Dresden Plate

Playing with color

July 30, 2012 By Anne

Playing around with color. Isn’t that what we love about quilting? I just finished teaching my Merry, Merry Snowmen class at Thimble Creek, our local quilt shop. I had the best group of ladies ever. They may not realize it but watching them inspired me!

Just look at these beauties that came out of my class!

I love this combination of red, aqua, grey and a touch of beige! From William Morris prints to Bunny Hill checks, this quilt has it all! See the aqua truck? My husband owned one just like it years ago in the same beautiful shade of Aqua. I don’t dare show him this picture. He’s always been sorry he sold that truck.

Or maybe green and grey will suit your fancy? This was Anita’s very first applique quilt! She selected modern colors giving it a fresh new look.

Chickie and Sandra who work at Thimble Creek, were picking out fabric for another quilt. Just look at this Dresden block…

Chickie made the block and then Sandra added her smaller block to the top just to see how it would look. Does it give you any ideas?

Chickie showed me her block on this yummy brown dot. Covered buttons, yo yo’s and linen…I’m in love!

Color, isn’t it wonderful to see what it can do?

Anne

Filed Under: Applique Tagged With: Applique, Dresden Plate, Merry Merry Snowmen

Dresden Progress

February 3, 2012 By Anne

This week has been crazy. Too much to do and not enough time. I’m working on a new fabric line and it’s taking longer than expected. A deadline is looming and I’m crossing my fingers I get it off to Moda soon. I’ll be so happy!

In the meantime everyone at Bunny Hill has been working on my Scrappy Plate quilt, helping to get it ready for the quilter. I can just hear you saying…hey that’s not fair…she has help! Let’s just say it’s a good thing. Machine applique has become my best friend and almost all of the plates have been appliqued by machine!

If you follow my method I think you’ll love machine applique. Go ahead, enlarge this photo so you can see.

…and this one showing you how to stop at a point right next to the fabric, lift the presser foot and turn.

Here’s something you may not know…there’s a machine applique tutorial on my blog! That’s right, it’s just waiting for you to try it.

Click here or scroll to the top of the page, click on the Tutorial link and the applique picture. You just might get your blocks done this weekend. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, I’ve decided to add a scallop to the border. Don’t worry, I’ll give you the scallop pattern so you can have one too.

Because of all the assorted colors in my blocks I used a neutral Kimono Silk thread to applique these Dresden. Silk thread on the top and cotton in the bobbin made switching from blade color to blade color much easier. Normally I recommend DMC Machine Embroidery thread for machine applique.

Now think about this…after the girls sew on my Dresden’s they go home and sew on their own! Everyone at Bunny Hill has gone a little Dresden crazy. Just look at a few of their blocks!

Nancy is making her’s out of pink 30′s fabrics. She’s making a quilt for a baby girl!

And my assistant Kim is making her blocks out of assorted Riley Blake fabrics she picked up at market. Just look at these! She says she has more colors coming and I can’t wait to see the rest of the blocks!

It’s Dresden show and tell weekend over on Flickr. Go ahead, show off your blocks!

I’ll be back soon! Circles are up next so you can stitch away during the Super Bowl! I’ll show you how!

Hugs,

Anne

Filed Under: Applique, Bunny Hill Patterns, Scrappy Plate Club Tagged With: Anne Sutton, Applique, Dresden Plate, Scrappy Plate Club

Bunny Hill Scrappy Plate Club

January 5, 2012 By Anne

It’s time for my Bunny Hill Scrappy Plate Club! If you’ve always wanted to make a Dresden Plate quilt then you’re going to have so much fun! Every month for the next 6 months I’ll be sharing pictures, tutorials and directions to make a wonderful Dresden Plate quilt! You’ll have a completed quilt before the end of the year and have a great time along the way. It’s a chance to use your stash, meet new friends, get creative, and maybe win some prizes and treats. Are you ready?

First choose your fabrics! You’ll need 20 to 30 different fabrics for the “blades” of your plate so get over to your stash and start looking. I’m sure you’ll come up with fabrics if you think about it. Or, maybe it’s time to visit your local quilt shop and add some new fabrics. Nothing lifts the spirits like buying fabric and quilt shops will love you.

I’m personally addicted to dots so I pulled every polka dot I could find, cut them into 4″ strips and cut away with my Easy Dresden ruler! Once I got started I couldn’t stop. I’m sure I cut enough for two quilts I have so many left over but I wanted variety and variety I got! Dresden Art was created!

Each little piece became a Dresden blade like this!

See how easy it was?

Before I knew it I had Dresden blades I could stitch together!

And once they were stitched together…

I could make my first Dresden plate…

Oh my this is fun!

So join me in 2012 and make a Dresden Plate quilt! Think of the colors you can use! Try 30′s fabrics, civil war, batiks, florals…you get the idea. Just make sure you have lights, mediums and darks in your fabric assortment and you’ll be fine. You’ll find Part One of the directions on my “free” tab above. This is what you need to get you started and it includes a diagram of the finished quilt. Next month I’ll be back with Part Two so you have plenty of time to work on the first part. You can grab my little Scrappy Plate Logo for your blog if you’d like and be sure and join my Flickr Group so you can post your photos. I’m ready to stitch my first block down!