January 24, 2013

When The 8 Pointed Star and The Dresden Plate Collide

Have you ever wondered what might happen if the 8 Pointed Star and the Dresden Plate were to collide?  I have had an 8 pointed star on my design wall forever and just could not decide what to do with it. 

Little Miss Sassy, one of the few dolls that I have of my mothers, and I decided to finish it and turn it into a pillow for our guest bedroom!


Here are a few close ups showing how I finished the pillow.  I fused the dresden blades to the pillow top and using a machine blanket stitch, finished them with gold thread.  I used that same gold thread to quilt lines through each blade, around the inner border and then did a reverse blanket stitch on the seam of the outer border.  I think it finished up quite well!





These fabrics are perfect for our guest bedroom that we call the Alabama room.  The furniture in this room is the bedroom suit that my mother and dad started out housekeeping with when they first married.  My dad was killed when I was 9 and somehow my granddaddy wound up taking ownership of it and at his death, I bought it at the estate sale. 



Do you remember in the 60's when Sears sold carpet and most anything you could imagine.  My mother was allowing us to redecorate our bedrooms and I wanted purple carpet.  When we got to Sears the day we were going to choose flooring, we found out that we could not get purple.  Such a bummer!  I settled for red!  

When my husband and I built this house in 2004 I was bound and determined to have a purple bedroom once and for all!  My mind had changed on wanting purple carpet but most everything besides the carpet has shades of purple in it.  And oddly enough the comforter and drapes came from... yep, you guessed it... Sears! ha!

My husband and I put puzzles together in the winter and this Thomas Kinkade was perfect for our Alabama room!  The purples in this puzzle are so rich!  It had to be framed and hung on the wall!  It was the perfect addition to this room!



One last look at Little Miss Sassy with our pillow! She is so adorable that I just want to keep showing her off with her little lavender floral dress with lavender flower on the bodice and lavender ponytail holders. She is a cutie pie!  :)



118 comments:

Kathy MacKie said...

All I can say is WOW!

Judy B said...

Absolutely stunning Dresden! Instead of a guest bedroom, i want a live-in maid room. Not asking for much, but it sure would free up some sewing time. Thank you for sharing and the giveaway. jbechosend at sbcglobal dot net. I am a follower.

Martina said...

I love how yor pillow turned out. Great fabrics too! We don't have a special guest room at the moment, but soon. I am also a happy follower.

Kim West said...

I don't have a guest bedroom, but I do have a dedicated sewing room (more important than guests...lol). Living in Hawaii, we haven't had any guests (too expensive to come visit!) When we move back to the mainland in about 6 months, I will have a sewing room there too, but as a concession, we will put a murphy bed in there eventually for guests.

Christine L said...

What a collision indeed! Thank you for sharing it's wonderful..and your room is FUN! Hugs and Happy Hopping!!

Pam @Threading My Way said...

My sister had a purple bedroom back in the 70s. Your cushion is STUNNING!!!

Farm Quilter said...

I love what you did with the "Dresstar" or is that "Starden"? Totally cool collision!!! Love the way you used gold thread in your quilting to totally enhance the richness of your pillow - you did a fantabulous job!!!

Anita said...

Love the beautiful fabrics in your dresden! Unique shape too, like how it is not your typical dresden :)

Kristy said...

What a gorgeous dresden! Love the dolly too! Our guest room is japanese in theme. It has 3 quilts hanging on the walls, one is rice bowls, one is kimonos that were folded and hand sewn onto their backgrounds and the other is a wall hanging with Japanese themes in each little section, kind of like a shadow box. I also have a cross-stitched picture of Mt. Fuji that I got in Japan and learned to cross stitch with that is hanging as well. Thanks for the giveaway- K-

Sunshine Girl said...

Great pillow - I love the colour purple too! Thanks for sharing.

Theresa said...

I love purple too and that fabric you have used is absolutely gorgeous, so rich. I love what you've done with the Dresden design, your pillow is absolutely stunning.

Nati said...

Cute cushion and thanks forbthe chance to win

Britt-Inger said...

My favorite color is purple and if I found something to wear in purple or lime green, it is hard to resist. Your pillow is super lovely.
Thanks for sharing your story and a great give away
Britt-Inger in cold Sweden

Lavonna ZWB said...

Thank you so much for sharing with us. I too am a fan of purple, but mainly in my wardrobe for I am sure my husband would not be such a fan if it were all over my home.

Lynda Halliger Otvos (Lynda M O) said...

