Learn to make classic Dresden Plate blocks for a table runner or wall hanging, or use them to start a quilt in whatever size you choose. Dresden Plates are great for using up scrap fabrics. Cutting is easy with an acrylic template; I recommend the Easy Dresden which is widely available for around $10. You’ll leave class with a head start on an exciting Dresden project.
Please note: This class covers pointed Dresden Plate blades. Curved ends are a different technique.
Supply list:
• Basic sewing supplies and sewing machine
• Transparent general purpose foot OR open toe embroidery foot (very important)
• ¼” foot if you have one
• Throat plate with small needle hole for straight stitching if available for your machine
• 50-wt or 60-wt thread in a color to blend with your fabrics (this thread will show)
• Neutral-colored thread for piecing
• Hand sewing needle and thimble (don’t panic, its use is very brief but necessary)
• Rotary cutting supplies
• A piece of flannel for a design wall if you have some
• An acrylic Dresden Plate template and the instructions (if you already own one, you may use it)
• One sheet of heat-resistant template plastic
Fabric:
Plates: Choose a color scheme and bring a variety of fabrics in lights, mediums and darks. A dozen fat
quarters will do the trick. If you’re unsure, bring a variety of fabrics you love and go scrappy. I’ll help
you! See lots of ideas at https://tinyurl.com/stashbanditdresden.
Backgrounds: We’ll decide on background fabrics after some of your plates are made. Bring fat
quarters or half-yards of light and dark stash fabrics you’d like to consider. We’ll learn a lot by
auditioning possible backgrounds. Something that reads as a solid or a subtle print works best.
Diane Harris is a quilt designer, speaker and teacher. After 11 years as an editor for Quiltmaker magazine, she formed Stash Bandit to present energetic trunk shows and engaging classes for quilters. She is passionate about making scrap quilts and creating interesting original designs, and she never met a fabric she didn’t like. Her work is regularly featured by publications in the US and abroad. Learn more at stashbandit.net and on Instagram, @stashbanditquilts
