You may be asking yourself, "who the heck is Jane and why is Lynette going on a journey with her?" Well the Jane in question is Jane A. Blakely Stickle, creator of the The quilt you see here on your left. Made during the Civil War and finished in 1863. It's the mother quilt for all of us who are attempting to recreate it not only for the challenge it presents but for the shear joy of it! Besides Jane, we have one more person to thank and that is the Author of the Dear Jane book, Brenda Manges Papadakis. Thank you Brenda! Without your lovely book many of us might not have heard of or seen this amazing quilt. For more information on Jane, her life and the author of the Dear Jane book, go to: http://www.dearjane.com/ I can't remember the exact day, month, year that I first happened upon this remarkable quilt, most likely it was as I was perusing through one of my quilt magazines or at the local quilt shop where I lived at the time. I do know that upon first glance, it was like eye candy for me and I remember thinking, "Oh, to make something so fine!" I knew I wanted to someday attempt to recreate it, my own "Baby Jane". This is my "Dear Jane odyssey" where I will share with you my journey in recreating my own version of this amazing quilt.

In School days
Written by John Greenleaf Whittier 1807-1892

Still sits the schoolhouse by the road,
A ragged beggar sunning;
Around it still the sumacs grow,
And blackberry vines are running.

Within, the master's desk is seen,
Deep scarred by raps official;
The warping floor, the battered seats,
The jackknife's carved intitial.