Add a modern spin on the traditional Dresden Plate block!

Jane Davidson

Final size:

61cm (24in) square

USD $30.39

Intermediate

Quilting

For USD $30.39 you get

HD video tutorial you can watch anytime and anywhere

Easy to print at home digital pattern sheet

Simple step-by-step instructions to follow

Large detailed images and diagrams

Quilting basics guide

How it works

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Brought to you by Australia’s Homespun and Quilters Companion magazines

Description

Everyone loves Dresden Plate quilt blocks, but have you ever thought about the potential in each of the Dresden Plate’s blades? Join Jane Davidson as she shows you how to add piecing and pattern into the blades of a simple Dresden Plate block to create her fun Blooming Dresden Cushion pattern.

Includes instructions for making your own version of the Dresden cushion pattern
Pattern sheet included with Dresden wedge shape ready for tracing to make your own templates
Jane shows you how to make the simpler pieced Dresden blades with small pieced diamonds as alternating blades
You’ll also learn how to make tiny pieced nine patch, pinwheel and churn dash blocks and flower designs as part of the alternate pieced Dresden blades
Jane shares her tips on organisation, which is key to this design
Learn how to construction your Dresden Plate and appliqué to the background fabric
Detailed step-by-step instructions take you through the process from cutting your fabrics to piecing the different block designs to completing your cushion
Apply the design to larger quilt projects
A great project for intermediate-level quilters looking for a smaller, challenging quilt project

Lesson plan

Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Meet Jane Davidson (3 min) Meet quilter and fabric designer Jane Davidson as she shares her quilt making journey with you and introduces you to the project you’ll be learning to make.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Make the diamond blades (23 min) Jane shows you how to make the Dresden blades pieced with smaller coloured diamond pieces and she shares her tips on being organised.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Make the flower blades (30 min) Then you’ll learn how to make tiny pieced blocks and flower motifs into the blades of the Dresden to alternate with the diamond blades.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Assemble the Dresden Plate (10 min) Once your blades are made, Jane shows you how to piece the blades together to complete the Dresden Plate.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Appliqué the Dresden Plate to the background fabric (4 min) Jane then takes you through the steps of appliquéing your plate to the background fabric and she shares her advice on choosing your background fabric.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Show and tell with Jane (7 min) View a gallery of Jane’s amazing quilts to inspire you with some other examples of Dresden Plate quilts.

Materials

Designer

Jane Davidson

For Jane Davidson, her introduction to quilting began many years earlier than passion actually took hold. In the early 1980s, the early days of quilting in Australia, 19-year-old Jane attended her first quilting class in Sydney. “I was taught how to draft a pattern, make templates, cut pieces with scissors, hand-piece and hand-quilt a queen-sized quilt. The pattern was my own design, made up of 24 pieces,” she recalls.

However, life got busy and Jane let it go for many years before picking up her passion again a decade ago and deciding to make her hobby her livelihood. “For the next 20 years study and travel occupied my life and it was not until about 10 years ago did I start making quilts again. This hobby became a profession in November 2010,” she says. “Having a young family and working long hours away from home motivated me to leave the medical and IT industry and create a home business.”

For Jane, the more complex, the better. Not content to piece simple projects, she loves designing her own blocks and quilts, creating dramatic finished products. She elaborates: “My favourite style of quilt is one with loads of complex patterns and the occasional curve thrown in. I love designing a block that, when repeated, has many hidden patterns.”

When she designs a new project, she lets the fabric and the finished project’s purpose dictate her design, as long as the work is challenging. “My piecing style is based on how I read a fabric or the purpose of the quilt. I don’t really have one style but try to include many different techniques into my designs to challenge the maker.”

As a longarmer, the quilting is never an afterthought. “My quilting style is moving towards using many of the fun geometric patterns available today to enhance modern, contemporary quilts.”

Another passion of Jane’s is the modern fabrics available to quilters these days, and she puts a great deal of thought into how she uses fabric. “I rarely use white or black in a quilt, replacing it with charcoal, navy or a feature solid. I love the textured solids and weaves available today, especially the shot cottons, and the text prints to provide interesting backgrounds. I am fascinated with all the fabrics produced for today’s market.”

While Jane relishes the creative challenge of quilting, she never forgets one of the most important reasons we quilt — to comfort our loved ones. She loves gifting her quilts and when asked her favourite creations, she’s quick to reply, “The quilts I made for my mum to keep her warm while she was having chemotherapy for breast cancer.”

Jane considers herself a modern quilter and is excited to be part of the modern quilting movement. “I lean towards the modern or contemporary style of design these days but occasionally I like to use a traditional pattern design with reproduction fabrics. I am a member of the Sydney, Brisbane and US Modern Quilt Guilds as I support the modern quilt movement and gain a global insight into its uniqueness and boundless possibilities.”