sval

Don't know what that is. I'm computer challenged. Just know enough to be dangerous.

carolynjo

Good idea to wrap the in foil.

ManiacQuilter2

I saw a quilter on TV cut a template from cardboard and covered the end part with aluminum foil for pressing. Thought that was very clever!!

Geri B

No it's not daunting...it is just a challenge you have presented to yourself.......do it in stages, so you won't get bored with it...cut 20 blades, do the prep work, appliqué to blocks, admire your work, ......on to another " 20".......this will not be a weekend, rush thru thing, but it will be worthy your time, energy and patience, when done

Dawn Marie

I made a baby blanket with Dresden pattern,I didn't want to turn with needle so I ironed the pieces with double sided tape the kind you use for himming pants.I then used a sm sig zag around it. It looks nice.

Peckish

I am so surprised no one has mentioned starch yet. This is how I do 90% of any curved applique:

Press the fabric over the heat-resistant template like you were doing, only brush a little starch around the edges first. Then hold the iron on it until it's dry.

Here's a video. https://youtu.be/n5h6i8RxKuE

Caroline94535

Here's some poor-quality photos of a Dresden Plate I've been working on for Eternity. The straight lines of the petals were pieced by machine. I stopped stitching 1/4" away from the edge near the curve. I turned under the curve under with my fingers; hand-basted the curve with loose stitches, and lightly pressed them.

I folded the background fabric into fourths, centered the plate by eye, pinned it into place with many pins, stitched the outer edges down and removed the basting stitches. I stitched them by hand with off-white fine silk thread. Then I used my fingers to turn under 1/4" around the outer edge of the yellow center. I basted its edge by hand, pinned it in place, and appliqued it.

I started this project in 1994; I was stationed at Dover AFB, DE at the time. I cut out enough petals and circles with razor-edged scissors to make 36 plates with 16 petals each. I used tape reinforced cardboard templates and traced the template onto the fabrics with a #2 pencil.

I s-l-o-w-l-y pieced the petals together while living in Delaware, California, and North Dakota. I bought the background fabric here in ND. I have 28+ of the 36 blocks completed. My goal is to finish them in my lifetime - or perhaps the next one!

I will never, ever do applique again! The last photo is closest to the actual color.

The four lavender petals in each print came from left-over scraps after I made my niece a "pioneer dress" for a parade she was in. The dress and bonnet was the lavender print. Her pinafore was a solid pink that matched the pinks in the print.

Kitsie

SVAL, I'm finishing a Dresden now called Fancy dish and it has curved ends to each blade.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]517602[/ATTACH]

I made a heat resistant plastic template to trace around, rotary cut the straight lines, scissor cut the curves. I sprayed the top of the blade with starch and used the top of the blade template to press the curves over (withdrawing it as soon as the fold was starting to crease) then pressing the fold. Worked a charm! I hand appliqued the blades so did not use Elmer's for this but the starch was enough.

I'm sure by drawing up the straight sides of a a blade, then finding some object around the house (saucer, can, anything round) you'd be able to find a nice curve to use for the top.
Hope this helps!

DresiArnaz

I just finished a DP last month. If I'd known about sewing the circles to a dryer sheet and turning them I would have done that.

I used a plastic template that I made myself and it was wrapped in aluminum foil to keep it from melting.

I used a very long stitch on the sewing machine, left the threads long and pulled them around the template, tied a knot and slipped the template out and pressed.

I wound up doing points on mine instead of round edges because points were easier for me

sval

That's the technique I've decided to go with. And I did search the cupboards and found a curve fairly close to the pattern. I figure as long as they are all the same that's what matters, not that they match the pattern.
It came out best when I starched each blade(3 in ea fan) seperately and then sewed them together. Otherwise the "inny" wasn't good looking.
So now I just need to make a set of really good templates to work by.
Your's is absolutely stunning. Gives me encouragement.
SVAL