Finished another couple DJ blocks

I finally finished this Dear Jane block that I've been working on for four weeks! It is D 8 Dee Dee's Delight. I appliquéd it using the back basting method. I was happy with the way it turned out. This sharp points are murder to get right!

Last night I decided to try out my new hand crank sewing station and pieced a paper pieced block. This is the mirror image :-) of A 1 Pinwheels Gone Awry. Sorry about the funny colour...there was a halogen light on when I took the picture! It really is navy and white. I pieced this block on my new, old hand crank machine called "Dear Jane".

Here is "Dear Jane" all cleaned, oiled and spruced up. I got this machine given to me by a lady named Jane and I thought it very appropriate for paper piecing my Dear Jane blocks. I really like using a handcrank machine for paper piecing as you have so much control.

I set up a paper piecing station by placing Dear Jane in a lovely library table that's designed to hold this particular machine. When I want to paper piece, I just move my treadle over to the right, table with vintage Bernina machine to the left, insert Singer sewing stool and paper piece away. It worked very well.

Here my two American Girl dolls are looking on! The one on the left is Kit (1930's era). I got her from my husband for Christmas a few years ago. The one on the right is one of those 'just like me' modern American Girl dolls that I found sitting at the side of a driveway at a yard sale a few years ago! My daughter has Samantha and I thought that doll looked a lot like her. I picked it up and sure enough, the brand name was on her...for a quarter she came home with me! One eye won't close anymore and one arm is a little lame, but she's in good company in my sewing room :-).