Monday 28 January 2013

I dared to dresden!

It's my day!  whoo hooo
 

For the past couple of weeks I have been busy preparing for a fun blog hop over at Madame Samms which is being hosted by the fabulous Christine - here is my take on dresden plate:


sorry trying to get an arty shot in so you can see my snow covered wishing well out on my front lawn but it didn't turn out the best!  Anyway as soon as I tried a dresden plate last June I saw it's potential for being a cog, and being rather partial to cogs I knew I had to make some.  I practised with some left over spotty material I had from a blog hop last September and cast them to one side.  When I saw this blog hop I knew it was the push I needed to finally get them finished.  I planned to make a whole new bunch of grey and blue cogs but when I had made three I realised that they went nicely with the spotty ones I had previously made so I put them all together on one quilt to save leaving them on a WIP pile for even longer!

To make the different sizes of cogs I put a dresden plate template into photoshop and resized it three times, printed them out and then laminated them.  When cutting out the bits for each plate (20 for each one) I cut 10 full size and then trimmed off either 3/4" or 1" off the other ten and pieced them together accordingly.

When done I then quilted the cogs onto a piece of cog material that I picked up in California last year:


it was bought a whim (told you I like cogs!) and I had no idea what I was going to use it for until this hop when I just used it as a plain back - I haven't measured it but I bought a yard and it's almost square (seems to have gone a bit wonky after cutting although I did use my big mat and ruler - think it's because I trimmed it down after quilting around the cogs as the material on the other side frayed like anything so I left cutting it until I was ready to bind it).  I used a left over green material to bind it so all materials have been found in my stash for this quilt - what a bargain!

Anyway I have then had another bash at free motion quilting:


hope you can see all my little cogs there! honestly doesn't it take an age - two days plus just to do all these fmq cogs.  For these I die cut out lots of three different sized cogs in paper and then pinned about 10 at a time on the quilt and sewed around their edges.  I would be grateful for any feedback on whether this is a good way to go about free motion quilting or whether I should invest in one of those pens with the ink that disappears and then draw them on first?  I must admit I did have sore fingers from lots of pin pricks and also there is a spot of blood somewhere on the quilt (in my eyes though you know you are a true crafter if you have a cut or a burn somewhere about your person! or even go to collect the children from school with inky fingers and glitter all over your hair! which happens to me frequently! tee hee).

Hope you like my take on the dresden plate - for a whole other bunch of fabulous sewers please check out these links for today's showcasers:
 
Rosemary B @ “that Other Blog”
Sunshine Girl  (you are here)
thimblemouseandspouse

For a full list of all the other quilters taking part please see Christine's blog above.

Thanks for looking - Cogging on from Solihull

99 comments:

Vickie said...

That is so cool! The dresdens, the backing fabric and your quilted cogs, I really like it!

Carla said...

Awesome finish! The cogs are great and what a perfect backing.

Scrapatches said...

I love your cogs and colors and layout, Sew creative! The backing fabric is perfect! Your quilting also adds sew much to the quilt. Thnaks for sharing!

I have cut shapes for quilting motifs out of freezer paper and used an iron to press the cut shapes to my quilt (shiny side down) for free motion quilting with some success. The shapes are reusable and I just peel them off and move then along as I quilt each area. Occasionally one will loosen when I shift the quilt, but I just use the iron to quick touch it back in place. Works for me with no pins. Hope this helps ... :) Pat

Pam @Threading My Way said...

Very, very clever and oh, so effective!!! Thanks for sharing how you used Photoshop to make the blades.

Judy B said...

Love your Dresden Cog quilt! Great backing fabric. Thank you for sharing.

Farm Gate Creations Incorporating Hummingbird Quilting said...

Your dresdens are fantastic very clever.

Amy said...

Love your "Cog" quilt.

Lavonna ZWB said...

So incredibly creative and original! Thank you for sharing with us.

Theresa said...

Fantastic, they do look just like cogs - what an excellent design. I like the quilting that you've done and the fabric on the back is lovely.

Nati said...

Very creative, loved the idea. Thanks for sharing!

Bernice Hopper said...

Such a clever idea. No wonder I didn't get any texts from you. :oD

Britt-Inger said...

Your Dresdens are sew awesome. I love the way you have played. Thanks for sharing

Gill said...

What great dresdens/cogs!
I can't help with your FMQ although the general opinion seems to be Practise,Practise!! But a good tip I was taught to remove blood was to use your own saliva on a cotton bud! It does work!

Debbie Rock said...

I just LoVe quilts and this one is just stunning ... it certainly looks like it took you longer than two days! You have made an heirloom that will be treasured and loved and how I'd love to have skills like yours.
I've used the magically disappearing pens and find they do indeed disappear ... depending on what fabric you are using they either take a little while to fade away OR the beginning of your line has disappeared by the time you've drawn the end of it! And, even though they have quite a pointy tip I find the line they draw can be quite wide as the "ink" bleeds on some fabrics more than others so I don't know how accurate they would be for something as precise as your quilting.
Going back for another look at your quilt ... just love it! Debbie xXx

Bern said...