Purple ranks as one of my favorite colors, too, Thearica, I can see how your love for it permeates this delightful room. Your pillow just rocks-very clever use of designs.

Gill said...

What a stunning dresden! I love purple too but I don't have any in my house!
Our spare bedroom is where I sew, so I have to clear everything away when we have guests!
Thanks for sharing!

charlotte said...

Oooooooh! What a pretty and unique idea. Love it!

Jeanie said...

Beautiful pillow... it looks so lush and elegant! Thanks for sharing!

Sparky said...

What a collision T, it is gorgeous...and your pillow with doll, make a great ensemble...you dresden makers oh my goodness...you are totally amazing..

gpc said...

I can't get over how beautiful that pillow is -- I absolutely love the result. I think it's just so much prettier than anything I've ever seen! I had sheer purple curtains in my bedroom when I was a teenager, and loved the cool color of the light when the sun shone through them. My guest room now is yellow and a hot mess -- it's also where I keep my sewing machine, which is something I need to rethink, because it takes a LOT of work to get things in order when I hear that guests are on their way, lol.

Valerie the Pumpkin Patch Quilter said...

Now that is really different, I love it!

Charlene S said...

Very creative! A purple room-I wonder if my husband would agree.

Linda said...

How clever of you!! Great job!

Vivian said...

I love purple, but I never use it for some reason. I do not have a guest bedroom, wish I did, It would turn into my sewing room.

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

What an adorable pillow!! Great color, fabric, and I really like the different sized wedges.

StitchinByTheLake said...

Amazing creativity! And I loved your family story....those memories are such a treasure. blessings, marlene

Barb Neiwert said...

What an excellent pillow - it works well with your guest bedroom.

Sowing Stitches said...

:) Your rich dark colors really make the starry dresden sparkle! :)

Gwen said...

Your Dresden star is just beautiful, but I really love your little Miss Sassy. What a treasure!

Rosemary B❤️ said...

Rosemary B here: LOVE the purple room. Love the block and pillow you made. gorgeous quilting indeed, just lovely wowie.
Your Sassy is really beautiful too.
thank you for sharing your creativity and home!

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio said...

Nice pillow and fun combination. Oh that little ruler is cute. I don't have a guest bedroom because it's my sewing room and there's no room for a bed in there that's for sure.

Carol Swift said...

Beautiful colors and stitching on that pillow...love it! It was fun to tour your purple room and such a sweet story about the furniture and Sears. That little ruler is very cool and a must have for me! :O)

tubilinha tiacarminha said...

OBRA DE ARTE!Maravilha e pensar que meu quarto de hóspede é total branco....Me dá dó.....Obrigada.
tiacarminhapezzuto@gmail.com

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures said...

Lovin your project...such creativity when designs collide!

Scrapatches said...

A very happy and colorful collision! Thanks for sharing ... :) Pat

Lynette said...

Very nice use of purple in the room. :) And that star/dresden collision is super interesting!!

sew.darn.quilt said...

Beautiful dresden and bedroom. Our guest bedroom would be the livingroom couch I'm afraid :)
Thank you for the chance

Patty said...

My sister and I had a dark and light purple bedroom growing up.Wood floors, though. My guest bedroom is upstairs, and full of "stuff"that hasn't found a home. I like your dresden star plate. And thanks for the chance to win the giveaway.

Cecilia said...

I like the way your Dresden/star turned out.I have two guest bedrooms(for the children and grandchildren) and I'm working on quilts for the beds now. One room is decorated for boys and the other for girls, although I only have granddaughters at the moment. :-). Thanks for the giveaway.

✄ Erin @ Sew at Home Mummy ✄ said...

VERY cool pillow! I love it!
We have one guest bedroom in the basement of our 1890's house...it's a pretty cold room, so I'm in the midst of creating a warm and cozy flying geese quilt for it :)

vicki said...

I like your pillow, thanks for the giveaway. vickise at gmail dot com

Calicojoan said...

ahhhhh, like a meteor explosion in the sky!!! I love it!

Eileen said...

Very nice combination, stunning.

Needled Mom said...

That is a wonderful combination and I do love your color choices. How nice to have the bedroom furniture too! I'm not sure about that purple carpet idea...it might be hard to keep clean.

My guest room is in neutral so I can change out the quilts as I desire.

carla said...

Hi!!! Love your combo dresden!!! Love the colors you used!!! Your guest room is very pretty!!!

Vickie said...

I love stars, combining a dresden with it was a great idea...I may have to try that ! Very pretty!

DeAnna said...

Great idea!. I love the combination. Excellent choice of fabric colors! Thanks for the giveaway!

