Help Please! Dresden Plate Advice!
 

I am starting my first ever Dresden Plate quilt!!
I am going to use a white base and the plates are going to be scrappy blue.

I don't believe in monsters under the bed and I don't believe in the quilt police.
What I'm looking for is words of experience on the most effective use of diversity.

My question is:
- is it better to have 20 different blades with no duplicates
- let the duplicates fall where they may
- use the same fabric at the four "corners" and the rest all different
- something else?

Please help me!

This is one of those questions that you'll get all kinds of answers to. I know many folks who say put them in a bag and pull them out one by one. I can't do that. I need more order. So I would lay out one with 20 different blades and many a couple for the four of the same color idea and the rest different. Stand back and take a look. If one doesn't hit you immediately as the best way, sleep on it and look again the next day. Good luck.

I usually do them scrappy - but they do look great all one color or every 4th color - I just cut blades out and lay them out to see what catches my eye. The great thing is there is no wrong way to do it.

I think you should do what pleases you. If you like it then it's perfect

I just finished a red and white Dresdan Plate quilt. I just used a random method for the blades but I did keep all the centers the same, Sometimes the same blade was included but well seperated. I have added a narrow border of red and then a 3 1/2 " white border. I am real happy with the results. Now to sandwich and quilt

anything you want will work just fine with dresden plates...cut some blades and play with the different looks....I love them all, so I am no real help...hehehe

I am currently making a dresden plate king-size quilt and am doing it in 5 blue fabrics. I am doing them in order of light to dark, 4 sets, 20 pieces. I like the way they look.

I have done them with 5 fabrics - in quarter repeats but I think you should do whatever you like - I've seen scrappy dresdens that are fabulous! No right or wrong on this :)

i made a scrappy dresden with 20 blades, and placed them all the same, so the blocks were identical. i wish i had shifted them around. oh well, i will know better next time. the good thing about quilting, is that if you are not happy with it, you can always make another one.

That's my favorite way to do them, too (tho I've done them all scrappy, all planned). I made a blue one that way years ago & I liked the "control" the 4 (I used solid) blues gave them. But that's just me. Make a couple of sample blocks & see what speaks to you. Or use "Google Images" & look at the samples that come up there.

I finished mine earlier this year. I used 5 fabrics, and did the center circle the same on all of them. Charisma quilted it. I think you should do whatever is pleasing to you. I think charisma has pictures of several Dresdan Plates on her site.

I was in an on-line swap of "postcards (4"x6") from Hawaii". I decided the postcard idea was a blah quilt. I took each of the postcard pieces and cut dresden blades. I think my quilt is gorgeous (I also think all my children, grandchildren and great-grands are beautiful and super intelligent too). All the blocks are different, most of the centers are different, and I think I used several identical fabrics in one plate. I even used the "leftovers" to make the quilt border.

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a lot of good information....I have done them several different ways and like them all....I did struggle over the first one and then decided I couldn't do it wrong...I do use order in color but it all works...please let us see what you have made it will be interesting to see the finished quilt.....

I do the bag pull method and if I don't like the piece I throw it back and pull again. It controls the scrappy feel just a little. If you like more balance or more scrappy in the look, you know just what to do already. Your choices are listed so jump in and try some lay outs of you choices and pick the style you like best! Have fun. It will work whatever you choose.
peace

CATMCCLURE, This is one fab quilt. Your idea works ! Love it.
peace

That's the creative part of quilting. Decide what you like and do it.

I'm taking Craftsy's BOM and this month we did Dresden plates. I've done them before, but she did a modern take on them. My avatar is the modern take. I am making a quilt out of this fabric, just the two colors, and love it. I also like that the tops are cut off. Really makes it look modern. Just an idea.

I was thinking of tackling a Dresden Plate myself later this summer and this thought (question) popped up in my own head, because I have more dark-dark blues than medium and light. THANK YOU, OTIS for this great suggestion. I'll sort out the dark-dark blues for the north-south-west-east points, and keeping them scrappy within each plate. I also like the idea of laying out the blades and composing each block beforehand - I might be able to create a nice gradation OR secondary pattern in the layout, which interests me.

