How to Applique a Dresden Plate Block Onto the Background of Fabric

Appliqueing Dresden plates onto background fabric to create a quilt block is both easier and more difficult than traditional applique. Dresden plates are round with lots of short lines to create points at the end of each wedge. However, because of how Dresden plates are made, there are no raw edges exposed, which means these plates do not require any tools to keep the raw edges hidden. There are several options for appliqueing Dresden plates. These include blind stitching, top stitching and stem stitching a Dresden plate to a background fabric to make a quilt square.

Things You'll Need

• Background fabric square
• Iron
• Pins
• Needle and thread
• Sewing machine

Instructions

Preparation

1. Iron the Dresden plate and the fabric square.

2. Fold the fabric square in half from corner to corner and then in half again, bringing the farthest remaining corners together. Finger press the creases to mark the center of the square and unfold the fabric.

3. Center the Dresden plate over the center of the square, and pin the centers together.

4. Pin the outer edges of the Dresden plate to the square fabric. Smooth the plate toward the outside edge before placing a pin. Work across the plate. If the plate were a clock, pins would be placed at 12 and 6 first, 3 and 9 next, and then around the rest of the plate. Place one pin in each point.

Blind Stitching

1. Push the tip of the needle with thread through the back of the fabric square between the background fabric and the plate just inside the edge of one of the points.

2. Angle the needle to catch the fabric that is folded under the point with the needle.

3. Push the needle back down through the background fabric. The stitches should not show on the front of the quilt block at all.

4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 at one-eighth-inch intervals around the edges of the Dresden plate until the stitches return to the starting point. Tie the thread and trim any excess thread from the back of the fabric.

Stem Stitching

1. Thread a needle, and knot the thread to prevent the thread from being pulled out of the fabric.

2. Push the needle through the background fabric just outside of the edge of the plate starting from the back of the square.

3. Pull the loose thread through the top of the square and push the needle down through the top of the Dresden plate, just inside the edge. The stitch should be approximately one-fourth-inch long.

4. Pull the loose thread through to the back of the quilt, and push the needle up through the background fabric at the midpoint of the previous stitch. The needle should be on the outside of the previous stitch.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to stitch all of the loose edges. The thread should appear to wrap around itself to secure the Dresden Plate to the fabric square.

Tips & Warnings

• For top-stitching, all you need to do is straight stitch one-eighth-inch inside the edges of the Dresden plate through the top of the plate using a sewing machine and trim the loose threads.

• Stitching can also be done along the straight seams of the Dresden Plate for added security while quilting.

• If the center circle of the Dresden Plate is left empty, the same stitching used along the outside edge should be applied to the edge of the center circle.

• Be sure to work across the plate while pinning to spread out and prevent warping of the plate.