This quilt must have been beyond beautiful when it was first completed… It’s been used, loved, washed, and faded to shreds. If only this quilt could talk, oh, the tales it could tell.
It’s part of a collection I was “gifted” (because I heard they were going to be thrown in the dumpster–gasp!!) after the Spring 2009 floods in my hometown, where my Mom still resides. Mom saved them from their destind fate, and passed them along to me. I have since re-gifted some of them to two members of my quilt guild who craft items from old, worn quilts. I’d like to think this quilt has made it into a beautiful Christmas stocking to be treasured for another lifetime.It’s a Dresden plate pattern, with a three petal flower at the center of each plate. The flowers are all sold fabrics, the background is solid white, and the petals of the Dresden plates are all flower prints, many of them feedsack fabrics.You can click on the photos to enlarge them if you want to see any details. This is one I think I’d enjoy recreating some day…here’s a little history for you:

Exerpted from http://www.patternsfromhistory.com:

The Dresden Plate quilt pattern was one of the most popular quilts made during the 1920s and 30s. It was first published in the 20s but not always under the name Dresden Plate. Grandmother’s Sunburst, Friendship Ring, Aster, Dahlia and Sunflower are all names……for this pattern.

The 1930s version is usually easy to date because of the typical floral prints of the period. Some were made with prettily patterned feedsacks while a few were done with solid prints.

This quilt is made of blocks with fabric appliquéd in a series of radiating “petals” with flat sides. Usually they radiate from a central circle which is more representative of a flower than a plate thus the flower names seen for this pattern.

The earliest example of a quilt made using this pattern is dated Aug. 23, 1785, and was a gift to Anna Tuels, from her mother (whose name is unknown). Her Dresden plate was at the center of a wool medallion quilt.