Lana said...

Such sweet memories indeed! I loved the idea...you did good girl!

Agnes B. Bullock said...

Love your dresden pillow!

your carpet story reminds me of when my parents moved into their frst house back in 1966- we went along while they picked out the carpet, etc at the builders, and my dad showed us the floor plans. Being only 3.5 years old, and the eldest, Dad let me pick out my bedroom- I chose the room that was blue on the diagram. Imagine my surprise when we moved in and the walls were NOT blue! Dad had let me pick out a royal blue carpet for my room, and it eventually faded to a mauvish pink by the time they sold the house i 1995. (MY mom was furious that Dad let me pick out the carpet and let me have the bright blue too!)

Linda C said...

Combining the two blocks was inspired and get the star block off the design wall.

Are you from Alabama? Just curious why you named it that, I guess since I live in the NE central part of the state.

Tammy said...

Your pillow is just amazeing. I lov eit. Extremely creative.
conn_and_vans_mom(at)yahoo(dot)com

Sarah Correa said...

Oooh La La - I love it! :)

Robin (RsIslandCrafts) said...

Love the pillow! It would be fun in sports team colors/fabric. All our kids are still home so no guest bedroom yet ;)

Anonymous said...

I had a guest bedroom but then I acquired a second daughter! Now my former guest bedroom is deep purple with green accents and looks even better! Thanks for hosting, pbstrand@msn.com

SpartanBabe said...

That pillow is too cool! It turned out great :o) Our guest room is soon to become my husbands office/our theater room. He needs a home office and I am not giving up my sewing room!

Julie said...

Stunning colors! You've done great work!

Melody said...

Love the story, thanks for sharing. I like the look of the pillow, classey

Anonymous said...

HI! LOVED THIS POST!
OUR GUEST BR IS DECORATED IN SHADES OF AQUA+WHITE,A SERENE ROOM TO REST AFTER A LONG TRIP!
THANKS FOR SHARING A 'NEAT GIVEAWAY'!

msstitcher1948@yahoo.com

Apple Avenue Quilts said...

Your pillow is just lovely. The fabrics are so rich. My guestroom is done in yellow with accents of red, green, and blue. Thanks so much for sharing and for your lovely giveaway.

Julie S said...

Do you really want to know about my guest room? It is the catch all for the rest of the house, especially when I am sorting/looking for fabrics. But when guests are expected, the magical Cat in the Hat shows up with his funny machine, and the room is made presentable lickety split! Oh, dear...I have guests coming on Wednesday...better get busy...

Ariane said...

Wow! Your pillow is just wonderful!! I love the rich colors. I really love the purple too! Thanks for sharing with us today!!

Joyce Carter said...

Love the colors and your guest bedroom. I don't have a guest bedroom-turned it into a sewing room. So much better! Purple is one of my favorite colors,too. I think it is a very rich color.Thank you for a great giveaway.

Loralynn said...

What a gorgeous dresden! So unusual, kind of modern. Not what you picture when thinking about dresden blocks. Thank you for sharing your lovely block!

Wendy said...

I really like your dresden! Very modern and the fabrics are gorgeous!

Vicki H said...

Your pillow is beautiful. Our guest room is called 'Grandma's Bedroom'. It has many of my mom's pictures and things she likes in it for her month long visits in the winter and late spring.

JudyCinNC said...

Really am in love with the fabrics you used on your Dresden Pillow. Thanks for sharing this and so happy you have a purple room. Thanks from Judy C

Day before Michelle said...

Very unusual Dresden, Gorgeous, and the colors are perfectly rich!

Shauna said...

Wow that is beautiful, you did an amazing job!!!!!

Farm Gate Creations Incorporating Hummingbird Quilting said...

I love what you did with the dresden it turned out fantastic.

LJ said...

The pillow is fantastic and so full of movement - I think that's the star's influence. That's such a creative idea to blend the 2. My guest bedroom is ALSO my sewing room so it usually looks horrid. When we need to use it as a bedroom, I make a mad scramble to put things away. Then it takes me a couple of weeks to find where I shoved/put things! lol

Jane's Fabrics and Quilts said...

What a fun idea, two for one!! Great use of color too! Thanks for sharing .

Sheila said...

Beautiful work , lovely fabrics and a unique design . I don't have a guest bedroom just a sewing room ;-)

Lyndsey said...

I love your new take on the Dresden block and it makes a delightful pillow. At the moment we don't have a guest room as we still have two of our children at home. When one of them moves out the room will become a guest / sewing room. But for now I'm happy to have the two of them still living with us.

