Quilt block · Wedges · Intermediate
Dresden Plate quilt block
Twenty blades with folded points, sewn into a ring and appliquéd to a square, with a circle over the middle. Also called Dresden, Aster, Friendship Ring and Grandmother’s Sunburst.
What to cut for one block
A 6″ finished block measures 6½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
The square
- 1 square 6½″the plates are appliquéd to these
Dark · Navy in the picture
5 blades
- W5 rectangles 2⅜″ × 1⅜″then cut with template W
Medium · Denim in the picture
5 blades
- W5 rectangles 2⅜″ × 1⅜″then cut with template W
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
5 blades
- W5 rectangles 2⅜″ × 1⅜″then cut with template W
Accent · Apricot in the picture
5 blades and the circle
- W5 rectangles 2⅜″ × 1⅜″then cut with template W
- A1 circle, about 1″appliqué: from the template, with your turn-under
Templates. Pieces marked “cut with template” aren’t a shape a straight ruler cuts: cut the size given, then trim it to the template’s shape. Quarter Inch prints Dresden Plate’s templates at true size with Quilter.
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
A 9″ finished block measures 9½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
The square
- 1 square 9½″the plates are appliquéd to these
Dark · Navy in the picture
5 blades
- W5 rectangles 3¼″ × 1¾″then cut with template W
Medium · Denim in the picture
5 blades
- W5 rectangles 3¼″ × 1¾″then cut with template W
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
5 blades
- W5 rectangles 3¼″ × 1¾″then cut with template W
Accent · Apricot in the picture
5 blades and the circle
- W5 rectangles 3¼″ × 1¾″then cut with template W
- A1 circle, about 1⅝″appliqué: from the template, with your turn-under
Templates. Pieces marked “cut with template” aren’t a shape a straight ruler cuts: cut the size given, then trim it to the template’s shape. Quarter Inch prints Dresden Plate’s templates at true size with Quilter.
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
A 12″ finished block measures 12½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
The square
- 1 square 12½″the plates are appliquéd to these
Dark · Navy in the picture
5 blades
- W5 rectangles 4⅛″ × 2⅛″then cut with template W
Medium · Denim in the picture
5 blades
- W5 rectangles 4⅛″ × 2⅛″then cut with template W
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
5 blades
- W5 rectangles 4⅛″ × 2⅛″then cut with template W
Accent · Apricot in the picture
5 blades and the circle
- W5 rectangles 4⅛″ × 2⅛″then cut with template W
- A1 circle, about 2⅛″appliqué: from the template, with your turn-under
Templates. Pieces marked “cut with template” aren’t a shape a straight ruler cuts: cut the size given, then trim it to the template’s shape. Quarter Inch prints Dresden Plate’s templates at true size with Quilter.
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
How it’s sewn
For the 6″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Fold the points
Fold each blade’s wide end in half, right sides together, and sew ¼″ across it. Clip the corner at the fold, turn the point right side out and press it, the seam down the middle.
- Sew the blades into a ring
Sew them side by side in the order the block shows, from the wide end to the narrow, in pairs, then the pairs together, then the last seam closing the ring. Press the seams one way round.
- Appliqué the ring to the square
Fold the square in quarters and crease it to find its middle. Lay the ring on it, its seams on the creases where they fall, pin, and stitch round its outer edge by hand or with a small machine blind hem.
- Appliqué the circle over the middle
Trace its template on the wrong side, cut it with your turn-under round it, turn the edge under on the line, and stitch it down over the raw ends.
For the 9″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Fold the points
Fold each blade’s wide end in half, right sides together, and sew ¼″ across it. Clip the corner at the fold, turn the point right side out and press it, the seam down the middle.
- Sew the blades into a ring
Sew them side by side in the order the block shows, from the wide end to the narrow, in pairs, then the pairs together, then the last seam closing the ring. Press the seams one way round.
- Appliqué the ring to the square
Fold the square in quarters and crease it to find its middle. Lay the ring on it, its seams on the creases where they fall, pin, and stitch round its outer edge by hand or with a small machine blind hem.
- Appliqué the circle over the middle
Trace its template on the wrong side, cut it with your turn-under round it, turn the edge under on the line, and stitch it down over the raw ends.
For the 12″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Fold the points
Fold each blade’s wide end in half, right sides together, and sew ¼″ across it. Clip the corner at the fold, turn the point right side out and press it, the seam down the middle.
- Sew the blades into a ring
Sew them side by side in the order the block shows, from the wide end to the narrow, in pairs, then the pairs together, then the last seam closing the ring. Press the seams one way round.
- Appliqué the ring to the square
Fold the square in quarters and crease it to find its middle. Lay the ring on it, its seams on the creases where they fall, pin, and stitch round its outer edge by hand or with a small machine blind hem.
- Appliqué the circle over the middle
Trace its template on the wrong side, cut it with your turn-under round it, turn the edge under on the line, and stitch it down over the raw ends.
Blocks like it
More like this: Plate, fan and compass quilt blocks · all quilt blocks
Questions
Short answers.
Something else? A real person replies.
hello@quarterinch.app
Is Dresden Plate the same block as Dresden?
Usually, yes. Block names vary by region and by book, and the same block is often sold under several. Our library lists Dresden, Aster, Friendship Ring and Grandmother’s Sunburst as other names for this one, so a search for any of them finds it.
What size should I make it?
Plates, fans and compasses are big blocks. Its blades cut with a wedge ruler on the ⅛″ marks at 10″, 15″ and 20″. The circle in the middle is appliquéd, from a template at any size.
Can I paper piece it?
Its blades sew side by side into a ring, and the circle in the middle is appliquéd over their ends, so it’s pieced and appliquéd rather than sewn on a paper.
Is it a good block for a beginner?
It’s an intermediate block: 22 pieces in 2 different shapes, curved seams and 2 points to match. Take it slowly and pin the points. We work the level out from the block’s own geometry, never by eye.