Dresden Plate Quilt, 1996

Of the two Rankin collection Dresden plate quilts this is the more recent one. It is created from all new fabric and was completed in 1996.

Dresden Germany gave its name to this type of quilt. The porcelain created there was wildly popular in the early 20th century. It is a brightly colored, multi-patterned ceramic and the dishes often had sectioned decoration much like these calico imitations.

The quilt is bound in medium blue and has a tripartite blue border: the outer strip is calico, the center strip is dark blue, the inner strip is lighter blue.  The top and bottom of the quilt are off white. Twenty circular plates are appliqued to the top of the quilt. Each plate is composed of 20 petals of either a plain or calico blue fabrics. Each plate has four navy polka dot petals and two plain navy petals giving the quilt some visual consistency but there are numerous other calicos included.  The plates have large navy polka dot centers.

The stitching forms the appearance of blocks behind the plates and at each block corner is stitched a seven petaled flower mirroring the plate construction.

To create a block, the petal shaped wedges of the design are pieced together, and the completed plate is then appliqued to a square block of fabric.