The original quilt design was inspired by my trip to Cannon Beach, Oregon in 2010 with my mom, sister and one of my longest and dearest friends, Karen –it was such a memorable trip for me, and everything was so beautiful.

When I stumbled upon a bundle of Denyse Schmidt’s Hope Valley fabrics the images above, forever embedded in my mind seem to flow right thru the fabric into this giant Dresden design.

The machine quilting design seemed to flow just as easy once the quilt was loaded onto the Gammill. I started from the center and continued outward with concentric circular patterns, changing the design with each circle. This photo was taken when the sun was perfectly diffused thru the window over my front door – the quilting popped and the quilt came alive! This is definitely my favorite picture.

The small half Dresdens in the corners were quilted similarly.

When we received the Midnight Garden fabric line by Sandy Henderson for Michael Miller, Lorrie was inspired to make her version of the pattern. She added some Art Gallery Bespoken and Oval Elements, and one of Joel Dewberry Heirloom fabrics –they all went together so very nicely.  I love how fabric can reflect a quilter’s vision, personality and inspiration so differently.

Isn’t the Midnight Garden Gate the perfect center! Lorrie requested a swirl pattern so I quilted each blade from the center outward to the tip.

The large center Dresden was made using Marilyn Doheny’s  25” 9-degree Wedge Ruler and the smaller outer half Dresdens were made using the Easy Dresden tool by Darlene Zimmerman. See Lorrie’s Easy Dresden Demo on how to use.  These tools are so versatile and I highly recommend getting them so you can create any size Dresden and acrylic rulers do make it easier to cut multiple wedges. As a bonus though, we included paper templates for the specific size wedges in the Cannon Beach pattern.

We had such great feedback on this fabric line, Lorrie made up kitsfor this version which include a free pattern. Kits, PDF patterns and the original hardcopy version are all available in our Etsy shop!

Since we are so Dresden happy, a demo on the Easy Dresden tool was just that, easy! I’d like to also share with you the steps to make one and also provide a refresher just in case some of the ladies from the meeting visit the blog.

This is the Easy Dresden, which can be found at your local quilt shop.

First, you’re going to want to determine what size you want your Dresden to be and cut a strip of fabric to that width. For example, if you’d like a 5″ Dresden, cut a 5″ wide strip of fabric. The Dresden I’m working with today is 8″, so I cut an 8 inch strip of fabric.

Start cutting your wedges from the strip by alternating the tool. This will cut down on any waste from your fabric.

Take your cut wedge and fold it lengthwise, right sides together and sew using a 1/4″ seam allowance, begin sewing at the widest end.

Chain piece all your wedges.

Clip your corner, being careful not to cut too close to your seam.

Turn the wedge right side out. Use the turning tool provided to turn out your point. Don’t push too hard. You don’t want to push your stitches through.

Press the wedge flat, making sure the seam is pressed open. This helps remove some of the bulk.

Sew the wedges, right sides together to begin making your plate. Always start from the widest part and work your way down. A tip to hide all of the loose threads, is to start 1/4″ down, reverse your way back up to the beginning, and continue to sew down the side of the wedge.

Press in one direction, careful not to stretch your plate.

I find it best to sew the Dresden together in sections. For example, our Dresden has 20 wedges. I sew 10 each together to make 2 halves and then sew the 2 halves together to make a Dresden.

Here are some examples of Dresdens that we have made using this Easy Dresden tool and this technique. This is our new Christmas Dresden Table Runner made from our SewMod pattern called North Garden. It’s made with 8″ wedges. This kit is now available in the Etsy shop. Just in time to get started on some of those Christmas Projects. We used the new Tinsel line by Maude Asbury for Blend fabrics and the kit comes with the free pattern!

The corner Dresdens on the Cannon Beach pattern…

I used a 2-1/2″ wide blade for the “grass” wedges on my Wonky Wildflowers wall hanging.

And instead of using the template provided for the this quilt, I made it easier by using the Easy Dresden tool. Neither the Wonky Wildflowers or this quilt required a pointed blade. The “grass” was sewn into the seam and the “tree” blades edges were turned under using hand applique.

And last, Paige’s sewing machine cover…

I hope our Demo has inspired you to make a Dresden. It really is that easy!

We set up in a small classroom. I was really proud of us for getting everything loaded in an Altima, setting up 2 hours before the show and doing such a great job of displaying everything without pipe and drape this time.

It’s fun to work quilt shows especially since we are an online shop . It gives us a chance to meet new people and even see returning customers. We get a feeling for what excites and inspires them. We enjoy helping people with color choices and bringing ideas to life. Here’s a grouping we helped one of the ladies put together.Very cheerful!

We revealed Paige’s new design called Cannon Beach, named after a trip she took there a couple of years ago. We hung it outside the door in the hallway. It definitely was an eye catcher and brought in traffic to the shop.

The quilt was made using the Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt. The line is out of production but we came up with another one so that we could kit it for the show. We used mostly Midnight Garden by Sandi Henderson. Here’s a little peek of it in the corner. I’ll get around to showing y’all more pics when we get it quilted and bound.

We sold all the kits we had made for this. It’s very exciting when people love what you’ve worked hard at designing and creating! We will have the pattern available on Etsy & SewModDesigns as soon as we put the PDF together.

Here’s a few of the other quilts that were on display.

Now I’ve gotta get back to putting the studio back together and deciding what my next project will be. I’m thinking houses….

This Sunday was our SewMod Sew-In and I have to share with you the desserts we snacked on. Pattie is our talented cookie maker. Delish! Beautifully decorated and always tastes sooo yummy. Pattie, if you were missing a couple when you got home, Russell said he snagged 3 of them! I can’t really blame him though:) Vicki brought the cute little Lemon Tarts and the fabulous Valentine Cheesecakes.

We’ve also been working on a commission quilt for one of Paige’s friends. A real outdoorsy, cabin quilt. Lots of greens, browns, blues and reds and some appliqued forest friends. We finished that project up during our Sew-In.

We all made pretty good progress on our projects. This weeks to-do’s are a baby quilt to be kitted with the BackYard Baby line and potholder samples for an upcoming show. So be sure to check back later for those pics. Here’s hoping everyone has a great sewing week!