Depending on how big you want the quilt to be, you could make your blocks 3x4 and add some sashing, or you could alternate some plain blocks with the appliqued blocks to make it king sized (quilt an outline of a dresden block in the empty area)
The applique will take a while, and if you do not have time to do it yourself, maybe a local quilt guild, or senior citizen center can help with that.
The plates are beautiful, and when you get it all done, you will have a treasure.