Dresden Quilt Blocks Reimagined

June 17, 2019
Dresden quilt blocks, named for the Dresden porcelain of late Victorian times, have been popular since the 1920s, but Grisham, who has taught quilting for two decades, brings new vitality to the pattern with this appealing guide for “the confident beginner.” Readers learn about a variety of different shapes, fabrics, and imaginative designs, all in the name of creating a “modern translation of a traditional block.” Grisham urges using a wedge ruler to cut the individual pieces that, together, make up a Dresden quilt’s signature circular “plate” block, here comprising 20 wedges, cut at an 18-degree angle. She also provides a chart to help crafters understand the relationship between the size of individual wedges, plates, and the finished block. Grisham shows sample projects using three fabrics, then four, and all the way up to a kaleidoscopic 20, and describes how to make edges ranging from curved to three-sided to 20-pointed, along with advice on how to create a center that will aesthetically unite the finished plate. Ending with a gallery of variations on the Dresden quilt theme that prove positively dazzling, Grisham will leave crafters eager to follow in her footsteps.