Bunny Tales just did a Scrappy Plate quilt recently. Check them out, she may have posted pics of finished projects for you to look at to help you decide.

I think the use of a "planning wall" would be key......I have mine standing in my upstairs hallway, so I can stand back and look at what I am trying to do......everytime I go by I look again......Everyones taste is different which is why everyones quilts are different, which is why this months quilt is differnt from last months. I do think the seasons, and the weather even sometimes play into it....winter sewing is different from summer sewing. Even your current financial status, are you able to go buy new fabric, are you going to go into your stash for everything......
But these are no real hard true rules, the final answer is.....WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.....
and thats my opinion and I'm sticking to it ;)

O.M.G.............Beautiful ;)

I just love how the members of this board are so supportive. When someone has a question, you give so many helpful suggestions and options, but you always support the concept that everyone has a different "eye", and there are no right or wrong answers.

The last one I made was scrappy and some of the colors were repeats. When sewn it looked great.

Thank you, everyone. Always good to hear what everyone thinks.

I will try setting a few out on the design wall and see what I think. I am mostly pulling fabric from my stash. Though I recently bought a blue to add, because it was too pretty not to add and I will have to buy the white background.

I looked at the Google images and saw one where the quilter had left the centers blank and then appliqued the round center pieces between the plates on the background-that was really pretty. And then, I saw one where they finished the inside edge of the plate and then appliqued a smaller light yellow circle so it looked like a fried egg. hmmm...interesting. Might be neat to try, but maybe use a blue yoyo??

Thank you again!

That is gorgeous! Thank you for
sharing!

I used six different colors in my Dresden plate quilt. Each plate got 5 of the colors, and the four quadrants were the same. If I used the same 5 colors in multiple plates (I did, since I have 21 plates) I tried to arrange them differently.

I've done them in all scrappy (my avatar) , and I'm working on one now for my son's wedding that is all blues. 5 different fabs. Haven't decided on the center yet, but they will all be the same. Just depends on the look you want. I'm going for a more uniform look on this one.

So, I played with the layouts. I decided to go forward with scrappy. But, the control freak in me likes having the blades in the corners uniform. I have decided to sometimes use light and sometimes dare in the corners to continue the scrappy feel. I have prepared my blades, there will be 16 12" plates, 16 16" plates and about 40 4.5" plates.

Here are some pictures of what I put together yesterday at sit and sew. I am really pleasantly surprised how forgiving and easy the plates are to put together.

The pictures are washed out :hunf:. They are sittting on an Olfa mat, to give you an idea or what the colors should be.

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12" plates

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Close up of 12" plate with light corners.

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Close up of 12" plate with dark corners.

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3 small 4.5" plates

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Close up sample of 4.5" plate

Ive wondered if it fits with our personalities? People who like order and control will probably like a specific pattern in the plates and those who wing it most of the time will just pick from the bag and leave it at that. Just a theory. I know I would like at least three of the same at equally separated to make it balanced.

I just finished the blocks for one for my granddaughter. Its all batiks. I bought a charm pack in JoAnns just to practive and I loved it so much I kept going. It made 60 blades so I bought 2 more and now I have 9 blocks. I didnt iron until all 20 were joined and it layed flat Still havent done the applique part. I have to practice more.

I've never seen the small ones with the big hole in the center. What will you make with that? Im going to post mine that I made from a charm pack later today. I love your blues.

I think I am going to buy a piece of wide white fabric to use as the base and scatter the large, medium and smaller plates on it. I think instead of appliquéing circles in the centers of all the plates, I am going to finish the insides like the outsides, turned under and blanket stitched. And then appliqué some yoyos in the areas between the plates. I saw one kind of like this, but it was spaced very evenly, like blocks put together with the circles appliqued at the intersections of the blocks. I think mine is going to be more free form. But, I don't know for sure yet. :D

Work In Progress.