Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Queen of the Dresdens

Tracey received her Dresden Doll Quilt/Pillow cover so now I can show you the whole thing!

Queen of the Dresdens by Poppyprint

She wrote the nicest post about it and made me blush all over with the sweet things she said about me. It is a joy to make gifts for fellow quilters who really appreciate the effort you put into your projects.

This 20" square was made using almost every charm in a French General "La Petite Ecole" charm pack, one fat quarter from their Rouenneries line, some charcoal yardage for binding, ricrac & buttons on the closure and Rouenneries yardage for the pillow back (this is a textured fabric almost like tea toweling).

Pillow back by Poppyprint

The dresden blades were easily cut using Nifty Notions 22.5 degree dresden ruler (at the narrowest end). You can get two blades from one charm with this ruler! I machine pieced the blades together, but then hand appliqued them to the background using the Piece 'O Cake method I learned from Becky Goldsmith in a workshop a few years ago.

Queen of the Dresdens detail2 by Poppyprint

The flying geese in the border were also made using charms from the same pack! Luckily, one charm had the crown sitting right in the middle, perfect for fussy cutting the dresden centre, and perfect for naming this Queen of the Dresdens for Tracey (who has made MANY dresden plate blocks!!).

Queen of the Dresdens by Poppyprint - detail

Thanks to the encouragement of many of you and some of my guild members, I plan to make this into a pattern this year, both for teaching a workshop and (gasp) maybe even selling. That would be a big step for me, but you could help by telling me what your preference is: paper pattern or .pdf download?

Personally, I have bought several .pdf downloads spontaneously and only ever made one of them. I think it's because I forget they are somewhere on my hard drive!


19 comments:

Ida from Central PA said...

I enjoy PDF patterns. I can store them in one location -- yes, I have to remember that I have them, but having them all together makes it easy to search.

I like PDF patterns because they are generally 'instant.' If not that day, generally within one day. [Depends on how the host has items set up, through what store, etc. whether it is an 'instant' download, or an 'email' link OR attachment that you receive.

Many times, by the time that I have waited for the merchant to process paper copies, I have forgotten that I ordered the pattern ... and life has happened ... and I don't have the TIME to make the pattern.

Just my two Lincolns. ;)

karen @ badlandsquilts said...

I just wrote a tutorial and ended up going full page, but what I wondered about was doing a PDF that if printed would be 2 small pages on landscape piece of paper so it could be folded to the size of regular patterns for those that want to put all their patterns together AND could be still stored as a PDF. Looks great!

Amy Friend said...

It's a beautiful pillow/mini. You added so many terrific details! I always love your needlework. The stitches are so nice and even.

dutchcomfort said...

What a wonderful way to use a charm pack! Love the dresden, the handmade stitches, love it all!

Vivian said...

I personally love .pdf patterns because they reduce the storage space needed for paper patterns, eliminate postage costs (and waiting for the mail to arrive!) and if the pattern will involve templates that will be printed on foundation paper or other medium that can be put through a printer, it saves the hand tracing time.

However is it possible to offer both so that your audience can choose what they like best? I know that with printing, sometimes the cost makes it prohibitive to make small runs of patterns and there is more pressure to have to sell a certain amount to recoup your cost.

marie said...

I love the pattern and would buy it either way. Having a few charm packs in my stash would make this a easy do.

Ariane said...

I love it!! It's gorgeous! I just love the fabric you used for it. Now, I might have to get some.

Regina said...

Love your pillow!

Usually I prefer pdf because I always have it on my computer even if I'm on vacation. Right now though I have no access to a printer so pdf only works if I don't need to print any pattern pieces.

Dianne said...

What a lovely job you did Krista! I always appreciate the quality of your projects and it was nice to read Tracey's post - so full of appreciation. Excited to hear that you are going to venture into creating patterns! I buy mostly paper patterns but PDF works too especially when they are less costly than paper. And it really appeals to the need for instant gratification!!

Holly said...

It's impeccable! I love how you had the perfect charm square so you could fussy cut the crown! Your hand stitching is gorgeous!

felicity said...

Beautiful beautiful. You deserve all the wonderful things Tracey said about this piece!

I have the same problem as you with the .pdfs - which reminds me that I haven't downloaded my most recent issue of Fat Quarterly yet!!

I agree, though, that the choice of paper vs. .pdf would cover all your bases...

Donna said...

Absolutely beautiful. I would love to purchase the pattern. I prefer pdf download - faster and less expensive without the postage.

Cathy said...

This is a truly lovely pillow. I adore the fabric and the way you have used it. I like paper patterns because I can hold onto them. Go for it! I'll be a customer!!

Live a Colorful Life said...

Yes, please make the pattern! I prefer pdf but I like the option of both. Actually I always print out my pdf patterns and file them. It's the only way I can remember. But...I love it that I get them nearly instantly.

carol said...

Lovely pillow, Krista.....but I never expect anything less from you. Your things are always gorgeous and I adore the addition of the hand quilting! Bravo!

Sparky said...

ahhh hon, this is just lovely...and your back with the ric rac sewn perfectly..

Barbara said...

Oh my, I love this so much! Just gorgeous. And because I want the pattern TODAY (lol), I'd have to say a pdf would be perfect!

Nina Lise@Mrs Moen said...

This is so beautiful, Krista!
One of the greaat things about pfd-patterns (besides the I-want-it-now-factor) is that they are cost effective; the buyer saves shipping costs and you'll save printing costs which are quite high.
You could print out the pdf patterns when you buy them and put them in bags or a folder so they are ready to be used.

Kiwi said...

It's beautiful Krista! It's inspired me to look for the Dresden template! Definitely pdf pattern so that I can download it. :)