I do so love your Dresdens! What a very clever idea! Thanks for sharing.

Suze said...

What a clever idea! At a distance, it looks as if you had actually put the background fabric onto the blades so all the blades were the same length. What an ingenious idea to have them different lengths and not have to futz with that extra step. I always try to complicate things that don't need to be complicated. I like the colors of your cogs and the backings in perfect. A job well done! Thanks for your wonderful effort and inspiration to the rest of us.

Marga (MarPie) said...

Like the quilt a lot, thanks for sharing.

Warm regards from holland,
Marga♥

charlotte said...

I love your cogs. It makes me want to try some now. Love the colors too.

Betsy said...

Gorgeous work. Thank you for sharing such wonderful eye candy today.

Sowing Stitches said...

Fun! Like the variations in the blade length! :)

Thearica said...

Love your cog dresden quilt! Too creative!

I like the clover products for marking on my quilts. The blue water soluble and the white pen that needs a puff of steam are my 2 favorite marking tools.

JoyceLM said...

Love your modern spin on the classic Dresden.

Gemma@prettybobbins said...

I love those modern dresdens! Well done, they look fantastic :)

Mommarock said...

Totally cool!!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

This is awesome! Great backing fabric and I use paper patterns to make quilt designs too - don't think there is a right or wrong way - what works for you. I'm leary of the pens as sometimes they don't 'disappear' or affected by the weather and washing.

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio said...

What an interesting Dresden. Your backing fabric was a perfect choice too. Funny you have thing for cogs. We all have our "things", don't we? You quilt has a very Modern quilt look to it too.

Linda said...

How pretty and interesting too! I would not have thought of cogs. Great job!

Christine L said...

Great Twist to the Dresden! I really like it a lot.. would be a good idea for a Guy quilt...since they don't look like flowers..*wink*. Thank you for taking the Dare! Hugs & Happy Hopping

Ellie Q said...

I love this! I've seen a bunch of "modern" dresdens but hadn't thought of it like a cog. Great color choices, too. And nice job on the machine quilting!

Eileen said...

How clever, you were really thinking outside the box.

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

I love your quilt!! I think you are doing fine with the quilting. I am new to FMQ so stick with what is working; I think.

Sparky said...

this is amazing..reminds me of nuts and bolts...a great design for boys

Missus Wookie said...

oh that is so cool. Wonder if I can find some cog fabric to make a Wookie friendly cushion cover... Hmm you are a bad influence!

carla said...

Hi!! Love the cogs!!! The quilting looks great!!! Love it!!! Great backside!!! Love glitter in the hair days!!! Thanks for the fun!!!

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures said...

Very nice spin on the Dresden...love the quilting.

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures said...

Very nice spin on the Dresden...love the quilting.

✄ Erin @ Sew at Home Mummy ✄ said...

BEAUTIFUL! I love your Dressies and your FMQ!! You're so talented :)

Carol Swift said...

Oooo, I love those cogs! It all went together so nicely---makes me want to make a cog quilt. :o)

Rosemary B❤️ said...

Rosemary B here:
I absolutely love this. Fantastic colors and fmq wowie!
This is a lovely quilt!

Vicki H said...

I love your cogs, and you did a great job quilting them too. Thanks for sharing.

Staci said...

What a clever quilt! I love it!

Lisa said...

Cogs huh I need to do this one for my grandson, he would love it instead of flowers all the time! Thank you!

Tammy said...

Great project. The quilt is so fabulous and modern and the colors look great together...
conn_and_vans_mom(at)yahoo(dot)com

Joyce Carter said...

Beautiful quilt and the quilting is wonderful!I love it. You did a great job.
i use the dissappearing blue pen and it works great for me. But I read on someones blog that they used a blue or purple washable marker.That way their markings didn't fade away, but you will need to wash your quilt when you finish.You probably have some of these already at your house, and you could try them on a small project first to see how you like them.

DeAnna said...

Looks great! The backing fabric is perfect...how did you find that?! The cog quilting you did is fabulous! Great job...Thanks for sharing!

Lana said...

Now that is something I haven't seen before...SO CUTE!

Simone said...

Very nice "all a round"! Such a great idea - takes a cog person to see cogs in unique ways. You quilting is perfect but I hope you will find an easier way that works for you. I'm sure you will post that once you find a method. Thanks for sharing!

tubilinha tiacarminha said...

Gostei muito e estou te seguindo agora GFC 170.tiacarminhapezzuto@gmail.com

Sallie said...

I've always been attracted to gears and I love your quilt! Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Holy cow! LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! °Ü°

suemac said...

Love the cogs.

sew.darn.quilt said...

Your creative mind is BRILLIANT!
What a quilt design, outstanding!!!
You made me smile looking at this quilt, such a wonderful departure from flowers!

JudyCinNC said...

Wow, another wonderful inspiration - who knew cogs could look so well. Judy C thanks you

Patty said...

How neat!! I love the cog plates. I am going to bookmark this one to make for my sis who works in a mfg. plant. THANKS!

