Happy Birthday Jane

Jane Austen was born 236 years ago on December 16th. This year is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Sense & Sensibility.

Bettina Havig spent the year getting ready for the party.

She printed the portrait of Jane onto cotton

and hand stitched an interpretation of the Austen family quilt.

She chose those lovely pastels that are so English in sensibility.

See the original Austen quilt by clicking here:

http://www.jasa.net.au/quilt.htm

Road to Pemberley

by Neil Chisholm

Here's another patchwork celebration:

Neil sent a picture of his quilt inspired by the Austen family's.

He writes:

"When I saw the images of Lately Arrived From London I knew I had to use the collection. For some time I had been thinking of making the Jane Austin quilt and hoped to complete it in the anniversary year but I wanted to make it with fabric of the period so your collection was perfect for it.

I decided that it would be easier to use the precut charm squares than cut diamonds particularly as I prefer to applique than piece (this is a rare pieced quilt for me). 

The 5" charm squares sashed make a great patchwork field.

"It grew very quickly and the central medallion is actually reverse applique using a fancy satin stitch on my sewing machine - it worked really well. The quilting is all my own work on my domestic machine and I have to say I am very happy with it.

"This quilt was made as a 40th birthday present for my partner who is a huge Jane Austen fan - it is going to be a much loved quilt and has pride of place already on the back of a sofa in the lounge."

Here's a snapshot of Bettina and Jane partying like its 1811. Is Jane sitting on the Prince Regent's knee? Bettina says she never liked him. And I think she's right. Jane doesn't seem to be enjoying herself all that much. So today: a toast to Jane and her novel and her quilt.

P.S. Mary Jenkins in the comments pointed out this link to information about a newly discovered possible portrait of Jane. The British press is all agog while the American press has ignored this enormous story.... Click here for the Austen Only blog.

http://austenonly.com/2011/12/05/a-new-jane-austen-portrait/

and see other posts

http://austenonly.com/2011/12/05/a-new-jane-austen-portrait/

Jane Austen's Dark Joke

Jane Austen wrote about sewing in her letters but she didn't seem to care much for plain sewing, the everyday chore of women in her time. She and her family played what they called charades, word games in which they had to guess a compound word. Here is one that her niece Mary Augusta Austen-Leigh attributed to Aunt Jane.

When my first is a task to a young girl of spirit,
And my second confines her to finish the piece,
How hard is her fate! but how great is her merit
If by taking my whole she effect her release!

This charade in the appendix to Austen-Leigh's 1920 book Personal Aspects of Jane Austen was illustrated with the drawing of the seamstress eyeing a bottle of poison on the mantle. The answer to the charade is HEMLOCK, a poison. The task to "a young girl of spirit" would be a HEM. The second part of the word, which "confines her to finish the piece," is a LOCK. This dark joke is an indication of how little Jane looked forward to her plain sewing chores.