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Just to let you all know, I finally completed all 32 Dresden plates today! I am so happy. I did take a full 1/4inch seam, in place of my usual scant 1/4 inch, and it all went fine from then on. I developed a little "factory assembly line" and the blades were turned into plates. Now to cut out 32-- 14 1/2 inch blocks and get those plates into blocks! Question......can I use the blanket stitch on my sewing machine instead of hand stitching those plates onto the blocks?
You can use the blanket stitch or a zig zag, or any over-edge stitch your machine has. Just remember to have the needle in the down position to make the turn at the points.
Suzi - I agree with Karen 1000% (always . . . ). I know there is no way I would want to do all of those by hand. I do remember the Grandma's Garden that I saw at the Missouri State quilt show and it had over 8,000 1/2 inch hexi's that were all HAND done. Gorgeous but it scared about 5 years off my life-span just thinking about it.
Anxious to see your finished quilt. Stitch away!!
Thanks, Karen and Sandy! It would take me forever to hand stitch these plates onto the squares. I have done tons and tons of machine applique in my previous years stitching, so I am very comfortable with the process. Now to select the proper color of thread! I didn't sleep much last night thinking over the options.....black, cream, rust. I want the stitching to show, not really blend. There are so many colors in the blades that I don't want it to show here and blend in there....if you get what I mean. I am leaning toward the rust color, kind of pumpkinish, as that is my wall color in my room and is the main color in the background squares. The cream would fade into the few cream blocks and the black would fade into the few dark blue and black blades.....but although quite a bit of rust in the fabric....none has the background in that color. I will play with it a little today and see what hubby thinks. Any suggestions? The middle circles will be dark blue print, but I am still thinking of the rust stitching here, too. I think it might be odd to use rust on the outside of the plate and cream on the inner circle? Am I overthinking this????? HELP!
You bet you can machine stitch the plate down! The color choice is yours. I usually use a dark one if my blades are primarily dark, and a light one if the blades are light. You might experiment with the variegated color ones, too.
Thanks, Joyce. So...the thread should blend in, not show so much????? I really thought the opposite.My problem is that there are so many different background colors in the blades, (I used precuts), so I didn't want it to show on one color background and blend on the next.....looking like it was partially sewn. I might look into variegated, but I wonder if I can find one in the colors I need. HMMMM>
You could always use the invisible thread - then it will not be noticable at all.
Have fun! :)
I sew mine by hand because I love handwork. You certainly can applique your plates by machine and the blanket stitch is perfect for that. I machine stitched the plates on a Dresden that had curved edges once and it was fun. Just enjoy doing it! Barb
Marebear...I had thought of the invisible thread, but I am just not sold on the idea of the polyester thread cutting the cotton fabric.....this quilt was not cheap to make and I was hoping it might last quite a long while!! Clear would settle my dispute though.....I will consider it...again!
Barb....yes, I am concentrating on the enjoyment, too. This is such a huge undertaking for me, but I promised myself that there is no hurry and whenever it gets done is fine. I have told myself to finish just this part, then take a rest and do some smaller things, but this quilt keeps calling me. As long as it is fun and not work.......I will persist. Each part is so repetitious before I get all 30 blocks done, but then I get excited to see the next part done. It is keeping me going. It has been very exciting for me....so far!
Sounds like a lot of work ahead, but I can't wait to see the finished product.
I Like your idea of "let it all show" with the stitches. In my humble opinion it adds an extra demension to the blocks.
Have you thought about an adhesive to hold your plates while sewing them to the background? I use a light weight fusible web on the edges where I will be sewing. Lots of cutting and waste of webbing (but you can use the seam binding type) , so worth it to keep those "plates" from moving.
These are all great ideas, ladies! Even though it's not my thread, I'm taking notes of all the great tips you smart ladies offer! On a side note, I am no longer fearful of the clear mono thread. It actually has worked out quite well when I've used it and (other than on a baby quilt) I think I'll consider it as part of my toolbox. Even though I already have several brands, I'm going to order some from Superior Threads since many of the instructors have said it's excellent. I think it's much better now than it used to be, holds up well and doesn't 'cut' cotton fabric. Unless it's a very expensive or heirloom quilt I would consider using it.
Donna----this is a huge undertaking......CA King sized....but it has been exciting thus far. I am trying to not think about the actual quilting phase...yet. That is scary to me.....but I concentrate on the phase I am in and keep moving. It has been a lot of decisions and not cheap, but it will grace our bed for years to come and I hope it will give us much enjoyment!
Judy---I have always liked the idea of the stitching showing when doing applique....well, in most cases. I just thought it would outline the plates well and show yet another step done to those that might not look close enough to see that those plates all had to be sewn down. I just thought it would make it pop....more to look at. (not worried about the stitching showing.....very comfortable on this part of the quilt) I had considered the fusible to adhere the plates....was considering using small pieces of fusible web tape, instead of cutting yardage. I had seen this on a Sewing with Nancy years ago and it works well for larger pieces of applique. The plates lie flat now, but I don't want to pin and get to the far side and need to adjust. I think the fusible might work best for me. Thanks for the idea, though.
A1angiem----thanks for the input on the clear monofilament thread. I will order some soon and play with it. I only have some older style on hand. I do think I want the stitching to show at this point. This will not be an heirloom quilt, probably, but was expensive to me. I have decided on a rust color thread that really pops the background and the inner circle fabrics. It will not blend with any of the background blade fabrics. Hubby was in agreement, so I will begin this afternoon.
I can't wait to see some pics of this quilt...it sounds awesome!
lilmouse----if you want a quick peek at the Dresden plates....both block A and block B......go to forum, then quilting questions, back to page 3 or 4 or so....look for the Dresden Question thread. I posted pics of the blocks there. I will take some new pics once I get some actually appliqued onto the background fabric. Today was beyond CRAZY!! No sewing, no quilting, no me time at all! I don't know if it will turn out awesome or not, but I am really loving it....so far! Now to get back to the studio tomorrow!