Dresden Plate, A good time to trim up the back...and a few other helpful hints I learned on my 3rd plate

A nice time to trim up the excess fabric is when you have all the plate pieces sewn together and before you add the center circle or press any edges to the back. Leave 1/4 inch seam allowance.
I like the 2" circle the best for the center...it just fits...so pin carefully.
After you have your 2 " freezer paper circle pressed onto the back of the fabric and the edges clipped around the circle start a running stitch in the fabric about 1/8 " away from the freezer paper. Make sure to use a knot at the start.
When the running stitch has gone the entire way round the circle pull on the thread...it will draw the fabric around the freezer paper to the back side.
Simply press down on the back side of the circle with the thread still in the fabric. Very easy process and the edges round themselves nicely! Press from the front and it's ready to pin and applique in place.

The Finishing Touches on Applique done with Freezer paper

After you have cut away the backing fabric ...

Take out the basting stitches that were used to hold the edges of the applique piece in place until they were appliqued down.

Remove the Freezer paper. Remember to hold onto the seams if the freezer paper is caught in them so you don't pull out your stitches.
Trim up any spots that have excess fabric that will make it hard to quilt through.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO CUT THROUGH STITCHES OR THE FRONT!

Press from the front again.

Removing background fabric from applique

This method works for appliqued pieces that are not done with fusible web.

When you are done appliqueing your item to the background fabric...
Turn the block over to the back side...
Pick up only the background fabric, making sure the appliqued part is not in your fingers...
Snip a small opening in the background fabric...
Then cut towards one edge. Stay 1/4 inch away from the edges and be VERY CAREFUL NOT TO CUT THROUGH the appliqued piece. Trim the entire way round the piece appliqued so the background fabric is no longer creating a second layer of fabric behind what you appliqued on.

Dresden Plate Assembly part 6

As you work your way around the plate this is what the backside of the background fabric should look like. Make sure you don't get knots in the thread back here.

I will post the pictures of how to trim this background fabric later...don't do it until I demo it in class!

Dresden Plate Assembly part 5

Once the circle is pinned in place you need an all-purpose thread the color of the circle, an applique needle and a thimble. Thread the needle.

Remember that thread has a direction...the end you cut near the spool is the end you tie the knot in.

Use single thickness of thread, bring the needle up from the back of the circle, just catching the edge of the circle fabric. The knot will be under the circle...tuck the thread under the circle that is left from the knot end.

Place your plate on a flat surface. Remove the pin directly under where you will be stitching to get rid of the bump the pin causes. Be careful not to move the circle out of place.

Using the back whipstitch to sew the circle on. I demonstrated the stitch in class.

From where you came up the first time take your needle down through the plate fabric just outside the circle, almost under the circle so the thread won't show.

Carry the needle about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch under the plate fabric and bring the needle back up through the plate fabric and the edge of the circle fabric into your view again from the top. Remember to just catch the edge of the circle so there is not much thread showing and so the freezer paper will come out easier.

Go back down through the plate fabric just outside the circle where you just came up again ... continue all the way around the circle.

The last stitch ends on the back side of the plate fabric and is knotted there.

Now clip, pin and press the outside rounded edges of your plate. Use the same method you did for the center circle. I find it easier to do about half the plate at a time.

After this is pressed flat then you need to baste these edges in place. Use a thread that will be easily seen when it's time to take out the basting thread.

Find the center of the 13 inch square background piece by folding the square in half and pressing a small crease in the center with your iron. Unfold, and fold the square in half the other direction, press again. Only press the center...about 1 inch long. Now you should have a + pressed in the center of the 13 inch square.

Find the center of the plate by folding it in half and finger pressing the freezer paper in the center of the circle, unfold, fold in half the other direction, finger press the center line, and you will end up with another + mark.

