Here is my first attempt at both a dresden plate and 'appliquing' the center circle on. I have a question. I'm just learning to use the satin stitch on my machine. How do I keep my stitches even when it won't feed by itself? It feeds just fine when I go in a straight line, but of course this is a circle. ;)

DId you have the feed dogs down?

No. Am I supposed to?

I think getting your stitches even on a circle is just one more of those things that get easier with practice.

Beautiful dresden plate

Your fabrics are so beautiful. If it were mine I would sew them down by hand.....

Nice dresden plate just keep practice it comes easy.

I agree it takes practice. I don't use the satin stitck, not sure what it is called but it is lik a zig zag but with more space between stitches. Maybe a blanket stitch? Not sure. I did the Dresden plate myself for a queen sized bed. Took me 3 years to do the hand quilting. Keep on practicing,it will come to you. Yes, put your feet down!

I forgot another question...obviously I did the stitching in white, so I could see it. If I were practiced enough and doing this for an actual quilt, what color would I do the satin stich in?

I put my machine on needle down,whenever I do circles, and stop often...

I would have used something more that would blend in and not be so obvious.

Not bad at all for a first dresden.Practice makes perfect.

I absolutely love your Dresden! Great fabrics! Does your machine have a blanket stitch you can mess with? I practice on scrap fabric and find a setting that works with what I'm sewing down. Otherwise, maybe choose a clear thread or something that blends in. Remember, in most cases, no one will get that close to inspect your stitches.

You might want to try shortening your stitches.I know when I use my zigzag I have to go slow and pay attention to the curves in order to keep them in line...I can't remember if you stop your stitch on the outside or inside right before you make your turn..you could try that on a scrap to see..hoped that helped..

I think I would do mine by hand also. A really tiny stitch in a like color won't even show.
Your fabrics are fabulous!! What a nice modern look to an old favorite :D

I just thought of something. Do you have any yo-yo makers??
They have all different sizes and you can do great circles then instead of gathering up the threads all the way just do a little. You would have perfect circles already turned under then you could attach to your plates, then hand sew them on. Just a thought.

I wondered about yo-yo makers when someone else mentioned that's what they do for the centers. I've never even made a yo-yo before. I might have to look into that. Can they be any size?

Clover makes several sizes and they are so much easier than trying to make your own out of cardboard, mylar etc. Right at the moment I can't remember the sizes. I have a miserable cold :(
But I wanted to help :)

What concerns me is that you have such gorgeous plates I would hate to see the centers hurt the beauty. Circles can be very challenging!!

I never put the feed dogs down when I do that stitch. It looks like a zig zag to me. When I use that stitch to applique, I decrease the width and length of the stitch. Go slow around the curves. Use a thread that blends in with the fabric.

Missouri Quilt Co Video uses a yo-yo process for the center circle its fun and easy

I think you need to use a stabilizer behind the circles. you can tear if off later. usually need to loosen the top tension a little for good, close,satin-stitch. use a finer thread on the bottom. use needle-down.stop,(needle down on inside)pivot just a hair,stitch,pivot, etc. I might have this mixed up-maybe it is needle down on outside-try both ways)
do this often. good satin stitch should have a tiny showing of the top color thread "wrapped around" to show a bit on the underside. BLANKET stitch would be easier. some machines need to have it reversed to look right. still need to stop, pivot, etc. Dresden plates are always smashing !
check you machine book for suggestions also.

I think np3 meant needle down. Feed dogs down is usually for free motion quilting.

You might want to check these videos on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X7eMGCnv8g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlPEC...eature=related

Nice Dresden plate. Love the fabrics. :D

another suggestion--if you are trying to applique' a raw edge, it is easier to manage if you have a turned-under edge to work with. you can even baste it on to hold in place. use the method of sewing right sides together with interfacing (dryer sheet). sew your circle carefully, little stitches. cut around 1/4" & clip curves. slit dryer sheet in middle, turn all to outside,carefully, with wooden skewer or something blunt. get a good circle, press. applique'. you could use a blind stitch here or satin-stitch so your needle on the outside just drops off the fabric. sorry this is so wordy, can't think of how to shorten it. preparation is half the battle with circles.
use color to match circles or contrasting. matching hides any imperfections of stitching. you need close stitches.

