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SEWING CURVED QUILT BLOCKS
TUTORIAL

Are you a little bit scared of sewing curved quilt blocks?  They are fun, once you know how.

curves 1 (9).png

 

Did you know that curved blocks have been around for a long, long time in quilting? Let's look at Drunkard's Path as an example.

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Interestingly, Drunkards Path was developed from a pattern called Solomon’s Puzzle, (some of the older quilt patterns actually call it Solomon’s Puzzle). The design was even discovered on several Roman artefacts, and has been linked back to puzzles in Ancient Egypt. Quilters started using it commonly in around the early 19th century.

 

Ready to take the plunge and learn something new?  Great, let’s start!

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You will need to accurately cut out your shapes from your pattern.  

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Step 1

Match up the background piece with the centre piece.  Then press each piece in half to mark the centres.​

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Step 2

Next, place the background piece on top of the centre piece, right sides together, aligning the centre creases and the raw edges. Pin through the two layers as shown.

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Step 3

Line up the flat raw edges of the background piece with the edges of the centre piece. You will need to ease the background piece to line them up properly. Pin at each end.

If this is your first time sewing a curved block, I suggest to begin with, you add some more pins. This will help you to get the feel of the shape and movement of the fabric.  As you get more confident, use less pins.  With practice, you’ll be able to piece together the curves together with just three!  One in the middle and one at each end.

Step 4

Take the block to the sewing machine. Keep the background concave piece on top, this way it is easier to see if there are any puckers forming and settle them before you sew it. Start stitching at one end.

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The key to stitching smooth curves is to take it slowly, and stop with the needle down and pivot every few stitches.

 

Use your fingers to ease out the top fabric if it starts to fold or pucker up, but remember it is a bias edge, so be gentle! (They stretch out of shape easily.)

 

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Step 5

Once you get to the end, take extra care to make sure the raw edges of the two pieces stay aligned (this is why I pin the end). If you find you have a pucker in the seam, you can unpick a few stitches either side, ease it out and restitch.

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Step 6

Normally you press the seam towards the background fabric.  If you are making the Love U quilt pattern or a curved block with a narrow seam allowance then iron to the centre.  Don’t be afraid to use some steam if you need. 

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Trim the block square.  It’s done!

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Love U quilt block

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TIPS & TRICKS:

  • Start slowly, but once you have sewn curves a bit, you will get comfortable with feeding the fabrics evenly and you’ll speed up quite a bit.

  • Set your machine in the needle down position if you can.  This allows you to periodically stop and adjust with your fabric slipping.

  •  Have a problem that your block won’t sit flat even after pressing?  You may need to carefully clip the curves.  Just make sure you don’t go over the seam, and a few should do work.

  • By using a scrap ‘leader’ fabric when you start stitching, you will find it avoids the thread tangling into a mess on the reverse side. 

  • A small rotary cutter blade will make it easier to cut accurate curves than the standard 45mm.

Tutorial - FPP: About
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