I remember my grandma making a Dresden Plate quilt many years ago, and I thought,
I will NEVER make one of those!  I think she worked on those Dresden Plates for years,

and it just seemed so hard and so tedious!  But then I discovered the EZ Dresden Ruler by

Darlene Zimmerman, and it took out all of the guesswork!  I fell in love with Dresdens

and have made several Dresden Plate quilts since then!  

So today, I have a little tutorial for you that features one big Dresden Plate.  This is the

perfect project to showcase some of your favorite fabrics and let you try your hand at a

Dresden Plate, if you haven't made one before.  

I'm calling this one Delma's Dresden - in honor of my late grandmother.  It's more modern
than the classic ones she used to make, but I've been wanting to make this kind of Dresden Plate

for a long time.  It doesn't have a center circle appliquéd over the smaller edges of the wedges.

I think it's pretty fun with points on the outside and inside of each wedge.

Supplies Needed:

- 20 bright rectangles, 4" x 6" each

- Cream background fabric: 28" x 28"

- Batting: 28" x 28"

- Backing fabric: 28" x 28"

- Binding fabric: 1/3 yard or a 26" x 26" frame

- EZ Dresen Ruler By Darlene Zimmerman

- Wood Point Turner

- Spray Starch 

- Appli-Glue by Jilily Studio

- Basting pins or spray, walking foot, water soluble pen,

and seam guides if machine quilting it yourself

- Other quiltmaking supplies such as a sewing machine, iron and board,

rotary cutter, ruler and mat, coordinating thread and applique needle, etc.

Step 1. Line up the 2" mark of the EZ Dresden Ruler on the bottom edge of a bright 

4" x 6" rectangle and the top edge of the ruler on the top edge of the rectangle.  

Trim off the sides to create a fabric wedge.  Cut 20 wedges.

Step 2: Fold the wedges in half, right sides together.  Sew across the top and bottom edges using a 

1/4" seam allowance (I did this in a chain, which is why they're in an arc, below left).  

Trim the corners near the folded edges to reduce bulk.  Be careful not to clip the stitches.

Step 3: Press the folded edges with a hot iron to mark the center of the wedges.

Turn the wedges right-side-out and use a wood point turner to carefully push out

the top and bottom points so they are nice and sharp.  Align the seam allowances (on the back side)

with the center crease to make sure the points are centered.  Press the "blades" with a hot iron

(use spray starch to get nice crisp edges).  Make 20.

    
  

Step 4: Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the blades together along the long edges,

right sides together.  Make sure the bigger points are aligned at the top and the smaller points

are aligned at the bottom.  Sew the edges of the first and last blades together to create a

Dresden Plate.  Press the seam allowances in one direction.

   

Step 5: Press the background fabric in half with a hot iron, in both directions, to mark the

center of the square.  Center your Dresden Plate on the background fabric over the creases.

Use small dots of Appli-Glue underneath the points of the wedges to adhere the Dresden Plate

in place.  I like to work in quarter sections of the Dresden Plate, just lifting up points of the

wedges and putting a few dots of glue on the back side of each.  Once everything

is glued in place, I like to "set it" with a hot iron.  

Note: My Dresden Plate was off-center here, and I didn't notice until I had already glued

it in place.  Thankfully, the background fabric was cut a little oversized, so I had room to

center it later when I squared everything up and cut it down to size.

Step 6. Applique the Dresden Plate to the background fabric.  I hand-appliqued mine using

taupe colored thread.  If you don't like to hand-stich, you could machine appliqué it

with a simple top-stitch or decorative stitch.  Carefully press

the quilt top with a hot iron.

Step 7: Lay down your backing fabric (wrong side up) on a smooth surface.

Then layer with a piece of batting and your quilt top (right side up).  Use basting pins to

secure the 3 layers together, placing pins 3-4 inches apart.

Step 8: Quilt as desired.  I used my walking foot and seam guides to quilt

diagonal lines (both directions) 1" apart.  I like to increase my stitch length a little when I'm

machine quilting so the stitches aren't too tiny and once in a while I had to use a water soluble pen

and a ruler to mark a few of the lines. I used matching cream thread and avoided the

Dresden Plate as I stitched the diagonal lines.  My machine has a button to create a knot so I used that whenever I had to stop or start a new line.  Once I was done with that part, I went back and

stitched in the ditch around the entire Dresden Plate and each blade.  There was lots of starting and stopping as I tried to reduce the amount of overlapped stitching.