Theresa said...

I just love these cogs. Fabulous! Thanks for sharing

Deb said...

WOW. I think your quilt is wonderful. Your quilting is really great.

Amy, a redeemed sheep said...

I love it when a theme is carried through. You did a great job!

Unknown said...

It's a great modern spin to a traditional block!

Vivian said...

Love the idea of "Dresden Cogs" and that you applied them so they link together Well done and in lovely colors!

Jane's Quilting said...

What pretty cogs. Your quilting is beautiful you really do neat work.

Vicki {Quilting Lodge} said...

I love your cogs! It's too funny because I did something kind of similar. LOL Great minds....

Kim West said...

wow!! what an interesting way to make a dresden! I would have never thought of it!

StitchinByTheLake said...

Wow your FMQ the cogs is amazing - It turned out great! blessings, marlene

Diann said...

Wow, what a great quilt.

Farm Quilter said...

Totally wonderful cogs!!! Love your take on Dresdens!!! And your FMQ of the cogs in the negative space is great!!! I really appreciate that you put a closeup of the quilting since I am a longarm quilter and I'm always looking at the quilting!!! You did a great job all the way around!

Linda C said...

How clever---cogs! way to go.

The Slow Quilter said...

That was so great how you did that. Great Dresdent quilt. Love snow background.

gpc said...

I LOVE your cogs -- another variation of Dresden that I hadn't seen and never would have thought of!

OhioLori said...

You're soooo Creative!!! Cogs are way cool...& LOVE the backing fabric! Perfect for this Quilt!!!

Quilter Kathy said...

Awesome...very creative version!

Agnes B. Bullock said...

Wonderful! Love the fabrics and thw fmq!

evelyn said...

WOW-totally awesome. I love the backing. I love the way your cogs fit together. What a wonderful and totally unique quilt.

Annie said...

I love that you made cogs instead of plates and the backing fabric is just perfect! Wow also for the cog quilting!

Nikita said...

Love that quilt and the cogs!!

sandra said...

So creative and I love the colors and the machine quilting and just everything about your quilt.

Karyn said...

Wow! Very cool :) Takes Dresden to a whole, new, modern place! Your blood comment made me snicker...for some reason, I have jabbed myself more today than I have in my entire sewing career! Thank God the project is for me, and is dark colored :P

Stacey Napier said...

I really love your take on the Dresden - your cog quilting is so great :)

LJ said...

Wonderfully creative! How fortunate to have that cog material for the back. I love that you did the fmq in cogs, too. No advice, I'm just learning.

Mary Ann said...

Love it. It would be a perfect guy quilt.

HeatherK @ A Reformed Heath'n said...

Great to hop with you today! I LOVE your cog blanket. I've been trying to figure out how to make something like that work for a baby boy blanket and it never even occurred to me to try dresdenss. You're a genius! I'm so pinning and using this idea!!

lefuntz said...

You are sew creative! I was afraid this hop would have lots of traditional blocks and fabrics. you are amazing!

Cindy said...

Love cogs! You did a great job!

N. Maria said...

Very modern and the backing is perfect! Lovely quilting!

Cecilia said...

Great job! I had not realized that Dresdens could look like cogs! My son would appreciate your quilt. Thanks for sharing.

Scrapbook-ChickADoodle said...

This is great! I really like gears and these cogs are perfect! How fun for a guy quilt.

Quilt n Queen said...

Super cool quilt...sEw creative, love your take on the Dresden plate. Thanks for sharing, happy stitching, Pauline

Wendy said...

I'm loving your cogs! the FMQ is amazing! such patience!

Leah said...

Lovely! Dresdens make great cogs! and the back fabric is perfect.

Jenny Marples said...

What a wonderful quilt Nicola!! You are so right, this pattern does look just like cogs, and I adore how you've combined them. Love that backing material too. Good spot there. Hugs, Jenny x

Gina Loomis said...

I love your dresden cogs and your quilting is fabulous! Thanks for participating and inspiring us!

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Love the backing and the quilting. I am not a good FMQ but I like your cogs and gears.

Pamela said...

Fabulous idea! Thanks for sharing!

Lyn said...

Very nice. Thanks for being part of the Dare to Dresden.

rubyslipperz1052 said...

Too Cool!!! I love it!! I was wondering if you might have demensions of the cogs in your dresdens? I read that you sized them different in your computer. But, I'm not sure how to do that? =)

hugZ,
annie

Bente-I like to QuiltBlog said...

your dresden quilt is a beauty, thanks for sharing!
Liebe Grüße
Bente

Mara said...

Love it, what a great interpretation of the dresden, I'm liking clogs now too!

Katherine said...

Wow. Your cogs are so gorgeous! Love them!

InGa said...

Love your cogs... You have a nice fantasy, comming up with this way of doing Dresden.. I liked it. :-)
Thanks for commenting on my blog, and have a nice weekend.
Regards Ingrid

KaHolly said...

Just amazing!! It's no wonder at all why it's being published. I had to hunt this post down. You might consider putting a link to it on today's post so others will find it easily!! ~karen