 

(11 Jan. 2006)

 

Have you ever done a block, shook your head and thought, "No, this is fine..."

Now, I realized that the triangles were "reversed" - Once again, I forgot about that part... but I thought I'd accept it, anyhow.

 

I mean... "Who's gonna notice, ANYHOW?", right?

 

Well, this block sat in front of my computer for a whole week, till one morning, as I sat there blurry eyed and just before I left for work, I realized that the top left hand corner REALLY was "screwed up", for lack of a better word! LOL

 

That evening, I thought that I'd take it apart (where the mistake is) and re-do just that part - DH's suggestion also. Then I thought, "Heck! I might as well do it the RIGHT WAY!"

So, once again, back to the drawing board... or my sewing machine, in this case! *s*

(28 Jan. 2006)

Hunter's Moon?!??!

Please keep in mind that the "circle" is supposed to be a PERFECT circle.... LOL

At this point, I'm trying another technique on this little block. Hopefully, it'll be a "keeper". *s*

NOTE: Even DH couldn't come up with any words of encouragement on this "blooper"! He even tried "stretching" the fabric in the opposite direction, to make the circle more "round"! ... LOL

 

 

(12 Feb. 2006)

No, I really didn't goof up on this block.

Yesterday afternoon, I wanted to do "Family Album = I-3" and couldn't find a fabric that resembled the fabric in the original DJ quilt.

So, I pulled this FQ out and thought, "Gee, this kinda looks that the fabric that Jane used."

So, I start sewing and I'm thinking second thoughts: "Gee, Rosa, this looks kinda bright"... A bit later, thoughts are fluttering in my head, as I'm paper piecing: "Hmmmm... Rosa, I don't think this is gonna work out... Too bright."

But it's only when I got to THIS part, that I realized that the white lines look like "window panes" and all in all, it looks like a house on fire!!!!

LOL

Needless to say, I didn't bother finishing it. *s*

This block is just plain "NASTY".... LOL

(13 March 2006)

Okay, up to date, I've completed:

 

138 blocks,

48 triangles and

4 kites

 

And I'm thinking that I'm doing pretty good, right?  I even thought that I'd never had to post another "DJ Blooper" ever, right?

 

LOL

 

My worst problem, yet, is that I promised to do a duplicate block for a "DJ Block Swap".

 

*groan*

 

Showed it to DH and threw the block in a corner - this one would go in my "Blooper Box", for a later project.

 

DH tells me, "Well, you're going to take it apart and fix it, right? I mean... all that work, for nothing?"

 

Took me a couple weeks and I've finally decided to take it apart and fix it.

 

And then, learn from my mistakes and do one for the promised "Block Swap".

(28 August 2007)

Here's one that Patricia Abel submitted. She writes:

 

Technically these aren't rejects because I plan on using them in my quilt anyway.

In looking at I-1, Ralph and Nelda's wedding,

I thought, ''Nine patches - I can do this one, easy.''

Oops, wrong kind of nine patches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(25 October 2007)

Here's another one that Patricia Abel submitted. She writes:

 

BOW F-1,

Big top: Points almost meet and the block
lies flat! 

 

Ooops, dark and light fabrics have
switched places!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(25 October 2007)

 

Here's another one that Jacqui submitted.

She writes:

I
I paper pieced this one and was so happy getting my first paper pieced one
finished and without really checking it out,

I trimmed it with a ruler

(I didn't have my DJ ruler yet!).  Only to realize that the white triangles
don't line up!  If I hadn't trimmed it, I could have removed the triangles
and lined them up properly, but I was in too much of a hurry and trimmed it
without checking!

  Meanwhile, I've learned from Linda Franz to put registration marks on the blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

(12 January 2008)

Here's one that Andrea Koziol submitted.

She writes:

Snowflake Melt.
This is what happens when you 1)print out a
paper-piecing pattern from the Dear Jane CD (of course
you remember to print a mirror image), 2) make some
mistakes, rip out stitches, decide your paper
foundations are unsalvageable, and 3) print out more
foundation papers, forgetting to click on mirror
image.  And of course, I don't notice the problem
until I are almost done piecing.

 

 

 

(12 May 2008)

 

Here's another one that Andrea Koziol submitted. Andrea was on a "roll" this week! LOL

She writes:

 

Wouldn't this pattern be nice as a star, like
Brandon's Star?  I almost left it this way, but, did
frog stitch it and do it correctly.

 

 

 

NOTE to Andrea:  I LOVE this block! *VBG*

 

 

(12 May 2008)

My DH was watching me do this (a few minutes ago) and asked "Why would you show those blocks off?"  So I tried to explain to him that I thought some of you would find these "jewels" amusing and that you would shake your head and exclaim ... "Well mine aren't THAT bad, after all!" Or you might recognize your errors, in mine.

Then he laughed! "Oh, I see!  You're doing like a Dear Jane Bloopers!"..... LOL

 

             

 

 Page last updated on May 15, 2008

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