Curved Dresden Rings and a Livestream

Published: Wed, 04/13/22

Hello ,

This week we're back for our Dresden Ring "block along," and I'm experimenting with curved, fusible edges on a new Dresden Ring! Learn how to piece and fuse Dresden Ring #5 with me in this video:

How to Piece and FUSE a Curved Dresden Ring - Dresden Plate #5

Click Here to find the new Dresden Template Set – This new set of templates can cut dozens of Dresden Plates and now easily cuts Dresden Rings as well. They are redesigned from the original template set I created in 2017 and are now much more functional.

My Fun Livestream Q&A with Grace

I had a great time sitting down with Grace Company for a question and answer session during their yearly Spring Fling event! Some great longarm questions were asked from both beginners and advanced quilters. If you missed it, here's the video below... and in case it doesn't start playing for my segment, it begins at the 4:05:57 mark.

Spring Fling 2022 Day 2

How to Follow Along

Remember – This is a Block Along, so we’re going to work block-by-block. No, there isn’t a pattern, fabric calculation, or a picture of the finished quilt.

The purpose of this project is to use up scraps or your favorite fat quarters. Working on one block at a time makes this a lot less stressful and encourages you to shop your stash for material.

How to Piece and Fuse This Dresden

This Dresden Ring has curves on all sides! I cut out the pieces using Dresden Template #2 and then used the 4-inch circle template from the Circle Template Set to cut the inside curves too.

To make this 8 petal fused Dresden Ring, you’ll need the following materials:
Fabric A – 3 x 21-inch strip
Fabric B – 4 1/2 x 21-inch strip
Background square – 14 inch square (roughly) – we will trim this down to 12 1/2 inches when it’s time to piece a quilt together.
1-inch strips of fusible web, I used Lite Steam-a-Seam 2

First fuse 1-inch strips of fusible web to the wrong side of your fabric strips. You'll need fusible web on both the upper and lower edge because both edges will be cut with curves for this Dresden Ring.

Cut 4 petals from Fabric A using Template #2. Make sure to align the 2.5 mark with the bottom edge of the strip.

Fold these petals in half and mark this crease line so you can see it on the fabric. Now use the crease line to help you align a 4-inch circle template with the bottom (straight) edge of the petal. Follow the instructions in the video to help you cut the inner edge of the petals.

Cut 4 petals from Fabric B using Template #2, this time aligning the 1.5 mark with the bottom edge of the strip. Use the 4-inch circle template again to cut an opposing curve on these petals, as shown in the video above.

Piece the petals together in sets of 2, then piece the four quarters together to create this Dresden Ring. Press the seam allowances towards the larger petals (Fabric B).

Securing the Dresden Ring

Fold your background fabric square in half and press to create crease lines running through the center in both directions. Peel off all the paper on the back of the fusible web. Center the Dresden Ring on the fabric and carefully smooth it in place.

Once the Dresden Ring is properly positioned, press with a hot iron to fuse it in place. Follow the instructions on your fusible web to fuse the petal edges perfectly.

Finish the Dresden Ring with a bit of stitching around the inner and outer edges. I like to use a straight stitch, 1/8 inch away from either the raw or folded edge of the fabric.

So that is it for how to piece a Mini Dresden Plate and our 5th block in this Block Along! We have many fun Dresden Plate and Dresden Ring quilt blocks to come in 2022. I can’t wait to show you all the fun shapes you can cut with our new Dresden Template Set.

Let’s go Quilt,

Leah Day