it sounds like strip piecing the petals. then when you put them together, the strips form angles where they meet up. i haven't seen a dresden plate done that way, but if you go to quiltville, you'll get an idea of the strip method and you'll know if that's what you saw.
http://www.quiltville.com
on the right side column, look up the strip- or string- pieced quilts. look for 'out on a string' in particular. hope this helps.