Do you Dresden?

Tammy Silvers used the monochromatic Roses are Red collection to create a Dresden beauty with a vintage feel. Gorgeous!  The pattern for this quilt is featured in the October-November issue of Quilt magazine.

"Roses are Red" by Tammy Silvers 

Q. Why did you decide to make a Dresden Plate design?  

Tammy: Even though the prints are obviously floral, reds and pinks remind me of little hard candies - so I decided to embrace that impression and combine it with a traditional dresden plate block. I think dresden plates are fun to work with, especially these with the pointed tips.  Once you get past cutting the templates (and using a great template ruler designed for them, such as Creative Grids' Dresden Plate ruler), it is smooth sailing.  And while it is a plate—a circle, you're actually stitching straight lines.  How cool is that?

Q. Can you talk about the on-point layout you used?

Tammy: The dark red narrow sashing frames each block and lets each one shine.  AND it has the added benefit of making the quilt easier to construct! Sashing and cornerstone blocks help quilts keep blocks straight.  Have you ever put a quilt together and when you get done, realize that it "tilts" to one side?  I certainly have - proof that every fraction of an inch off really does add up!

Q. What is your preferred appliqué method and why?

Tammy: While this quilt LOOKS very traditional, and it certainly can be made traditionally, I tend to favor methods that speed things up.  I fused the blocks on with narrow strips of fusible (set in a large "block" format, leaving the tips free); the edge stitching was a blanket stitch, which is definitely a favorite of mine, and done just around the center.  The blocks would be charming with blanket stitch around each blade.  I certainly hope that if someone does do blanket stitch around each block, they will share pictures with us.  I would love to see that!

Q. What attracted you to the Roses are Red fabric line?

Tammy: This is a terrific line, in that it has a great range of tints and shades of the red family AND it is a nice variety of print scale and type.  There are some nice geometric style prints, and the florals run from small tone on tone to large-scale prints.

Q. What are the advantages and challenges of working with fabrics that are all one color?

Tammy: A monochromatic quilt can be quite dynamic - or it can be very boring.  The challenge is achieving variety through contrast.  It's an excellent opportunity to work on contrast - you will definitely understand when you're through that between your light (white, for example) and your dark (black, for example), the tints and shades of grey in between draw their contrast and place in the color scale from their partner - the other fabric you pair it with.  If you're pulling together reds from your stash, or from a quilt shop's shelves (even better, right?), you do have to make sure they play nicely together.  When working with fabrics from a single collection (like these luscious Roses are Red prints), that issue has already been resolved for you. They are designed to play together!

Q. With a red and white quilt we have to ask: did you worry about color bleeding?

Tammy: Pre-wash!  Did I?  Ha - I'm too impatient for that!  So I'll have to treat this quilt with kid gloves.  But I should have.  And even after pre-washing, with a high contrast quilt such as this, I would still test my fabrics to make sure all excess dyes have been removed. Pre-washing is always a good idea.

See the entire Roses are Red fabric collection here.

Find the kit for this project here.

Learn more about Tammy here.

Find Quilt magazine here.