When I made some, I used Eleanor Burns pattern. They are easy to applique. I used a blanket stitch and auditioned different thread till I found what I liked. When I stitched, I stitched the straight stitch in the background and the horizontal stitch into the fabric. I kept the needle as close to the dresden petal as I could. Then I attached the circle/center the same way using very thin fusible interfacing. Place the fusible with the glue side facing the right side(pretty side) of the fabric and sew a tight stitch completely around. I used pinking shears and trimmed 1/8" around the sewn line. The I cut a one inch slit in the center of the fusible and turned the circle right side out. Made sure it was completely turned, then ironed it flat on my applique pressing sheet before attaching it to the center of the dresden and ironing it in place.
Can you show some pictures of your dresdens? It would help with ideas.