Dresden Plate Delight

Written by Diane Harris on August 13, 2018. Posted in How-tos and Ideas, Trunk Shows

I had a great group of students for a “Let’s Play Drezzup” workshop in Indiana earlier this summer. And I had a new experience with the GPS on my iPhone when it got me totally lost and I was very late for the class I was teaching. I was mortified but the quilters were so nice about it and our day together was terrific after that.

You never know what kind of fabrics people will bring, but the surprises are often wonderful. This quilter had fabrics from her mother’s stash! Aren’t those vintage prints amazing?

This person went for an autumn palette on a creamy ground.

I enjoyed these 1930s reproductions, especially with the pops of orange. Love her purple cutting mat, too.

Doesn’t this block look fabulous on the navy ground? I think it would probably die on a lighter fabric. It’s always funny but people learn so much when they audition their plates on different backgrounds. A quilt can go from dull and lifeless to WOWZER by changing the background fabric. I love teaching this class in a quilt shop because you can audition your plates on dozens of fabrics. Everyone learns from everyone else’s process and it’s so much fun.

This person used a large-scale print for her blades. You can see there was a learning curve happening on the yellow center applique. Funny thing: my classes haven’t struggled with the centers in the past, but in Indiana, the centers were challenging for a majority of the quilters.

More 1930s prints with little triads of blades added to the corners as accents.

Isn’t this one lovely? The very dark navy blues are dramatic. She hadn’t yet decided on a background.

Some of those vintage fabrics from the quilter’s mother mentioned above made their way into this block. I wonder what her background should be? You can only decide by auditioning. Put things up on a vertical surface (works better than the floor!) and stand back, way back across the room. You need to be back at least 10 or 12 feet. Don’t make decisions at arm’s length.

Mary M. brought Civil War reproductions for her Dresdens. Isn’t this elegant and calming? In the next post, I’ll share some good news that Mary sent me last week.

In a full day class on Dresden Plate, people usually get one or two blocks done. It does get faster once your blades are cut and you understand the process, but the first few are slow as molasses. The trade-off is that sometimes people fall in love with Dresdens and go home to make a lot more blocks with great enthusiasm. I sure fell in love when I made my first one about 10 years ago.

The tiny plates mixed with the large ones, vintage rickrack, mourning prints and a wavy edge all add up to make this one of my favorite designs. And I love teaching others how to make Dresdens, too! For the basics, take a peek at my ten-minute Dresden Plate video, which has had about 135,000 views.

Diane’s Dresdens aka 28 Dresden Drive by Diane Harris. Photo by Mellisa Karlin Mahoney. Used with permission.

I’m giving the Let’s Play Drezzup lecture and trunk show this Thursday evening in Hebron, Nebraska for the Thayer County Quilters Guild. If you’re in the area, feel free to join us at the Courtyard Terrace, 1 Terrace Circle, Hebron, Nebraska 68370. Courtyard Terrace is a beautiful assisted living facility. Maybe I will see you there!

Would your group enjoy Let’s Play Drezzup as a trunk show or a workshop? Email me today and Let’s Talk Quilts!

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