Lori said...

My guest bedroom is also my sewing room, and needless to say, I hope I don't have any surprise guests, as they would be sleeping on a mound of fabric!

Karyn said...

AWESOME dresden! Love the combination

LeAnne said...

That is one fantastic Dresden. I think it turned out better than okay.

Jane's Quilting said...

What a unique Dresden on that pillow. I love it! Thank you for sharing.

The Slow Quilter said...

I love the pillow, I have that same purple and gold that I saving to do something New Orlena style quilt.

Diann said...

I have enjoyed visiting your blog and seeing your very unique Dresden. It's pretty cool.
Back in 1981 my husband and I were house hunting and saw a house with a purple carpet in one bedroom. It also had purple walls. I like purple, but that room was too much for me.

Beth said...

The first quilt I ever made is on our guest bed. My niece calls that her room, and I love that she feels connected to our home in that way.

Just Quilt It said...

Your block is gorgeous! I love the colors and the fabrics. The key chains are so cute!

quiltma said...

Well if I had a guest bedroom I would be glad to tell you about it. Ha Ha.
Love you block and also the key chains

Teresa in Music City said...

Your 8-pointed Star Dresden is amazing! Love the color and the dramatic movement - wow! My guest bedroom has my Scrappy Bear Paw quilt on it, which makes me smile every time I go in there :*) My guests always enjoy it - and that's what quilting is all about to me!

lefuntz said...

The only thing special about my guest bedroom is my late mother's bedroom set. I miss her lots. I love the way you combined your blocks. Sew creative!

auntdebbiequilts said...

Such a dramatic rendition of Dresden. Beautiful!

Cathy's Chatter said...

With 9 kids, 4 kids in law, and 6 grandsons, I do not have a guest room YET! Those kids leave and come back, leave, come back, have not left yet . . . you get the picture! Someday, I will have a guest room that will be a showcase for spectacular quilts I plan to make and NOT give away! Thanks for sharing your creations!

Kristen King said...

Very different and very nice project.

Pamela said...

I love your twist on the Dresden. And purple is a favorite color of mine. Thanks for sharing!

Lori said...

Your pillow is very lovely. I dont have a guest bedroom. Oh well. But if I did I would put it in lots of different blues.

OhioLori said...

Soooooo cool that you got your Parent"s bedroom set at last! Yay!!! Love your room! We don't have a guest room....but I would fix it up in Blues & Greens! :)

Bente-I like to QuiltBlog said...

Beautiful dresden and gorgeous doll. Thanks for the great pictures.

VickiT said...

Stunning! That is an absolutely gorgeous pillow. Such rich colors. Wow.
And the keychain is just adorable. I'd love to win one of them.

Hmmmmm Our guest bedroom eh? Well, sadly our guest bedroom no longer exists. One of my boys, his fiancee, our Granddaughter who will be 1yr old in about 2 weeks, their 2 dogs and then not long after moving in along came FOUR more dogs because their 2 dogs are quite the active couple. ugh. They have totally filled that guest room and as I walk past the room I swear I can hear the walls groaning as they are holding in SO much stuff. LOL But, it has been a amazing thing to have our Granddaughter here where I can hold her and spoil her 24 hrs a day since she was about 4 months old. She's such a little doll. So I can live without the guest room for awhile more. The downfall is that it was also my overflow area for many things in our home which had to find a new place to hide, including a number of sewing things that were in the dresser and yes, overflow fabrics. LOL

Sarah Craig said...

Thearica, that is an amazing pillow! Love your design, the colors and quilting! Whoop whoop!!

Nancy in IN said...

Love the purple. So creative. Thanks for sharing.

Teatime Creations said...

I love the way you combined the star with the dresden. So creative. From many years ago i remember my sister was allowed to choose her room color and purple being her favorite color she painted it all deep purple. Entering it was like going into a dark cave but she was so happy.

Carla said...

Love your Dresden. I had a purple family room once, but only the walls were purple. Purple carpet would be interesting. Thanks for the giveaway.

Sallie said...

Very nice. Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway!

evelyn said...

I love your Dresden Star pillow! It is sew modern beside your moms antique doll. Glad you got your purple room at last, and your parents old suite. I have my husbands grandparents old bedroom set in our spare room. Nice to be surrounded by old family treasures, and to be able to add some of our own.

Lyn said...

Very nice! Thanks for being part of the hop.

Quilt n Queen said...

