Hey fellow craft lovers! Gina here, and I’ve got some fantastic news for all you quilting enthusiasts out there. Ever dreamed of crafting a Dresden Plate quilt without spending endless hours? Guess what? I recently discovered a tool that’s a total game-changer!
Let’s dive into the magic of the Easy Dresden ruler. Gone are the days of individually cutting each plate wedge with a template. Instead, this ruler effortlessly cuts wedges from fabric strips, letting you whip up a 20-wedge Dresden Plate block in no time.
Thinking of mixing and matching fabrics? Go wild with your choices! In my 20-wedge plate, I played around with 2, 4, 5, 10, and even 20 different fabrics. To give you an idea: I picked a sassy border fabric and then chose five complementing fabrics. These five were repeated four times in the plate for that pop of consistency.
What’s even cooler? The Easy Dresden ruler comes packed with a super-helpful sheet loaded with instructions, diagrams, and charts. My heart was set on 12-inch finished blocks, and voila, the chart guided me to cut 4-inch wedges. Using my trusty rotary cutter alongside the ruler, I turned a 4-inch fabric strip into enough wedges for six Dresden Plate blocks.
Edge Treatments: An artistic twist! The brain behind this ruler, Darlene Zimmerman, offers three unique treatments for the top of the wedges. My personal favorite? The Dresden Spokes – they have these chic pointed ends. And guess what? It was unbelievably simple to achieve. Joining the spokes? A breeze! A straight sew down the wedge length, and in a snap, I had these beautiful rings of wedges ready to be admired.
For the center of my Dresden Plates, I followed the provided pattern to trace a center circle onto heat-resistant mylar. Cutting out circles with a slight seam allowance, a touch of spray starch, and ironing around the template gave me perfectly round circles, sans any sharp edges.
Applique Time! To attach the plates to the background, I went with machine applique. With invisible thread on top and matching thread in the bobbin, I neatly sewed the pointed wedge edges and the circle edges, securing everything in place.
But wait, there’s more! The instructions dive into crafting a Dresden Plate with a round edge or round-ended wedges. Plus, there’s a bonus! With the Easy Dresden ruler, you can also create Grandmother’s Fans. And if you’re feeling a tad more adventurous, Darlene suggests sewing wedges in a Tumbler pattern. Though, in my artistic eyes, they resembled cute soda-fountain glasses.
Summing it up, the Easy Dresden Quilt Tool Set is a treasure for every quilter. Making Dresden Plates, fans, and tumblers is now a delightful experience. Given the ease and affordability, this tool is undoubtedly a must-have in your quilting arsenal.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tool Name | Easy Dresden Ruler |
| Unique Selling Point | Cuts wedges from fabric strips |
| Number of Wedges | 20 |
| Block Size | 12-inch finished |
| Wedge Size | 4-inch |
| Edge Treatment Favorite | Dresden Spokes |
| Additional Patterns | Grandmother’s Fans, Tumbler pattern |
