*Inspiration* Dresdens

Let me start by saying that dresdens had to grow on me.  At first this classic quilt block was so. not. my. thing.  But, after I got more open-minded, I discovered that it's all about proportions.  Especially when used offset on a pillow, pouch or wall-hanging, as with this example by Nana Company, dresdens can absolutely steal my heart.

Lately I've been thinking about making a dresden plate quilt.  But exactly what do I want to make?  Today I set out to find inspiration on Flickr, Pinterest and some of my favorite blogs.

vintage quilts on aqua and on white

Some of my favorite dresden plate quilts are honest-to-goodness vintage quilts like these two above.  I'm rather surprised to be drawn to these, actually, since they're so soft and gentle.  Not exactly my go-to saturated style!  I like all the negative space in the aqua version and how both quilts used the same fabric for centers as for backgrounds, so that the dresden plates seem to float.  Both are scrappy too!

Here's another genuine vintage quilt, owned and photographed by Jeni Baker of In Color Order.  Again I'm drawn to the scrappy look and also the larger centers.  This one used a bold color for all centers... something I could definitely get behind.

Today's modern quilters are also making dresdens, sometimes with a vintage flair, sometimes with more of a modern twist.  Here are three of my favorites.  The pillow by Gemma at Pretty Bobbins has great proportions.  I definitely prefer large centers on dresden blocks.  I could see a whole scrappy quilt unified by black centers...

The quilt at upper right is by Natalie at Greenleaf Goods.  I love that she created a pieced, low volume background for her dresdens.  She also used value as a statement in her fabric choices. 

And at bottom right is a quilt from Malka Dubrawsky's book Fresh Quilting.  Quite a departure from traditional dresden plates, these blocks are made with y-seams, entirely machine pieced and based on hexagons.  I actually have the book and have often lingered over this version...

For tutorials on how to make traditional dresden plate blocks, which are appliqued, see here and here. 

Where does this leave me?  I'm not sure.  Maybe a scrappy dresden block quilt made with large, dark centers on a pieced, colored background?  Maybe a gray background or a red one?  Or blue?  Best to wait until I hit on just the right vision!  I bet I'll know when that moment arrives.