String Plate
Ethel West Adair
Cherokee, Oklahoma
c1940
Cotton
67 3/4" x 95 1/2”
MSUM 2000:1.1
Photo by Mary Whalen, all rights reseved by the Michigan State University Museum

Circular patterns like this one are known not only as Dresden Plate but also Wagon Wheel or Wheel of Fortune. The string piecing in the wheel spokes of this particular quilt, however is unusual. Similar to crazy quilting, string piecing traditionally involves sewing pieces of fabric onto a fabric or paper foundation. The technique allows a quilter to make use of small or oddly shaped pieces of fabric which are not suitable for more regular patchwork. It more commonly appears in quilts as simple square blocks or a large eight-pointed stars.

From Great Lakes, Great Quilts