Step 9.  Square up the quilt to your desired size.  Then bind or frame it.

If binding it, use 3 strips, 2-1/2" x 40" each.

I trimmed off as little as possible and then my husband built a 26" x 26" frame for it.  

I got 1/4" plywood for the back (Home Depot sells 26" x 26" boards)

and 1" x 2" wood boards for the sides (I believe we used alder).  My husband assembled

the frame and notched out space with a router for the plywood and quilt.  I stained it

and then he attached some simple hardware to the back so we could hang it.

He assembled everything and then he trimmed off any excess quilt that was poking out

behind the plywood with a sharp Exacto knife.

I love how it turned out and am so thankful to my husband for building the frame!

This would be super cute bound like a normal wallhanging or turned into a pillow

if you don't have the means to build a frame. 

Let me know if you decide to make this project!  Even better, you can send me photos at gigisthimble@hotmail.com or tag me on Instagram at @gigis_thimble.  I'd love to see it!

This is a fun way to showcase your favorite fabrics or try your hand at a Dresden Plate,

applique, or machine quilting.  I used strike-off (sample) fabrics from my latest fabric collection

with Riley Blake Designs called Honey Locust.

Thanks for stopping by today and please let me know if you have any questions!

Vinyl Project Pouches in Honey Locust

Hi friends!  Today I'm popping in to share a quick project idea

that any crafter, sewist, or quilter will love - a Vinyl Project Pouch! 

I had never made one before.  But I had received one as a gift and loved it!  They're so cute and handy!  So I knew I wanted to make some with my new fabric collection with Riley Blake Designs called Honey Locust.  They're kind of addicting to make, and I can definitely see myself making more in the future.

I started with the cheater print from Honey Locust.  I quilted it on my domestic machine

with diagonal lines that were the same distance apart as the small triangles on the cheater print.

I used a walking foot and seam guides so I didn't have to mark anything.

It was actually really easy and fun to quilt the panels!

I know, putting in zippers can be intimidating, but I promise it's really not that hard, especially on a project like this.  It's actually really satisfying!  And if I can do it, anyone can!

I got the zippers from a local quilt shop and the vinyl from Walmart.

Each pouch uses about 4 different fabrics so it's fun playing around with different fabric combinations.

And you can make these for any occasion, so the possibilities are endless!

I got these fun zipper pulls from an online fabric store years ago.

(Unfortunately, I can't remember which one - sorry!)

The tutorial I used for these pouches is by Ann from The Bobbin Jar blog.  It was really well done and she offered several size options!  I highly recommend it!  Click HERE to check out Ann's tutorial.

I definitely want to make more Vinyl Project Pouches.  They would make great gifts for all my quilty friends!

Honey Locust Ironing Board Cover

 Now that my new fabric collection, Honey Locust, has shipped to stores, I am busy making all the things!  The first project I made was a quick one using the Echelons Cheater Print.

I whipped up a new ironing board cover (I know, I know, I just made one with my last cheater print), but I couldn't help myself!  It's such a quick project, and I thought these softer colors would go beautifully in my sewing room.

THIS is the tutorial I use to make ironing board covers.  I've shared it many times before.
It just takes an hour or so to make, and I often have all the supplies on hand.

It's such a sweet, happy print and oh so quilty, don't you think!!??

This little ironing board cover is bringing me a lot of joy right now.  

I also really love my Oliso iron.  I love the color, the weight, the heat, the long automatic shutoff feature, and the extra-long cord!  This is my second Oliso iron.  I had my first one for 7-10 years and knew I would be getting another one when the first one broke en route to a quilting retreat!

Anyways, if you're interested in making one of these covers too, I've got just the amount of this cheater fabric you need to make one just like it, listed in my Etsy shop HERE.

I would also love to make a quilt coat and a tote bag with this cheater print.

What would you make with it?

Honey Locust - My New Fabric Collection!

 About a year and a half ago, I began working on my newest fabric collection with Riley Blake Designs.  It's called Honey Locust, and I am happy to announce that it has finally shipped to stores! 

Honey Locust is an homage to my grandparents, who lived in a cute little house on Locust Avenue in Pleasant Grove, Utah, for many years.  Before that, they lived in Laie, Hawaii for 25 years.  My grandpa was a cowboy and a history professor.  My grandma was a quilter and a homemaker.  Their home in Pleasant Grove was on the historic registry, and it was full of learning and love (as well as lots of quilts and antiques!)  I have many memories of riding horses, learning skills such as quilting and canning, working alongside family while painting their picket fence, and singing songs while my grandpa played the guitar and taught us about our heritage.  We worked together and played together at that sweet little house on Locust Avenue, and I miss my grandparents dearly.

