I’ve had Modas line Orchard for a bit and I kinda knew what I wanted to do with it. So this week end I got started with the Dresden plate and then finished designing it. Here’s how I made the first block.
Here is my ETSY Shop.
Here’s the Orchard fabric available in my shop
I started with 8 Fat Quarters. Cut a strip 41/2″ by WOF( usually around 20-22″) I layered 4 at a time and then used a 30 degree template
I laid my 4 layers on a revolving mat and then placed the 7 line form the ruler on the top edge of the layers and made the cut. Then flip flop the ruler always lining up the 7 line on the fabric edge. You will need 60 total of this wedges to make the 5 Dresden plate blocks.
To make the point in each plate , right sides together of the wedge and sewed the top big edge 1/4″, finger press that seam as best as you can then turn it inside out. I sewed them all then went to press all of them.
Sew the 12 wedges together to make your Dresden plate. Press open all of those seams.
Cut 5 14 and 1/2″ blocks from your background. Fold them in half, open back up and fold in half the other way. This makes your marks to line up your plate.
Line your Dresden plate up with points on these 4 lines, pin down each wedge. You can attach this in a couple ways, you could hand appliqué it, you could do a running sewing stitch. I attached mine with invisible machine appliqué. I use Superior Mono poly invisible thread. Use a tiny zig zag stitch so that you are catching the edge of the fabric then catching the background. I had to lower my tension dramatically to do this. It definitely pulls. It’s not something I do all the time, but looked better each time that I lowered the tension. Go around the entire plate. Then I switched back to regular thread and basted the inner circle flat to the background
I made bias binding out of the picnic red gingham. I never used this fabric in the plates. I made my bias binding with 1 inch strips cut on the 45 degree angle and a bias tape maker. Works like a dream!
I just sewed the binding to the circle, took my time and went around the outer binding circle first then went the other direction and did the smaller binding circle. I finished the binding by folding under a small amount before I got to the end of the circle. It totally looks like its not going to lay flat but it will. All 5 blocks turned out great.