Thearica, your Dresden pillow is stunning and Little Miss Sassy is darling. Thanks for sharing your creativity...this hop is sEw full of inspiration and creative projects...Happy stitching!! Pauline

Gina Loomis said...

Wow! I love your dresden star! It's gorgeous, as is your fabric selection. I like purple too! Thanks for participating and for inspiring us today!

Sewgirl said...

Very out of the box designing with your Dresden pillow! I love your story about wanting a purple room. I wanted a red room when I was a kid, and you know what? My dad painted my room cherry red...and I loved it. It was a real pain to paint over when I grew up and wanted something less intense, but I loved that my dad was willing to do that for me, and really loved that red room...I think how wild it was now, and know that I would totally resist letting one of my kids have a red room (thank goodness they didn't), so as a parent, I think he was totally cool in that way!

Suze said...

I'm embarrassed to tell you about my guest room. It is crammed with quilting supplies running over from the closet in that room. The other room that was a guest room no longer has much in it. I just got a divorce in December and my husband took what had been his bedroom furniture back with him. So, ... In a four bedroom house, I have two rooms with beds. I have another bed in the attic. If my daughter decides to come home for a visit, I'll be making a mad dash to get another bed put up and a mattress set bought and something done with my quilting treasures. The other bedroom has some more quilting treasures and basically belongs to the cats.

I love your Dresden creation. You are very creative. The purple just ties in with the room. You are fortunate to have been able to get the bed from the estate sale.

Your giveaway is adorable. Do the proceeds go to cancer research? I am a breast cancer survivor. I try to support such efforts. That would probably make an adorable Dresden for a name tag for a guild meeting?????

Thank you for participating and sharing your creativity. I enjoyed visiting.

Janarama said...

Love your interpretation of the dresden ... very different ... a work of art.

Jodi - usairdoll said...

WoW! I love your dresden star! You will have to name your design , hehe. You are so clever and your pillow turned out gorgeous! Your quilting adds just that extra detail. Thank you for sharing with us, amazing job!

My spare bedroom is full of boxes and my sewing stuff, hehe. It's going to be my sewing space but since we moved, I have not gotten all the boxes unpacked. I'm so glad you were able to get your parents bedroom set. How special for you. Love your Little Miss Sassy, too cute.

Thank you for a great giveaway and a chance to win. Three winners! Woot! Woot! You Rock!

usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com

Simone said...

Beautiful design and colors all around! I am a beginner so I appreciate you sharing your ideas. Sweet story; I suppose we sometimes have to wait until we are a “grown-up” to finally put things the way we like them (heehee).

It is sweet to have a doll that will not grow up and move away. Since my husband and I are recent empty-nesters and no longer needed our guest room, we sold it! Yes, that’s right; we sold it! Nine years ago we moved into our current smaller house anticipating the time our children would move out and we would be left with a permanent extra guest room. Instead of adding an additional permanent room to our house, we thought of something comfortable, private and temporary. A very nice but used RV with queen size bed, regular size shower, full kitchen and slide out living area. Plugged into our house for electricity and connected to our septic tank and water, it was self-contained and ready at a moment’s notice! It cost less than building and was completely removable and re-sell-able.

Ellie Q said...

What a neat idea for your block! Love the purple! :)

Lisa said...

Lovely pillow! My house is full of family so no guest bedroom, if you come to visit you sleep in the blue livingroom on the pull out couch. Family does every Christmas then we really do have a full house! I love rulers and that one looks really cute! Thank you for a great giveaway!

Michele T said...

That is a very luxurious pillow!! Love it!! Our house is much too tiny for a guest room... but now that my son has gone off to University, maybe his room could be my sewing studio?!!

Michelle May-The Raspberry Rabbits said...

What a gorgeous pillow. I love the rich colors.

tink's mom said...

What a great collision. The end result is wonderful. Lovely colors (sweet doll)

Scrapbook-ChickADoodle said...

Very pretty. Thanks for sharing and the opportunity to win!

Wendy said...

I love your unusual dresden, such a clever idea! My guest bedroom is crammed full of boxes!

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Beautiful Dresden and a great way to display it. Loved the story about decorating your room. I too remember wanting purple everything (Shhh Donny Osmond always had purple).

Leah said...

Very unique take on the dresden plate. I like it very much.

B Greene said...

I love your project and the way the Dresden is square rather than round - very ingenious!

Katherine said...

Wow! What a unique take on a dresden. You certainly gave it some "zip'! Well done, Thearica.

Kris said...

Really a great, unique Dresden Plate!! I love how really artist folk's minds work!! :-) Thanks for sharing!!