thank you everyone for your ideas, so I will remove the lighter blades and use a darker fabric. White will certainly be the background.

This is a great idea. I'm sure she would approve. Anxious to see finished.

Wonderful way to remember her!! White background would make the colors soo pop.
My hubby went on to his reward 14.5 yrs ago & I made 3 out of his ties: 1 for me & 1 each for DD & DS. Last Christmas DIL gave DD & me a matted frame for them, do look better in frame. I've made 4 + 1 more to do for widow at church. Just yesterday a new widow called me asking for pic of mine. She liked so I'll get with her & make 3. Made them all 16".
Are you going to make it with straight edges or give them points?
Can't post pic..,
Good luck...

Hi Ljptexas, I will point them for sure and bigstitch the blades.
It is a great gesture for you to make something for your church.

I'd suggest a light gray since you have white in the dresden.

I would lay the plate on colors and audition them. I woul first try a lavender since you mother liked those colors so much. It sounds like your mom liked color and so do I. Too much white bores me.

I think also that a paler lavender to replace the off-white blades and then I think your tone on tone white fabric you used for the blades would make a lovely background. I would prefer that much more than a plain white, it has much more interest!

I would use a background of white fabric that has a touch of black. That way it looks white from across the room, but when you get up close, you notice the black print. The picture in my head has all the fabrics in the plate ok to keep.

I have made over 100 of these Dresden plates as donations for our Festival of Trees fund-raiser--mostly of various Christmas fabrics on white on white or cream backgrounds in hexagon or octagon shapes and some decorative stitching with my sewing machine stitches on the backgrounds. Also made several red, white and blue ones for 4th of July decoration at our condo community room. Never get tired of making them.
I like your colors but agree about replacing the light color blades. Very nice tribute to your Mom. My Mom had brown, gold and orange and I gravitate toward those colors too so guess I'll dig thru the scraps to see what I can find to make one.

If it were me, I'd do the background in Robert Kaufman Kona -- LILAC. I think the dresden would still stand out.