Hey ! that video is great ! picture is worth a thousand words !! and it is the OUTSIDE of the circle for needle down.
thanks for suggesting this video. we all can learn more.

Thanks for the links, EasyPeezy. The first one was really helpful for me to understand the whole - stitch and pivot idea.

I have seen an attachment on a TV show that centers the fabric so the needle stays the same distance from the center of the circle and keeps the edge nice and clean. I don't remember what it's called, but maybe an internet search would turn it up.

Yep, here is one:

http://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/j-200-024-109.php

Darren

I always use a soft fusible. I draw a circle on the fusible, place it glue side to right side of fabric and use a small stitch and stitch on the line. Then I trim with pinking shears. Cut a small slit in the center of the fusible. then I turn it. I also stuff a small circle of batting in it to give it some dimension. I then use the iron to fuse it in place, then use the blanket stitch on the circle and on each petal to applique it down. You can use matching thread or, if you want an old timey look, use black thread.

I learned this method from Egg Money Quilts by Eleanor Burns.

Here is a video you can watch. Just choose Dresden Plate.
http://quiltinaday.com/theater/egg/egg1.html

That is very good for your first attempt :D:D:D
Stop with your needle down on the outside, make a few stitches, stop and turn often.
With all of the seams in the center, it could be why you were having a problem. Try putting stabilizer on the back, to make it smoother feeding through your feed dogs.

I've seen a video on this attachment and it looks so easy. I want one
but not sure if I could justify the cost. Here it would probably be
closer to $50.

Just practice, practice, practice. Stabilize some light colored fabric, pull out your lids, bowls, etc, draw them on the stabilized fabric and practice S l o w l y stitching and turning. You will be great in no time. Good luck!

yep, me too

Mine got better with practice.

I usually do mine by hand I just can't seem to get nice circles so I usually do freezer paper applique or ELEANOR bURNS METHOD and hand stitch.I have done a blanket stitch with my walking foot too.By the way your dresden looks wonderful!

when stitching in a circle you need to slow down, and every few stitches stop with the needle down pivot just a little and continue to get a nice smooth arc. your practice piece just looks like you were going too fast. sometimes we have to slow down to speed up. a medium gray thread blends well when using it on scrappy quilts. hand stitching them is 'neater' at first, but with practice you can get them looking as good. an invisible hem stitch works well for this too, or a little (short) blanket stitch.

Gosh what a nice job! I love all of the colors you used.

Lovely fabric, like it very much.

I like it great colours. well done as far as the satin stitch try the blanket stitch it is more forgiving, and I agree with some of the others practice makes perfect :)

Do you have a buttonhole stitch on your machine? I just made a Dresden Plate quilt and used that stitch for all of my applique (just set it to a shorter stitch length), and it worked great.

First thing is to use a stabilizer on the back. Paper will work, just pin it to the block.
Next, try to gently turn your block as you stitch and go slowly. If you need to pivot, stop with you needle down on the outside of the curve, lift the pressure foot, and turn the block so that the stitch will be at a 90 degree angle to the edge. On a sharp curve, you might need to do this every couple of stitches. On a larger curve, you might not need to do it at all.

Love your fabrics. I never put my feed dogs down for satin stitch, I would shorten the width and length though and use a thread that closely matches whatever color the center is. What I do for circles is I hand baste near the edges of the fabric, then it's covered up by the satin stitching. It takes a little more time to go in a circle, so I think just practicing you'll get better. I have also decided that I like the blanket stitch better than the satin stitch, but that's my opinion.

Your fabric is SO beautiful!