Now match up the + marks in the background fabric and the plate. You can put a pin through the + on both fabrics and line it up that way if you wish, pinning it down to the ironing board cover. This way you could spin the plate fabric to make sure you are happy with wear the seams on the plate fabric are in relation to the background fabric.

With the plate on top of the background fabric look at it visually. You should have even amounts of background fabric outside the plate on all four sides. Once you are happy things are lined up then pin in place using applique pins. You don't want to pin or sew this on the padded surface of the ironing board cover, use a hard flat surface.

ALWAYS WORK ON A FLAT SURFACE PINNING AND APPLIQUEING!!!!!!!!!

Now you are ready to back whipstitch the plate to the background fabric. Use the same method I wrote for the circle. When you get to the point where the seams are, make sure both plate pieces end at the same point...if they don't it's easy to tuck one side under a little now. Give about 3 or 4 stitches where the seams meet for extra hold there. When you get all the way around the plate then carry the last stitch to the backside of the background fabric and knot there.

Dresden Plate Assembly part 4

When you have the fabric pinned down all the way around the circle...
Then take the edge of your iron and press the edges down. Use steam as this will help it stay creased better.
After you pressed all the way around with the pins in then take them out. Press flat the circle now.

DON'T SLIDE THE IRON...JUST LAY IT DOWN FLAT ON THE CIRCLE.
Turn the circle over and press flat from the front as well.
Using your applique pins, pin down the circle to the plate top. Center it well because you won't have much room on any side. Keep this flat as you pin and make sure it looks flat as it can with the pins in.

Dresden Plate Assembly Part 3

After joining the two sets of 4 you now have half the plate sewn together.

If you have not sewn the other half of the plate yet, do it now.
Using your freezer paper as the guide pin the 2 halves together. Sew one side and then the other. It may not look like it will lay flat, but trust the paper.
Open up the plate and press.
To prepare the center circle first clip the fabric around the circle. Do not clip all the way to the freezer paper or you will get fraying fabric on the front.
Start turning the fabric around the crisp edges of the freezer paper and pin in place on your padded ironing board cover.

Dresden Plate Assembly Part 2

Trust your freezer paper to guide you as you pin and sew.
Press open the sets of two as you sew them together.
Join the sets of 2 together. And complete the others if not joined yet.
You will have four sets of 4 and the center circle still waiting.
Join two sets of 4 to make 1/2 the plate.

Dresden Plate Assembly part 1

First trace and cut out 16 plate pieces from freezer paper. You will be using the template with NO seam allowance added. The straight of grain in your fabric should run right down the center of the template lengthwise.

Choose if you want a plate with four colors or two.

If you include a directional fabric choose which direction you want the fabric to run. Make sure you cut each directional fabric so the pattern is the same on each plate piece you cut. See my stripe fabric in the picture. I had enough fabric to test this out so I cut one each of different directions for the stripe to run. I laid it out with the other pieces and chose the direction I liked best.

If you want four colors then you will need 4 pieces of each fabric.

If you choose two colors then you will need 8 of each fabric.

Press the freezer paper, shiny side down, onto the back side of the fabrics you choose.

Trim the fabric leaving about 1/4 inch seam allowance. Then lay out your pieces next to your machine.

You will sew 2 pieces together at a time. Use the freezer paper as your guide as you pin and sew just as directed before in the Crazy Star. Start and stop the sewing according to the freezer paper.

Dresden Plate Pressing tip

SAVE YOUR FINGERS FROM BURNING WITH THE STEAM

AND

GET A BETTER LOOK WHEN YOU ARE DONE.

Ladies,

I forgot to show you this in class today. If you have a padded ironing board cover this works well! Turn the Dresden plate right-side-down on the ironing board. Work around the plate, I can usually do half at a time. Pull the edges over the freezer paper and pin in place. Then come along with that hot steam iron and press the edges down until they stay well. Take the pins out and do the second half of the plate. Then you can baste these edges down with a color very different from your fabric to make pulling the basting out later easier because you can see it well. I used white thread to baste mine.