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Need help with dresden plate

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dresden01
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:03 am

Need help with dresden plate

Post by dresden01 » Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:16 pm

Hello everyone, I have never quilted and I have a problem.. I was given a stack of dresden plate pieces in 2 sizes. The woman who did all of this incredible work has passed away. I would like to finish this and give it to her husband. Any suggestions on books or photos that I can look at to see how to finish this. I am not sure if you stitch them on blocks or on the backing. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

morgans4
Posts: 683
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 8:11 pm

Re: Need help with dresden plate

Post by morgans4 » Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:31 am

Like you, I also inherited a box full of blocks, handstitched with love on 30's fabrics and had no idea. It was my first thinking to buy a large percale sheet to use as the background.
Don't do it. Percale is impossible to stitch through. 100% cotton is the only way to go. And the large size... uh uh.
Do it on fabric blocks, just because it is so much easier to handle.
Look them over. Do they need to be restitched anywhere?
I made the mistake of taking mine to the sewing machine, thinking that the handstitching wouldn't hold. Actually, I learned that handstitching can be far more secure, but by that time, I had ruined all that gorgeous work.
You will need to put the circles together first, then applique them down to the block, turning under the raw edges. If there are also circles, those are appliqued over the finished block, again, turning under the raw edges.
I bet that if these are very old, there was no pattern. She probably used one of her own dishes to draw a circle, then divided it up into spokes. That's how one would have gone about making it in the old days.
Good luck. You will have a real treasure when you are done adding love to this quilt.

gardenquilter
Posts: 10054
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:55 am

Re: Need help with dresden plate

Post by gardenquilter » Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:45 pm

there are many books but i would suggest you take them to the local quilt shop - they will have a look at them and tell you if you need to do anything to them (sometimes on older blocks you need to do some work) and they will help you with fabric and techniques -

the best way to do them is find a nice fabric and cut into blocks and stitch each one on each block of fabric and then assemble into quilt - they will be happy to help you

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