drumming up Dresdens
Don’t you love how one finish leads to another? I love the whole process of quilt-making, from start to finish. Whenever I complete a quilt, as recently with Positivities, the excitement of getting to work on the next quilt takes hold.
That next quilt is my Drummer Boy Dresdens quilt, which I am making collaboratively with members of do. Good Stitches. All the blocks from my bee mates have arrived and are up on the design wall. Yesterday I added blank, low-volume squares where I would like new blocks to land. The final layout will be an 8 x 9 grid. With 6” finished blocks, that’s a modest 48” x 54” lap quilt. Perhaps it is a bit on the small side, but then that can be useful to a charity.
And then the scraps! I do love how my Drummer Boy Dresden pattern makes it so, so easy to use up all the random scraps. There are no wrong colors here and no shortage of fun combinations. Thanks to the strong repetition of that black sun center, this quilt feels grounded no matter how crazy-scrap-happy it gets.
Yay! Fortunately for me, the quilt required a sizeable infusion of extra blocks. I whipped up all 13 new blocks in a couple hours yesterday, all while enjoying the company of my new boyfriend, who plays and sings like a dream. Yes, I could definitely get used to that - - -
And did you see what I did in the photo above? It’s a little sun play from a happy day. We shall see what exactly comes to be when I go to sew them all together. A new finish coming soon!
The happy, sunny vibe of our this charity bee quilt is just perfect for this moment! After the most amazing, unusually warm weekend, it feels like everyone is smiling in The Netherlands.
I do love how my Drummer Boy Dresden pattern makes it so, so easy to use up all the random scraps. There are no wrong colors here and no shortage of fun combinations. Thanks to the strong repetition of that black sun center, this quilt feels grounded no matter how crazy-scrap-happy it gets.
Today was the big day! Time to see what we’ve created. I spread out the blocks to get a good look at our quilt-to-be. Bright colors and cute rays on a plethora of interesting low volume backgrounds - what’s not to love? It’s feeling warmer in here already.
What did I love most about this quilt? Working with scraps! This quarter dresden block allows you to group each set of five dresden blades as a little mini quilt with its own color story. That dynamic made it ideal for scrap fabric play!
Happy Monday, friends! Today is the last week of our summer sew-along. I have a finished quilt top to show you! But first, some tips for joining your blocks.
Hey, are you making a Drummer Boy Dresden quilt? This week is the last week that your #DrummerBoyDresdens Instagram shares might win you some fabricy goodness. Go sew, share, sew!
Ok, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last. I’m tempted to jump in and just finish this quilt! I want to see these scrappy fun blocks all together and discover how it’s turned out. Working without a design wall feels a bit like working in the dark.
Wondering what 66 Drummer Boy Dresden blocks might look like? I can help you with that! Elora and I put ours up on the wall to celebrate meeting this milestone. She is pure sunshine, isn’t she?
I’ve heard that it’s easy to get stuck while grouping dresden blades for these fans. What goes well together? Does the order matter? How scrappy is too scrappy? Here’s some examples of my thinking when combining scraps.
Yay, it’s time to finish our first batch of blocks in week 4 of our Drummer Boy Dresdens sew-along. I have some curve-sewing tips for you and a collection of happy scrappy blocks to share. Thanks for stopping by!
The late evening light is so abundant in The Netherlands at this time of year. I’ve found it still feels like there is time in my day after putting Rora down for the night. The light gives me energy!
Can you believe it’s been a week already? With all that gets packed into the summer, this sew-along is going to fly by. That’s why I’ve broken it down into a series of doable steps. In just a session or two each week, you can totally keep up!
Let’s officially kick off the Drummer Boy Dresdens Sew-Along. I know a bunch of you have already gotten started, judging by your photos at #DrummerBoyDresdens. I see you couldn’t resist!!! …Ok, I couldn’t either.
Today I’m sharing the prizes I’ve organized to make our sew-along a little more fun. Most weeks I’ll be giving away a little something special over on Instagram. Good news - you can sew at your own pace and still win!
Join the Drummer Boy Dresden Sew-Along! This summer we’ll be creating a fun scrap quilt combining simple curve sewing, appliqué and machine piecing. It’s the perfect, portable summer project!
I’ve long been drawn to quilts that have layers of interest. With such quilts, you might first be impressed by the overarching patchwork pattern, until you also notice something unexpected about the individual blocks.
Happy day! All of us smitten with the Drummer Boy Dresden quilt are soooo excited to start on our own scrappy renditions soon! Here to make that possible… the Drummer Boy Dresden pattern.
It’s May! Time to gear up for the Drummer Boy Dresden sew-along. I am so excited that many of you are joining me to make this scrapalicious quilt. I’ve been developing a Drummer Boy Dresden pattern…
The first time I saw this quilt it struck me with all the energy and joie de vivre of spring. I’m definitely making my own version this summer. Do you want to join? How about a June/July stitch-along or a pattern? Thanks for taking a moment to weigh in!
Vibrant colors, gorgeous bouquets, dainty dogwood quilting, sweet snails and lace moths - I absolutely adore this quilt! It teams with life and joy and femininity.
Since I'm making this via quilt-as-you-go, I'm appliqueing the dresdens on the background and quilting them at the same time. Although I'm tempted to leave the quilting that minimal...
a finished quilt