Go Big or Go Home Dresden Plate

Dresden Blades

Ever since I started fiddling around with fabric I've wanted to make a Dresden Plate quilt but it was always in the "someday" column of my wish list...until today.

Dresden plates are made up of 20 individual "blades" that form a flower around a circle center. Most folks make them small enough to applique on to a 12 or 15 inch quilt block and then sew a quilt of many blocks, many plates. I am not most people.

I found a terrific template for the beginning quilter at a tiny shop in Wakefield, Mass. I've seen small wedges you can purchase to make the standard size block, but I wanted something spectacular, and I found it, in this Trace'N Create Quilt template from Clover:

Trace 'n Create Quilt Dresden Wedge

Yahoo! This thing is game changing, even magical. Simply pick out the size of Dresden plate you want to make, trace out the easy pattern on to fabric, rotary cut, pin, sew and go! Sizes range from 12" blocks to 40" blocks! Start to finish this 40 inch wonder took about 6 hours. That includes cutting a lot of other fabric for pending niece and nephew quilts and ripping apart the Singer 301 five times due to feed dogs/bobbin case/throat plate issues--so I could probably do it again in three. But I prevailed, and now have this to show for it:

Go Big or Go Home Dresden Plate

You can see my BlackBerry in the lower right corner--I tossed that on the full-sized bed to show the scale. Now I just need to pick out a center and figure out what in the heck I am going to applique this to! I'm thinking either white canvas or flannel to make a nice opaque window treatment for my kitchen, or heading to Marshall's to find a twin-sized simple white cotton quilt or throw and then applique right on it.

I'll keep you posted.

Until then, try strawberries, They are just coming into season and taste amazing right now:

Summer Supper

Also, here's a hint of what's to come:

Tangerine Dream

XO Terez

Be Mine Valentine

Can you, could you, might you, should you--want to be mine, Valentine?

My own galaxy

Rays of Light

It's been cold lately, the mercury has been dipping into the 20s and teens and below zero with the windchill.  I don't care, though (ask me again in February). In Portland, Ore., it may be more temperate in the winter but it is cloudy and clammy and you might not see the sun for weeks. You need to wear a hat and gloves every single day for 5 months in Boston, but at least you need to wear sunglasses, too!

While tripping down my stairs in my "stabilizing," sensible clogs I was arrested by a miniature galaxy in my entryway:

Enchanting Entryway

What in the heck? It took a few seconds to realize it's coming from me! My 100% sequined bag was creating some magic of its own with the sunshine.

My Milky Way

How can you not love a walk to work that includes this:

Harvard Avenue

Beautiful. A perfect start to a perfect day that ended with a perfect viewing of the Nutcracker with K-Lace:

Boston Opera House on Washington Street

The Boston Opera House--foyer ceiling

XOXO Terez

Chez Terez & Friends in all their magnificence recap~*

Chez Terez & Friends Lauren, Cindy, Kim and Anna {in spirit!}
at the end of the night!

I think I've basked enough in the Post Chez Terez & Friends Holiday Bazaar and Open Studio glow that I'm finally ready to share it with you. Readers who were able to be with us in person--here's some visual memories. Readers who were there in spirit, here's some highlights of our once-in-a-lifetime experience.

2:00 p.m. No one is here yet! Panic starts to set in. Will no one come? Will our amazing back room be all for naught? My mind starts to whirl and spin and then....Bam! Lightening strikes my brain. I wonder aloud: "What if me make a doorprize for our first guest?" Immediately everyone is in. We came up with this:

KimKitch biscotti, Chez Terez earrings, O-Snap bracelet,
Lauren Cards card and "You're #1!" declaration

Now jumping out of my skin with excitement I dance around the house with the bag...who will it be?:

Terez and doorprize

2:30: Knock, knock, knock!
It's Lisa A.! Hoooray! We couldn't have picked a more deserving guest {although all of our guests were so deserving!} if we tried. Lisa has been supportive of this project since Day One. Every time we write about it, she would comment with well wishes. She had been anticipating this event as long as we had. Congratualations, Lisa!

Lisa, our #1 guest!

3:00 p.m.: The floodgates open and we realized we need not have worried. We enjoyed a steady stream of visitors and friends for the next 5 hours:

Guests!

One snafu: the Christmas Mixed IPod was lost before the party started. Darn thing still hasn't turned up. I misplaced it right before the bash, so Rosemary and Bing stood in as a soundtrack:

Rosemary: gorgeous, classy and very  Chez Terez

The shops were spectacular:

The Kim Kitch

Kim transformed my old utility closet into a bakery wonderland.

Charmed, I'm sure

Cindy's O-Snap bracelets and hair accessories were charming.

Red.House prints

 Anna's prints were precious.

Lauren's Cards

 Lauren had quite the catalogue of cards.

Chez Terez Resparkle

Chez Terez made a spectacular showing.

I'm sorry I have to share one more Chez Terez--but this is my blog, afterall:

Chez Terez

And the Bless You Cozies! They flew out like hotcakes!

Bless You Tissue Cozies by Chez Terez

It was amazing. I'm still breathless by what a wonderful experience we had nearly a week later. It was so sad that night as the gals were breaking down their shops--it really did feel like elves (or at least fairygodsisters) had descended on the place. It would not have been possible without Anna, Cindy, Kim and Lauren. Nor would it have been possible without all of YOU. Your support and encouragement and excitement powered us through and has kept us uplifted and inspired in the days following.

We can't wait to see you at the next one.

With love,
Terez

PS Photos in this post brought to you by me, Kim and Cal.

Shop's back up!

Bold gold blocks from KRR

There is soooo much to tell you about the Chez Terez & Friends Holiday Bazaar--but I'm going to need a little time to bask in the glow left by all of our guests and the splendiferous time we had. More to come in a day or two on that--I can't wait to share it with you properly.

Please, take one!

In the mean time, feel free to get your Chez Terez fix at the shop here . I restocked it tonight and we're back online!

Vintage resparkling--nearly sold out!

 XOXO TEREZ

Candy dish earrings

Candy Dish resparkle earrings

With 9 days to go until the Open Study/Holiday Bazaar, things are in full swing at Chez Terez.  Lately I've been fascinated by the refashioning/resparkling of vintage jewels into new modern pieces. After working in the studio today I realized all my creations were starting to resemble confectionary delights...for the ears.

Don't these remind you of gold-foil-wrapped chocolate eggs?

Speckled Egg earrings

Peppermint candies?

Peppermint Stripe earrings

Cinnamon red hots?

Red Hot II earrings

A candy dish too sweet to eat?

Sweets for the sweet

Smooth melt-a-way rounds?

Peppermint Twist earrings

Minty non-pariells?

Mint Green Goddess earrings

Cherry hard candies?

Hard Candy earrings

Sweets for your sweet {or yourself!}....

Freshly wrapped, delivered to your door. Up in the Etsy shop!

All wrapped up

XO Terez