Liberty Dresden Quilt

It always feels good to finish something, and finishing my Liberty Dresden quilt feels great!  I started this quilt in a workshop with Kathy Doughty years ago, then put it away.  Eventually I finished the quilt top and immediately proceeded to ruin in when I quilted it myself and it puckered.  So this quilt has become a lesson in failure and endurance, because I had to pick it all out and start over with a new plan.


Every dresden blade in this very large circle is a Liberty of London print from a collection on cotton years ago.  I was lucky to have some long, skinny scraps and made good use of them.  One of my favorite things about this Liberty Dresden quilt is the background.  I chose to do something unexpected and used this dramatic Mostly Manor stripe by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  (I will admit here that it’s one of my most favorite fabrics of all time, and that I hunted it down in every colorway.  It’s that good.)


Additionally, I used this wedge ruler .  It’s a 10 degree ruler, so 36 blades complete a circle.  It’s also 16 inches long, so my dresden measures over 30″ in diameter.  Such a great ruler to play with! 

Every time I make a quilt, I think of a challenge for myself.  Sometimes it’s as simple as doing something risky, or unpredictable.  That’s how this quilt went.


Although it’s unexpected, the bold purple and navy stripe complement the feminine florals of the prints in the dresden.  Purple is also a good neutral in many cases.  On the second round of quilting I quilted a different design in each blade, starting small at the center and making it bigger as I got to the edge.  I continued each design to the edge of the quilt.


In three of the blades I added big stitch quilting in a bright yellow 8 weight floss by Sue Spargo.  You really can’t see it at a distance, but it’s a nice touch up close and it adds interest.


I finished the quilt with a red binding – another unexpected choice that makes me smile!  I also added a yellow center.  It took forever to finish, since I quilted it twice and did a LOT of unpicking, but it’s done and in the family room for my kids to use.  That feels good.