Dresden Plate Quilt
This quilt was started in 2004 when I purchased 15 vintage Dresden Plate blocks on ebay. A few of the blades needed to be replaced, and I exchanged the yellow centers for pink ones. The additional 5 plates were made up from some of my vintage scraps and the blades for the ice cream cone border were purchased on ebay the following year. Although I think it would be great fun to find the quilt pieces I need at estate sales, I doubt I would have much luck. Ebay has been a great resource for vintage quilt pieces and scraps (my favorite) or old blocks and tops that I can cut up and reuse. I’d rather spend my time sewing than searching for vintage fabric. It’s gotten awfully expensive, though, so I’m glad I have a pretty big collection.
Every step on this quilt was done by hand and it took a long time, but I loved working on it — especially the quilting. I copied the quilting pattern from a photograph of a Dresden Plate quilt in McCall’s Vintage Quilts magazine.
Dresden Plate
Martha Dellasega Gray, 2007
hand pieced & appliqued, hand quilted
70″ x 85″
Quilts
Embroidery
Family-Made
Vintage Finds
Vintage Fabric
Children's Books
Work in Progress
Other Needlework
Other Things
Jan wrote,
Martha, this is a beautiful quilt! I so envy your talent in putting together pieces to make such a work of art. I have some Dresdon ‘plates’ that I got at an auction 4 or 5 years ago, they are beautiful and I take them out and admire them from time to time, but I don’t have the skill (yet) to put them together into a quilt that would be ‘worthy’. When I retire (hopefully in the next few years) one of my goals is to find a quilt guild to help me become a ‘real’ quilter!
Link | June 9th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Janet wrote,
It’s a stunning quilt and the hand quilting is stupendous. I love everything about it.
Link | June 9th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
kathie wrote,
oh my another stunning quilt I am in awe of your work
the hand quilting is just incredible
I am so impressed!
I need to make a dresden plate quilt RIGHT NOW!!!!!
and of course I will send it to you to hand quilt for me!
Kathie
Link | June 10th, 2009 at 2:21 am
Bunny wrote,
Another gorgeous quilt. You’re right, vintage fabrics have gone up in price. It can get to be an expensive hobby!
xoxo
Link | June 14th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Patty wrote,
Wow!!! Like everybody else said, this is stunning, gorgeous and beautiful. You do incredible work, Martha! I don’t know if I will ever make a quilt but I’ll just drool all over yours for now.
Link | June 29th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Ann Champion wrote,
Your Dresden Plate is stunning! I love the way you quilted it, especially. I have one I’ve been working on too…from vintage fabrics. It got set aside for now, while I’m waiting on repairs to my machine. Yours is just fabulous!
Link | July 25th, 2009 at 3:45 pm