Dresden Plate Quilt

This is the third and final quilt from High Prairie, Washington. Tho it is a pattern that was much more common, and may not be considered nearly as fancy as some other patterns. Still I thought this a lovely example of a Dresden Plate quilt, and was happy when Diane Cazalet had it among her quilts for sale. She sold me this one for just $45 and I was delighted to pay it. This is a depression era quilt, made some time in the 1930's, when feed sacks were all the rage, and necessity sometimes demanded women use scraps from their clothing baskets.
Quilts to me are such an embodiment of a woman's artistic expression. A quilt is sometimes such a labor of love, done for the necessity of warmth, or sometimes a grand display to showcase her talents. Whatever the case, whenever I see a well made quilt, I marvel at the inspiration and skill which motivated the maker to design this particular one. I always wonder, why did they chose this pattern?! Quilts are a snapshot in time. A time capsule of period fabrics if you will. A melding together of each woman's choices, as she took those resources available to her, and brought forth her quilt. They also bring back fond memories of childhood trips to my Grandma Lillie's house, where I and my twin sister slept under colorful quilts much like this one.

 This quilt is so light and cheerful, it really makes me smile. The stains and wear are only those done by age and storage, which leads me to believe this was a very cherished item, not a daily service quilt, but one shown proudly on special occasions.

 Some of the delicate fabrics have begun to fail and I may repair them, by placing like kind vintage fabrics over the failing pieces. This will keep the originals from further disintegration, without affecting the design or value.

 I like how this maker placed yellow triangle's at the corners of her blocks to make these sweet yellow diamonds. It breaks up all of that background white and gives this quilt a little extra pizzazz.

  The bright yellow centers remind me of the bright centers in sunflowers, and I always love reds in any quilt.

 I love this undulating scrappy boarder, with its 1/4" yellow binding. It gives such a sweet edge to this quilt, and just adds that touch of whimsy, that makes any quilt so delightful. I can imagine any daughter would love to have this quilt upon her bed.

The quilt measures 73" x 84", with 20 - 15" x 16" squares. It has a lovely undulating 4 1/2" boarder, in scrappy pieces. The back is machine, the rest is entirely hand sewn, and its quilting is 7 & 8 stitches to the inch. The quilting is very simple, just a bit of outlining and straight stitching, but very nicely done. I can imagine this quilt being displayed proudly at the local county fair of its day, or at a bed turning put on by a ladies sewing circle. I am very happy to have this quilt.