Dresden Plate
 

Im going to try to attach a picture if I can however I am trying to make a dresden plate which has 20 4 inch blades. I am as careful as I can to make all my seams 1/4. I cannot get it to lay flat bo matter what I do. Help!!!

I hope you find the solution as I am having the same problem. Mine has larger blades but I can't get it to lay flat either

I have never done one of those, but what if you gently open up the seams tweeking along and cover them up with that circle? Or will it be put into a show?

I am trying to do one with a blanket stitch. None of my pieces are laying flat either, but had not really thought of it as an issue until I read this. LOL. I know I have done one with fusible interfacing, that one laid flat. Looking forward to seeing some suggestions/ideas.

Just remember that if you have 20 blades, you have 20 places in which to get the seam allowance wrong. I have always had the best luck with putting them together 1/4 at a time. Get these to lie flat, sew together to get halves, then sew the halves together. You kind of make whatever adjustments you need to make at those critical junctions.

The sides of the blades are on a bias (maybe not a true bias, but more stretchy than being cut on the grain line). If you stretched them when pressing, this could be the issue. I always press the seams of the dresdens open -- not to one side.

You might be able to flatten it if you wet it with starch and pin it flat on your ironing board and letting it dry.

How are you sewing them together? I made one not to long ago and Charisme quilted it for me, pictures on here, called Jackie's Dresdans. Anyway, when I made mine the directions said to first sew your blades into pairs, then sew your pairs into halves then sew the halves together. I used Eleanore burns directions, she also said to press seams open. Hope this helps.

I had that problem as well until I moved my needle on click to the left....... problem solved!

So are you saying make the seams slightly less than 1/4?

That sounds like something to try. I love Elinore's tutorials. I will look one up, thanks!

This is how I do it also. And I press after each seam using Best Press, keeps it nice and crispy and no bulging occurs.
The I press towards the dark on each one so that the seams are spread out more.....Love to see what you come up with.
Cathy Miller, the quilting singer, has a song about this. She calls it size "d" cups.....funny song.

Sorry it's taken me so long to answer...... no, make the seam just a hair larger than a 1/4 inch. If the edge of your fabric is lined up with the edge of your foot, move the needle to the left, or one click farther away from the edge of the presser foot. That should do the trick!

I do not use the iron, I use a bone folder to press and only use iron when all the blades are sewn together.

Thanks for this thread! I have been cutting blades as I go along and didn't know this was going to be hard! But with all of your great ideas and info, hopefully I will get it made someday!
Penny

I'm glad I came across this.. I had started a dresden and ran into the same problem.. I set the project aside... maybe now I will try it again... thanks for the tips every one!!