I Really Do NOT Need Another Project Buttttttttt.........
 

So a couple of weeks ago I was out crawling through some of my favorite antique stores looking for a treasure not looking for anything in particular just browsing for fun, I certainly was not looking for another project. But that is was decided it had to be mine. I found this awesome yet really awful set of hand sewn Dresden plates this picture shows about half of them.

Most of the fabrics seem to be from the late 60's to mid 70's in a variety of fabrics 100% cotton, cotton poly, double knit, yes double knit, what seems to be a rayon blend and possibly a silk or two. Theses plates are the ultimate of scrap quilts the one thing the all have in common is red or white centers and every block has at least a small amount of red in the blades all of theses also have blue but some of the ones not pictured do not.

I have created a history to theses really awful/awesome blocks. After looking at them closely I am convinced they are made by 2 different people they are all completely hand sewn some are almost perfect with small straight stitches perfect 1/4 inch seams and they lay flat with no folds or pleats. The others are kind of a hot mess large stitches sort of a 1/4 inch seam and more than a few of them have good sized pleats or folds and struggle to lay flat.

So the history I created for them is a Grandmother was teaching Granddaughter how to sew and in the true frugal way of her generation they used old clothes and the leftover scraps from all of the household sewing projects. Unfortunately before they finished Grandma was unable to continue with the lessons and so it has sat waiting to talk a passerby into finish a quilt. They found me :-)

So here I am planning to finish them but not by hand, I will use the blanket stitch on my machine to applique them down on to a pale(ish) tone on tone yellow floral that at least looks like it could have been from that era. It will then be machine quilted and put in my family room to be used on those cold nights curling up to watch a movie or read a book. I will use all of the plates they perfect and the imperfect folds bumps and pleats doing my best to make them all pretty because I think that is what Grandma would have done.

FYI have not found the fabric I am seeing in my head as the perfect base for them so I do welcome other suggestions

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Billi, your plates are spectactular!!! Hhhmmmm what color to put them on???
great new avatar too.

I think it's a WONDERFUL find...and your story is just great....but....i think it would be great if you could print it onto fabric and put it as a permanent label on the back of the quilt. I think it would be priceless with your story attached !!...and 100 years from now someone will smile when they find it at an antique store!!!

I'm wondering if this was started as a bicentennial project in 1976 since the predominant look is patriotic?
There were so many patriotic projects that year. I was not a quilter at that time but I did a red, white and blue knitted afghan from a magazine pattern.

Like you I also make up stories about the quilts I find and now own; love yours!
Thought of a yellow background before I finished reading your post; "great minds" think alike? :D

Jan in VA

That's great, I love it! Want to see it when done!!

Love your story and blocks. I think I would go cream.

I also love your story. And the suggestion to jot it down on a label.
Please post a pic when you get it finished!
Kif

I like your story. I can see a muted blue of some sort.

I love your story, and I also immediately thought of a grandmother teaching a granddaughter when you said the plates were made by two different people, one accomplished and one not.

I think a background in a pale color found in the plates would be great. Pale yellow or pale blue would work.

Great find/story........and I'm sure it will be even greater when you finish it......someone somewhere will smile and will give a nod of approval......

I love your story for the quilt and sounds totally feasible. I was thinking a beige fabric with a tiny red flower for the background but I like the blue idea too.

What a great find. I would do the traditional way with a soft white or white white for the background.

I agree. I would not introduce another patterned fabric. Wonderful story! Makes the quilt very precious, true or not!

Thanks Lynnie :-)

Thank you all I'm glad you can appreciate them s much as I do.

PenniF great idea to add my "history" to the label I will absolutely do that.

Momof6 I had that same thought when I first saw them and the pinks, yellows and golds could either be to keep it from being "too" bicentennial or added later for variety

Thank to all that are giving me more background idea's the only one I know I won't do is the white or cream I already auditioned several it's just to stark for the look I would like to get but all of the other idea's are a possible and I will be looking for those fabric colors too and any new print or pattern introduced will be very minimal.

I, too, vote for a blue chambray (or very light weight light blue denim) fabric for the background.

Love the blocks! I love to "rescue" orphan blocks from estate sales, antique shops and auctions. You never know what you will find.

Can't wait to see the finished quilt.

http://twiddletails.blogspot.com/201...ing-quilt.html

I know it's not 30's fabrics, but I like your idea of pale yellow. I vote for a soft, butter yellow solid.

I think it would make the blades all pop, without competing with another print.

I love your story. I bet that's exactly what it was. :)

Hmmm. I love the plates but agree with the patriotic feel to them. I was thinking a smallish flag print on a solid background. Or stars. Sorry, I'm addicted to star prints. I love the story and the rescue!

Applique each plate onto a square of unbleached muslin.

Sash with a light background with a teeny teeny red print

Cornerstone with navy blocks

I'd highlight the patriotic "vibe" in a homey way.

You're a good soul to have their story in your heart and I'm sure somewhere, someone has a story similar to this aching to be told.

Lay those plates on black fabric and see how they pop. I found some at an auction and appliqued them to black fabric and I think it is one of my favorite quilts.

Boy, oh boy, did you find a FIND!!!!!!

Great suggestions and I have nothing to add. Anxious for the finished project.

What a neat find/story. Let us see what you finally settle on.

I would go with a neutral (off-white) for the block background and use blue for the sashing and red for the corner stones.

I second this suggestion -

Unfortunately I do not have any suggestions for you but can relate to

FYI have not found the fabric I am seeing in my head as the perfect base for them so I do welcome other suggestions

This seems to be the story of my life......even down to shopping for clothes and shoes. LOL

Please show us the end result.

Bless you for saving them! I love your story too. I would put them on a navy background.

Great story! I am teaching my DGD to quilt now. she is 10 and she has her own distinct style which is not mine at all. Both of us are having so much fun. Guess who is getting a little machine for Christmas??? She has her own little stash now and best of all, her mother says, "Who is this little girl? I don't know my own daughter!" She has cleaned and organized her room and closet which is a major change. She has honestly slept in her brother's room many nights because she couldn't find room in her full-sized bed. Now she says, "I make my bed every day because it makes my room look so pretty!". We are a family in SHOCK and it all began when she started hand quilting with me.