The Waverley Applique Special Interest Group meets on the first Thursday of each month. From time to time members share tips and tricks, explain new products or show us something new they have discovered. It is a great way expand our skills and knowledge.
At the June meeting Krista showed us the way she is making a Dresden Plate quilt and everyone found it useful – so it is being shared here.
She starts by making half square triangles using the fabrics chosen for the plate. These are joined into a large pinwheel. You don’t need to be too fussy about the centre points matching as these are cut away to reduce bulk.
Using a template she has made of the final shape she places a piece of soluble stabiliser on the right side of the pinwheel. The placement lines line up with the seams. She traces the outline of the template and then sews on the line.
Trim the outside of the seam line using pinking shears. This is a very quick way of making a curved seam allowance that will turn smoothly. Cut out a circle from the centre of the stabiliser and turn it to the wrong side, smoothing out the curves.
Find the centre of the background using diagonal folds, pin the plate in place and hand appliqué along the curves. The final step is to make a circle using your favourite technique and appliqué it onto the centre.
We loved Krista’s bold background fabric and matching spotty centres. Having made two thirties quilts with white backgrounds she said she was ready for a change.
This technique makes eight blade plates stress free. Krista is a whizz with computer design software and she has also developed templates to make ten blade plates too.
