Filling my plate

Oh my, what a weekend it has been! I really thought I was going to spend a LOT more time in the studio this weekend. I was thinking about playing there. Every time I walked to my computer the path led me by fabrics and templates and such. That is not quite the same, is it?

SO, on with this posting.....if you are thinking about joining Frances and I by doing a Dresden Plate block, you might be wondering about what pattern to use or the fabric theme. There is a lot of leeway when choosing both!

I am going to assume you have a pattern of your own to use. I am going to use one I found on EQ7. You can find lots and lots of free patterns online. It really is a simple block. You can have rounded edges or pointed ones. The pointed ones look easier but it can be deceiving. To have that point centered at the end of the 'blade' of your piece takes a bit of finesse.

After you pick your method, you might be wondering about a theme. Do you want to make it with old fashioned fabrics? That quilt will look quite homey and sweet. Perhaps you want to be more dramatic and use batiks or jewel tone colors? Will you use a white background, a black background, or a totally different color? Might you be really different and use a printed background and solid colored blades? Each choice will really affect the outcome.

You might consider a theme using a holiday such as Christmas or Halloween. Or perhaps making it all black and white would be interesting? You could also make 12 blocks, each with a theme of the month, such as red, white, and blue for July. Other months could have color coded themes too.

I have chosen to use a neutral holiday print and make a Christmas quilt. At least that is the plan. I pulled the background fabric but I haven't dug out my holiday prints to be sure I have enough colors that play nice together.

DO take some time to think about the look you want to achieve. If you cannot make up your mind, why not just make a bunch of different themed blocks for a really scrappy quilt! You could even use different pattern styles to make different plates! The sky is the limit!!!

DRESDEN PLATE PROJECT DIRECTIONS:
I kept the “Dresden Plate Project – quilt-along” really simple. From now until December 10th, make a Dresden Plate block and share it on the flickr group page:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/2840531@N23/

That is it, just make ONE. Now of course if you do the pace of a few blocks a month, I would hope to see at least a quilt top done by December!

I hope to do one blog posting a week that talks about DPP too. Thanks Frances, for ‘advertising’ this! Perhaps later in the year, I will get some prizes for folks who are playing along!!!

That is it for today. I apologize for no photos. Maybe next week I will have some. Until then ---

Happy Sewing Y'all!