In this collection, you'll find cozy colors such as grove green, sky blue, berry pink, honeycomb yellow, lead navy blue, petal pink, saddle brown, and linen.  The names remind me of Pleasant Grove, picking cherries and grapes on my grandparents' property, Utah (the beehive state), my grandpa - the teacher and cowboy, and fresh linen sheets hanging on a clothesline. 

The large floral print (bottom fabric below) is called Gigi's Garden.

The grandkids called my grandma Gigi (she is the namesake of my company!)

There are 9 different prints plus one "cheater" print.

I'm kind of obsessed with the cheater print and want to make "all the things" with it!

The cheater print was inspired by a quilt I made several years ago (and that was inspired by several antique quilts I had seen around).  I kept meaning to write a pattern for the quilt, but it just never happened!  When it came time to design a cheater print for this collection, I knew I wanted to recreate the quilt on fabric!  I love that design, and I love that the blocks are even smaller than the ones in my quilt.  Everything is cuter when it's tiny, right!?

Honey Locust Rolie Polies, 5" Stackers, 10" Stackers, and Fat Quarter Bundles are available.

I hope you're seeing just how scrappy this collection is!

So many prints and colors!  It's been a blast to work with!

I've designed 3 new patterns to go along with Honey Locust.  First up is one of the first patterns I ever designed - with a major update!  I omitted some outdated appliqué and included one more size option.  It's called Square Root and it's 2-1/2" strip-friendly.

Next up is a row-style quilt called The Locust House Row Quilt.  Again, it was inspired by my grandparents' house.  My grandma also had a few row-style quilts that I admired greatly so I knew I wanted to design one for this collection.  It finishes at 62" x 81" and would make a great block of the month program for any shop!  Or a great scrap buster project if you want to make it on your own!

And finally, Checkered Spools.  In honor of my grandma, who taught me how to quilt!  It comes with instructions for two size options and is 2-1/2" strip-friendly!

I can't wait to share more with you soon!  I am busy making all the samples for these quilts (and more!) so stay tuned!  For the most up-to-date info, follow me on Instagram (@gigis_thimble) or check-out my Etsy shop for new patterns and fabric by clicking HERE.

I'd love to hear what you think of Honey Locust and the patterns I've designed to go along with it!

And if you really want to do me a favor, please tell your local fabric store about this collection!  I would appreciate that so much!  Let me know if you have any questions and thanks for stopping by today!

Teaching at the 2025 Garden of Quilts

I'm so excited to announce that I will be teaching at the Garden of Quilts again this year!

This will be my fourth year teaching and I couldn't be more thrilled!

If you haven't been before, it's 4 full days of classes, quilts swaying in the breeze throughout 50-acres in the incredible Ashton Gardens, lectures, trunk shows, demos, and a quilty vendor marketplace - 

all located at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah.

The dates are September 10th - 13th.

They even have some special events such as afternoon tea, a "meet the maker" social and shopping event, special dinners, and (what is sure to be) an inspirational show by Lori Holt!  It's going to be so much fun, so be sure to grab some friends/loved ones (or even come by yourself!) and join us for a week full of inspiration and one heck of a good time!

  

I'll be teaching 4 classes...

Wednesday afternoon, I'll be teaching Pineapple Block Paper Piecing.  It's such a great technique to add to your quilting repertoire!  My "grab and go" method is great for all skill levels!

Friday afternoon, I'll be teaching one of my upcoming patterns, Checkered Spools

(which will be available in a few weeks!). It's a 2 1/2" strip-friendly pattern with 2 size options.

Saturday morning, I'll be teaching Big Baby - a great class for beginner quiltmakers!  We'll focus on using an accurate 1/4" seam allowance, "nesting" seams, the time-saving "web-piecing" technique, and making Flying-Geese.  A baby quilt is a great place to start in the world of quilting!

And finally, on Saturday afternoon, I'll be teaching a new(ish) pattern of mine called Feels Like Home.  We'll make 3 different blocks while we do a little bit of paper-piecing (for the roofs), learn a time-saving triangle piecing hack (for the hearts), and focus on using an accurate 1/4" seam allowance.

It's sure to be a good time so I hope you'll join me!  Please let me know (below) if you have any questions!  There are so many fun classes; I'm hoping I might have time to take one or two, myself!